Window furnishings can go unnoticed when competing with feature furniture pieces and other decor in the house for visual focus. However, even if they’re designed to be discreet and go unnoticed, they’re an incredibly important part of the home.
Your choice of window furnishings can elevate your decor, whether you’re using them to bring a pop of colour to a space or using neutral tones for a subtle, sophisticated look. In addition, choosing the right window furnishings can enhance light control, insulation, and possibly even security. To start, consider the available options. Then weigh up factors like decor and privacy. Use this quick guide to help you make the right choice.
What are your options?
The question of which window furnishings are right can arise when you’re moving to a new home, building your dream house, or undertaking renovations and upgrades. Your main window treatment options are curtains, blinds, shutters, and insect fly screens.
- Curtains – Curtains are available in a huge range of fabrics, from sheer, transparent, and lightweight; to lined and draped fabrics for complete blocking out of light. Sheer curtains can diffuse light, and thick fabric curtains can provide good insulation during temperature extremes.
- Blinds – Blinds come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from roller blinds to venetian blinds and panel blinds. With blinds, you can also get extra options like cordless, semi-cordless, wand, chain, or automated.
- Shutters – Shutters feature a frame that’s fixed to your window and shutter panels hinged inside the frame. This can provide an elegant, space-efficient treatment for your windows.
- Insect fly screen – All good window furnishings start with insect fly screens. These can be combined with curtains and blinds to help keep insects out of your home. They have a smooth, flat surface that ensures both a discreet appearance and ease of cleaning.
1. Consider other decor
Consider the decor in each space and choose your window covering accordingly. You’ll want to select a product that enhances the existing theme or style. Consider your furniture, fixtures, lamps, artwork, and floor coverings, and make sure your choice doesn’t clash with these elements. For example, you wouldn’t want to use rustic shades or frilly in a sleek, modern space, or modern blinds in a room with traditional decor.
2. Think about privacy
Privacy matters in some rooms more than others. For spaces like a dining area opening out to an outdoor area and looking over the backyard, you’ll probably be less focused on privacy. Bedrooms and bathrooms, on the other hand, typically benefit from window furnishings boosting privacy. Consider the function of the room and how much privacy you’re looking for. In areas like bedrooms, choose window treatments that offer full blockout like thick fabric curtains.
3. Consider the colour!
As with the decor and style of each room, choose your window-furnishing colours to match and complement the furniture, walls, and other elements in the space. You could opt for the same colours or remain in the same family of colours. For your curtains, shades, or blinds to blend in, choose the same colour as your walls but go slightly darker. If you’re aiming to use the curtains or other window furnishings to offer contrast, you might choose a distinct shade that makes them stand it.
Note contrasting colours shouldn’t be jarring. For example, in a room already busy with patterns and bright shades, introducing more patterns and colours could result in a clash of aesthetics. Also factor in how much light passes through the window. If the window furnishing will allow some light through, it can cast a coloured glow on the room. In this case, make sure the colour of the window furnishing harmonises with the rest of the room.
4. What to avoid
Avoid these common errors when choosing window furnishings for your home:
- Same furnishing for the whole house – Using the same window furnishing for every window in your house is probably not the right approach. As noted above, each room in your property likely has differing privacy needs, style and character, and colour themes.
- Ignoring style – Take into account the overall style of your home as well as the decor of each room. Whether your home has an overall minimalist, modern, traditional, or rustic style, your choice of window furnishings should align with this as much as possible.
- Not investing in quality – Choose quality window furnishings and they’ll likely look great, fulfil their function, and last longer. This means you won’t have to replace them too often.
Selecting the right window furnishings can influence the ambiance of each room, not to mention improve natural lighting, augment the decor, and boost privacy. For homeowners, there’s a considerable range of choices when it comes to options to suit decor, colour, and other priorities. Popular choices like curtains, blinds, and shutters can be combined with insect fly screens to boost natural light while keeping out the insects. Artilux has been Australia’s leading supplier of insect fly screens for the past 30 years, and as a family-operated business, we always go out of our way to ensure every customer gets the highest level of personal service. To find out more about our superior range of retractable insect fly screens, contact our friendly team with your questions now.
