Window coverings are important to the overall
look and feel of a room, of course, but when designing window
treatments, don't forget to take into consideration what your
overall design will look like from the outside of your home.
As a general rule, window coverings should all
be of a similar coloring, which will significantly improve the
look of your home’s exterior. For instance, a house with a
blue-curtained window on one side and one with yellow curtains
on the other won't look harmonious from a curbside viewpoint.
Your window dressing colors should also
harmonize with the home’s outside color scheme. For instance,
white-lined draperies are generally too light for dark–painted
exteriors, while small printed designs, such as white on
white, can be effective for adding greater interest to the
outside view of a plain house.
Draperies lined with light pale yellow make
a house glow at night. If that’s your desired effect, even
sheer white or lace panels can be tinted with a pale yellow
dye. If you use a patterned material, lining patterned window
coverings with a heavy lining fabric stops the pattern from
shining through at night when the lights are on.
For privacy without bulky fabrics, etched or
stained glass windows can also be great investments. You can
learn the art of stained glass fairly easily, and though the
stained glass windows my husband and I made for our home may
not be perfect, those imperfections make them more special to
us than the ones we had professionally made.
Incorporating jewels into windows adds
sparkle and rainbow-like effects to a room. Etched glass
designs, made with rubberized stencil paper and sandblasting,
is easier to do than creating stained glass windows. Etched
windows look great from the street, adding an extra touch of
elegance and class to the exterior appearance of your home.
Creating great-looking rooms that make
people feel warm and happy is an important part of decorating,
but no matter what style of home you live in, you can greatly
improve its overall allure by also paying special attention to
how your window treatments look from the street.
Copyright (c) 2004 by Jeanette J. Fisher
