Window treatments are indispensable when you’re looking to redecorate a room. In fact, nearly 20% of homeowners want to upgrade their window treatments to make their homes look better.

If you are considering using window treatments as part of a room transformation, here are helpful tips for choosing the perfect treatments for your home.

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How to Choose Window Treatments to Meet Your Design Needs


 

Consider Your Room’s Aesthetic Look

When looking at a room that you wish to redecorate, you need to consider the aesthetic look you want for the room.

Large Bedroom with Beige Floor to Ceiling Curtains with Muted Tones

Each room should reflect your personal style. Not sure if you have a personal style? Whether you’re unsure or if you desire a change, you should take some time to figure out your style before you begin a transformation.

  • Are you a fan of plaids, velvet, or linen with a hint of antique? You may be an admirer of the Traditional style of decorating.
  • If you like lots of light, space, and neutral or white colors with homey stylings, the Farmhouse decorating may be for you.
  • You may love the Mid-Century Modern design aesthetic, with lots of gold, plush fabrics, and low-slung minimalist furniture.

The more you know about your individual design preferences, the easier it will be to choose window treatments.


 

Consider Your Room’s Function

Second, while you’re considering your design preferences, consider the function of your room. For example, if you have children or pets, having a room decorated with all-white furniture and expensive, lush fabrics is probably not a smart choice.

If your room is a kitchen, study room, or home office, you may want to look for window treatments that allow light in while protecting your privacy.

Kitchen Window with Blue and White Roman Shades

What if your room is a formal living or dining area that you use less frequently? If the room you’re redecorating is more formal, you may want to opt for a dramatic presentation with bold color choices and luxe fabrics.

Formal Dining Room with Gold Drapes around 3 French Doors

The more you think about the function of the room, the better you’ll be able to choose the ideal window treatments for your needs and preferences.


 

How to Choose Your Curtain Measurements

Before you begin measuring the area for curtains or window treatments, it is essential to think about how and where you want your window treatments to frame your window.

Narrow Living Room with Large Window and White Curtains and Blinds

First, you need to think about whether or not to have your curtain rods cover the width of the window. If you think about the window treatment as a frame for your window, you need to consider how big a frame you want. If you merely want to block light or improve privacy, your curtain rods could be nearly flush with the window itself.

However, if you are looking to make the window a focal point, you may want to make the window treatment curtain rod extend beyond the window itself. This is because you may want to let in more light to make the room really stand out, especially if it is the focal point of the room.

Next, be sure that you measure for height and width of the window, and then measure exactly how high and how wide you want the window treatment to be.


 

How High Should You Hang Curtains?

One of the most common questions window treatment professionals receive is how high should curtains be hung? Keep in mind the higher your curtains hang, the taller your window will look.

Large windows also make the room look larger than it is. You may want to choose to hang your window treatments higher than the windows to enhance the size of the room.

Minimalist Living Room with Floor to Ceiling Drapes

When you are looking for a more traditional window treatment, you will want to measure for window treatments that are four to six inches above the top of the window.

If you have a room that is small with low ceilings, such as in a mid-century modern home, you may want to opt to hang the curtain rods from the ceiling. Hanging curtains from the ceiling allows you to open up the room, and gives the illusion of a larger, taller room.

Long Ceiling to Floor Brown Curtains in Living Room

 

Window Treatment Stats, Trends & Resources

To get more familiar with the functional potential of window treatments, we highly recommend reviewing current market trends and statistics. Especially pertinent to homeowners is how window treatments can improve the overall energy efficiency and comfort of one’s home.

Large Urban Condominium with Automated Shades

According to recent report conducted by Grand View Research, the Worldwide Window Treatment Market will have an annual growth rate of 7.6% over the next 9 years – growing from $32.8B in 2022 to $60.2B in 2030 – fueled by the following trends:

  • In the US, continued investment in home renovations and remodeling will further benefit the Window Treatment industry, with an expected annual growth rate of 6.6%
  • With increasing disposable income, consumers are making more frequent changes of their home décor styles, including window coverings
  • A rising number of product innovations has been attracting more consumers to purchase new window treatments, such as:
    • Automated and adaptive technology that make window coverings easier, safer and more effective to use
    • Curtain customization and on-demand printing is an emerging growth area and is attracting new window treatment companies to enter the market
    • Anti-allergen solutions are another area of innovation of high interest to persons that suffering from allergies, including pet owners
  • Aided by research on the Internet and social media, worldwide consumers are becoming more aware of the wide range of product offerings and innovations, opening opportunities for new, disruptive entrants to succeed
  • The rise in the adoption of smart homes products is driving demand for smart window coverings in homes, as more consumers are seeking automated window coverings that can adjust themselves based on sensor input
  • Growing interest and awareness of how window treatments can improve energy efficiency in both hot and cold climates, are fueling increased demand for window treatments worldwide
  • The automatic technology-based window covering market currently represent 9.3% of all window covering sales and is expected to expand at an annual growth rate of 8.9% from 2021 to 2030
Grand View Research US Window Covering Market in Dollars 2020 to 2030

Chart courtesy of Grand View Research.

The Department of Energy has also shared the following energy efficiency statistics that demonstrate the effectiveness of window treatments:

  • Glass windows, without any shading, can allow between 75% and 80% of transmitted solar energy through, whereas vertical or venetian blinds can reduce this amount of solar energy to just 0% to 5%
  • Draperies with white plastic backings can reduce heat gain of a given room by up to 33%
  • About 30% of a home’s heating energy is lost through windows
  • In cooling seasons, about 76% of sunlight that enters standard double-pane windows becomes heat

Window Treatment Resources


This article was written with Owen Wright, a guest contributor. Owen is a Content Marketing Specialist, with several years of experience in the home improvement industry, who enjoys sharing his industry knowledge and lessons-learned with others.

 

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