Making a Cozier Home for the Holidays by Getting Window Coverings

If you look at your calendar right now, you’ll realize that the last major holidays of 2014 are coming a lot sooner than you think. Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas will turn your home into a major venue for celebrations with family and friends, and it pays to have it prepped with a festive mood while you still have time. If you’re at a loss on where to start, renowned interior designer and HGTV star Vern Yip says that you can begin by redecorating your window coverings:

Here’s an important tip: Choose fabrics with visible texture if you live in rooms with great natural light. It’ll up the cozy factor. If your house is naturally dark, consider fabrics with a subtle polish or metallic detailing to help bounce the light around. Also, ensure that those new drapery panels are as floor-to-ceiling as possible. They’ll not only make your home feel warmly dramatic but also beautifully expansive, giving your ceiling a free lift.

While companies that provide window covering solutions, like Arjay’s Window Fashions, have showrooms you can go to for some design ideas, you’ll need more than a simple visit to prepare your home. You must also know the basics of window treatments, as well as the pros and cons of each specific type of treatments.

Consider the size and function

Remember, the treatments you’ll purchase must be significantly larger than your windows, perhaps twice the width of the window frames themselves. This ensures that your drapes or shades provide complete coverage, especially if you put great stock on privacy more than aesthetics. For the visual elements, see to it that your treatments don’t clash with the colors of your furniture and walls. Ensuring that your treatments fit the holiday theme, like red and green for Christmas, will also help.

Consider window blinds

Window blinds are a good option if you want your window treatments to have efficient light and heat control, which is quite useful for the winter holidays. As far as materials are concerned, wood is your best option since it seamlessly combines function and form. However, wood blinds are also prone to dents and moisture damage, so you might want to keep them away from wet rooms like bathrooms and kitchens.

Consider window shades

Window shades often espouse the best window fashions, mainly because they’re designed with a decorative function in mind. Roman shades, in particular, are quite beautiful when sunlight filters through the fabric, revealing catchy, intricate designs. Meanwhile, balloon shades can either be functional or stationary. Stationary shades have a skirt effect that you might find appealing, whereas functional ones pouf out when they’re closed, giving you more incentive to show off its excellent fabric.

 

(Source: Vern Yip | Now’s the time to get your home cozy for holiday entertaining, The Washington Post, September 25, 2012)