How Custom Window Treatments Can Transform Any Room

And I believe our HUGE Scottsdale windows – with those magnificent desert views – deserve to be properly framed – like artwork! If you can only make one investment in a room, this is where I would start. My previous article discussed window treatment function…custom window treatments take function a BIG step further…to the realm of art – and creating a home that reflects your style, and provides you with comfort and enjoyment!

Many homeowners tend to love clean and simple lines throughout the entire home. This can be achieved in many many different manners. You can pair a shade with side panels to add that pop of color and texture to make a statement in any room. Traditional styles, such as shutters or Roman shades are very popular and roller and solar shades are rising to the top of the list in sunny and warm climates for the ultimate in energy efficiency. There are now many colors and transparencies to choose from in roller and Roman shades, unlike several years ago, when you basically had white or off white as choices. Choosing custom made shades allows you to choose from literally thousands of fabrics to suit your exact needs and taste. Some of the colors that are great for window treatments include blues, soft greens, berries, lavenders and grays, as well as jewel tones in gold and orange. These are not just trendy colors that will be here today and out of style tomorrow when a new style or color is noteworthy, but a palette that you can keep for many years to come.

Roman shades have clean lines for modern interiors. When you choose custom Roman shades, you have many more choices in the appearance. You can choose the top up, bottom down function in a Roman shade to allow light in the top half of your windows–like cafe style curtains while inviting the sunlight in to your home. You may instead decide to have the top down and the bottom up to have the bottom of your windows open. And—-you can choose to have decorative trim added to your custom shades on the sides or the bottom or both to give your windows a splash of color and coordinate them with your decor colors and style.

Plain or extravagant – no matter your style or budget – you can have gorgeous custom window treatments! Even if you can’t invest in custom right now, there are ways to make store-bought ready-mades look more custom with some designer “tricks.”

My #1 “trick” – double the amount of draperies or top treatments/valences that the store package recommends. This will give you a fuller, designer look. Nothing worse than a wimpy window treatment! Buy the best quality that you can afford, i.e., lined vs. unlined. A word of caution on higher cost ready-mades – once you buy the correct quantity, and better quality hardware to match (rods, finials, etc.) – you may be approaching the cost of custom – so don’t be afraid to call me for a quote – 480-683-0200!

What to consider? Here’s another checklist…

• What styles speak to you? Are you more modern, informal, transitional, or elegant? Start saving photos of what appeals to you.
• Have you determined a budget? What can you afford to invest, what are you comfortable spending, how long you plan to stay in the home? Custom window treatments are an investment that do increase the value of your home – because these are custom, they traditionally stay with the home when you sell it – and often are a BIG selling feature!
• Have you ever purchased custom window treatments before? I find that “first-timers” are often surprised at the cost – which varies a great deal by style, fabric, complexity, size, and number of windows. Rule of thumb – $150-$450 per horizontal linear foot. So, an 8’ wide custom window treatment would be between $1,200 and $3,600 installed. I don’t site these numbers to scare anyone away – but for informational and comparison purposes. If you look at the finer catalogs, stores, and online – you will see that their prices are not that different when installed in a comparable way.  If you aren’t comfortable with that, ask us!  We may have a solution.
• What about the other “goodies” that make a custom look complete? When designing custom window treatments, I almost always manage to squeeze some extra goodies into the budget – throw pillows, my signature BIG bolster pillow for the bed (men LOVE this one!), sometimes we even reupholster a bench or chair – and really pull the whole room together with lots of WOW!

There are custom window treatments to fit almost any budget – and we are expert at helping you determine what works best for you – as well as “value engineering” where to spend and where to save! Call Amy at 480-683-0200 to help solve your window treatment dilemmas.