Deciding What Style of Curtains You Want

Deciding What Style of Curtains You Want

Deciding what style of curtains you want is not too easy if you want to be sure of having at the same time the most functional and the most attractive draperies or curtains possible. You must answer these questions first:

1) Do you have a pleasant view from your window, one that you want to bring into the room, make a part of the decoration?

2) What style of architecture is your house?

3) What style of architecture is your window?

4) What period or decorative effect is your room, and how much does the furnishing of one room depend on that of another?

5) What exposure does your window have? (This question influences your choice of fabric and color.)

The question of outlook is fundamental. Primarily what one remembers about a window is what it looks out on, not how it is draped. If your room looks out on a beautiful private garden, you can afford to have glass curtains that offer a minimum of privacy, a maximum of bringing nature into the house. If your windows look out of a front yard and a quiet street, lovely in themselves but not too private, you can still have glass curtains which permit a maximum view of the outdoors and yet offer privacy from the person looking in.

Deciding What Style of Curtains You Want

Suppose, however, that you live in the country where the general effect is pleasant, and yet that ugly house across the street, the new housing development, or the neighbors' children's sandpile spoil the view. Or suppose you live in the city and have a view mainly of ugly roof tops, although you do get an expanse of sky and changing panoramas of sunsets and sunshine! In both these cases you will want a window treatment that offers glimpses of leaves or sky while obscuring details. Marquisette or net glass curtains will do this, as will Japanese bamboo blinds or Venetian blinds.

On the other hand, you may have a distinctly unpleasant view into a dark courtyard, or smack up against a neighbor's garage or house in the suburbs. Then you may as well decide to turn your window wall into an attractively hung and draped expanse. You may want to extend your draw curtains from wall to wall, and have them drawn open at night for ventilation, or you may want opaque glass curtains that let in light and appear pleasantly translucent in the day without giving a view, with the interest created by the over draperies.