Q. I need window treatments for a 10 foot, arched window in a casual living room. I DO NOT wants swags... any ideas? I don't want to cover the whole window with long "boring" curtains... Any ideas? Pictures? Takes on where I can look? Oh, and I can sew so I could make them if you have just a picture of a great idea. thanks so much.
A. Not sure why you would want to cover such a beautiful window, but if you need to for privacy or to block strong light, here is what I would do. I would buy a narrow pleated shade to fit from just below the arched section to the bottom and mount it. Then, for the arched section, I would buy another pleated shade half the width of the window and then cut off the top rail and use the pleated material to create like a Japanese fan that would stretch across the curve at the top. You would have to figure a way to attach it to the top rail of the straight blind.
You could also do this with any fabric -- a sheer would be pretty. You could use heavy wire or a piece of flexible thin fiberglass (like the rods for the flags that go on kid's bikes) to create an arch to match the curve of the upper window. Then sew a pocket hem in the sheer, slip it over the rod, bend it into place and gather the fabric together at the bottom to make a gathered fan in the upper section. Use a spring-loaded rod to hang a separate straight sheer panel below it.
Here is a site that shows what I mean (along with some other unique suggestions):
http://www.the-window-treatment-expert.com/arched_window_treatment.html
What color paint and window treatments should we choose?
Q. My wife and I are about to renovate our living room. We plan to repaint our walls, add new window treatments, and possibly add chair rails and crown molding.
We plan on keeping our black leather sofa and red leather easy chairs. We also have medium brown hard wood floors and dark brown baseboards and doors. The walls are currently a textured egg shell white. Lastly we have ample natural lighting from the sliding glass door and large living room windows.
Please give us suggestions on what color to paint our walls and a suggested window treatment for the sliding glass door and windows. If possible provide a web link to show the colors and treatments.
BTW, we are looking for a more modern or exotic look. Oh, we're not a fan of wall paper. Would beige paint look ok?
A. First, you have to decide the style that you like. Is it traditional? Modern? Exotic? Then decorate your home accordingly. If you like exotic influences but don't want to go overboard, just have accent pieces here and there, e.g. use cushions with African pattern or have mini elephant statues or Chinese-inspired vases or something.
Since you don't mention it, I'll just give you a suggestion based on what I like. I prefer a traditional look, just because I think it's both elegant and comfortable.
Since you have red arm chairs, why don't you have a bit more red in the room? Maybe a red rug for the living area? Or red cushions for the black sofa? Make sure the textures of the cushion and the leather don't clash, though. Or you could have red curtains or walls. If you do go with curtain, make sure it's lined or it's a blackout material, because otherwise the light entering your house when the curtains are closed may be too eerie. Oh, instead of curtains, maybe you could use Roman blinds; stay away from vertical or horizontal blinds. (Except if you got the latter in the wooden varieties - those look so elegant!)
Personally, I think it's best to keep the curtains a bit more neutral, though. So, maybe use something more beige or sheer curtains. Instead, use red on the walls, BUT don't go crazy. I think the more burgundy, dark red colours would look better than bright reds. Also, depending on your budget, you could choose to use wallpapers instead. With wallpapers, you could play around with patterns as well. I'd go with beige/cream wallpaper with red accents, and red borders. That would look awesome! Or, if you prefer to paint, your current wall seems okay, maybe just paint ONE wall red. For instance, if you have a fireplace, maybe that wall could be red, and the rest could be more neutral?
Otherwise, you could play up the browns of the wood floor and door. That would be great as well. Play with textures. Look for curtain material that's not plain to prevent your home from looking drab.
Or, you could actually keep both the walls and curtains neutral, and instead have more wooden furniture, and keep your house bright. This will give the feel of a larger, more open space.
Also, play with lights. You know how there are the yellowish lights and the white, daylight sort of lights? They can really change the atmosphere of your room. So decide which one you like better, and then see if they'll go with your decor. I mean, if you like the white, daylight sort of light (like the sort they use in offices), then that probably won't work with red walls. The yellowish lights would work better in that case, as it creates a certain ambiance. However, I would go with your light preference first, since you spend more time at home at night. So if you don't like yellow lights but insist on using them just so they go with your decor, you probably will not like spending time in that room.
Here are some ideas:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/design_inspiration/factsheets/726.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/design_inspiration/factsheets/466.shtml
http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/design_inspiration/factsheets/130.shtml
http://www.housetohome.co.uk/galleries/living/Red_and_white_living_room_355.html?subslug=/galleries/styles/classic
http://www.housetohome.co.uk/galleries/living/Cosy_living_room_534.html?subslug=/galleries/styles/relaxed_modern
(the windows look awesome too):
http://www.housetohome.co.uk/galleries/living/Sleek_living_room_1471.html?subslug=/galleries/styles/relaxed_modern
Here's what I mean about the lighting:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/design_inspiration/factsheets/534.shtml
Imagine if there were white lights instead. Wouldn't look as good.
Different types of window treatments:
http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/dc_window_treatments
Some wallpaper ideas:
http://www.ballarddesigns.com/Wall-Decor/Wallpaper-Designs/Red-Wallpapers/c/1600?path=1%2C2%2C1468%2C1545%2C1600
http://www.wallpaperillusions.com/images/RS5812295.jpg
Hope I helped a bit. Sorry for not giving a shorter answer. I'm bored and I miss my interior decorator dad. Good luck with your home! :)
EDIT: Sure, beige goes well with both black and red, and it's a whole lot better than white.
Maybe you better re-post this question to get input from more people :) Try to post it when the traffic is slightly heavier, so there would be more people reading.
What type of window treatments should i use for our basement appartment windows?
Q. We live in a basement apartment where the windows are at ceiling height, small, and wide. Im having trouble with finding nice window treatments. Im tired of blinds, and ugly curtains. Someone help?
A. Have you considered cellular shades? They're not "industrial" looking like mini-blinds can be, and they'll add some texture and fabric to your windows. They're also great insulators, which you may need if you're living somewhere with cold winters.
Symphony Double Honeycomb cellular shades offer tons of colors to choose from so you can choose a pattern that fits your style. You can find them at http://www.blindcrafter.com/Symphony/symphony.cfm. And if they're not your style, you can do your window treatment research at BlindCrafter.com, too. They have a variety of styles and fabrics to choose from.
I hope that this insight helps.
Happy Designing!
Kristina
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