Don't forget to dress up windows for both form and function. "We almost always take off old, heavy drapery and put something light, airy and gauzy in its place," says Linda Russell, owner of HouseDressing in Montclair, N.J. and agent on HGTV's Bought & Sold. This ushers in natural light and makes a previously closed-in space seem larger. Designer Ammie Kim uses a combination of minimal window treatments for a light-filled living area. Use sheers and a tension rod to achieve this look on the cheap.If privacy is paramount, top-down, bottom-up Roman shades will block the neighbors' view of your bathtub but let you gaze at the sky while you soak. Lisa LaPorta, designer on HGTV's Designed to Sell and owner of Lisa LaPorta Design in L.A., favors bamboo or parchment shades and simple curtain panels made from fine cotton twill or translucent linen. These materials let light stream in during the day, provide privacy at night and add touchable texture to a room. Or consider investing in Christopher Breining's, owner of HomeStagers, Inc., in San Francisco, favorite window treatments: sheer fabric shades with built-in blinds (Hunter Douglas offers several options.) "They look great and offer so much versatility," he says.
Other window treatment tips:
- If windows are narrow, extend curtain rods a foot or so on each side to suggest width.
- If your ceilings are low, hang rods right at the ceiling line and consider window treatments with vertical stripes to create the illusion of height.
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