Large windows that are wide and tall and specialty-shaped usually require custom window treatments so they will fit properly, operate as they should, and be long-lasting products.
Odd Shaped Windows? We Got it Covered
Some homeowners may find it quite hard to envision the best types of window treatments for large banks of windows that are side by side and run almost the entire length of a wall. Then there are the specialty windows, such as bow and bay windows, as well as full circles, half circles, triangles, hexagons, and arches. All these types of windows are available in many different sizes, and a big box store will not have any window treatments to fit them. Your best bet is to use a professional interior designer to create window treatments that complement your decor.
Large Banks of Tall and Wide Windows
If you have almost an entire wall of tall and wide windows, you have many choices about how you can dress them. Most people only consider these types of windows as individual windows, but there’s another great choice also. You can treat them as if all of the windows are one or have window treatments for maybe two or three at a time.
Drapery panels look amazing in the right type of fabric with beautiful patterns on them. One way to use these is to use a window shade in each of the windows and then only have one drapery panel at the outer two windows on the left and right. The drapery panels actually frame your view of the outside world as a magnificent frame does for your artwork. You can otherwise decide to use the same idea of dressing two windows as one if you have an even number of windows. For an uneven number of windows, use pairs of two with drapery panels on the edges and use a coordinating window shade in a great pattern on the center window.
Something to note here is that it’s best to have motorized window shades on the bank of windows so you can open and close them all at the same time as needed to control the light and heat that enters your home.
Angled and Arched Windows
Most angled or arched windows are mounted high on a wall, and most are not functional in that they don’t actually open and close. However, if you just leave the arched or angled window bare, it will let a considerable amount of heat and light into your home, and it will also appear as an afterthought instead of an architectural delight. You can choose an option that doesn’t actually open and close or one that does if you want to let extra light inside when it’s early in the morning or late in the evening and not very hot. The types of treatments that work for these specialty windows include drapery panels, fabric shades of all sorts, roller shades, and sun shades. All of these options look great in a specialty-shaped window, and they give you thousands of fabrics to choose from, so it will definitely work with the other surroundings in your home.
Bay Windows, Bow Windows, and Corner Windows
These three types of specialty windows are often found in a living room, a master bedroom, and a dining area in your home. In order to have a dramatic effect, you should dress each window separately from the others with stationary drapery panels on each side. Adding a window shade on each window will control your light and heat gain, while the drapery side panels will soften your appearance for a cohesive and beautiful design. You may hang the window treatments differently to have different appearances. If you have lovely woodwork in between each of the windows, you can hang the window shades inside the window frame for virtually invisible hardware while showing off your woodwork. The same thing goes for wide crown molding at the top of your wall with windows. You don’t want to hang your treatments high to detract from this wooden work of art, either.
Arched Windows
Arched windows may be one piece of glass that is arched at the top and a rectangle on the bottom. Otherwise, you may have a separate arched window over a rectangular one with some wall space between them. If your arched window has wall space, it’s a great idea to cover the top of the arch with a custom-made shade, and then you can cover the windows below with window shades individually or layer shades in a lovely fabric with drapery panels in a great coordinating fabric. This approach works well if the arched window is near to the ceiling height; however, if the arch is lower on the wall and your windows below it aren’t very tall, it would look like you are cutting the wall in half with the drapery rod and appear quite odd. If you put the drapery rod all the way near the ceiling to cover the arch and the windows below, it will look too heavy with visual weight and will appear much like theater curtains–and this looks odd in homes.
Keep in mind that you are trying to accentuate your arched window and not hide it, so you will want to dress it separately, or if it’s in a window that doesn’t get much light, you can actually choose to leave the arched portion bare.
Tiered Windows
Tiered windows are very popular in newer homes with a two-story great room or living room. If each bottom window has a window above it, it’s too busy to make full-length draperies because it will appear very heavy visually. In this instance, you can use a nice roller shade on the bottom windows and dress the top windows separately with roller shades or screen shades. You can use the same fabric on all of the windows or change it up a bit by using a coordinating fabric in a solid color on the top windows to match a patterned fabric on the bottom windows.
If you have more windows in the same room, it looks nice to use Roman shades in coordinating fabric in those windows, as they are most likely smaller and more slender than your tiered windows.
Your large and specialty-shaped windows delight an interior designer as you have so many interesting manners to dress them and really make them pop in any room of your home. Using custom-made window treatments means that you are guaranteed that your choice will fit and operate correctly as it should. It also gives you insider fabrics from which to choose that most people just can’t secure for something that is one of a kind for your home.
