Best Practices for Creating Stunning Window Treatments

Get some new drapes and blinds, and your windows will look amazing. Learn the best window dressing techniques, whether you have a bay or a standard window.

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Make use of a wave course.

The cloth’s gentle undulations provide a sleek and understated final product. Curtains with a broad Tempo heading pleat will always appear perfect because they fall in soft, uniform waves. Combine it with a smooth, contemporary suspension rail that the curtains may glide below and allow them to rest neatly flush with the floor, whether open or closed.

Advice from the stylists

The addition of a cut-velvet pattern elevates this simple window treatment.

How to acquire

Made in Bolivia drapes (230 0321), £37 per linear foot at Camengo.

Employ a pair of poles.

Need some pretty and practical window coverings? With a twin pole, you can do either.

With the bay window’s ingenious double pole design, you can hang both a sheer and a curtain and pull them separately. Instead of using brackets, which would prevent the rings from being dragged around the bay, this design uses passing rings. Soften and loosen things up by leaving the heading tape on both curtains ungathered. Keep the sheers at sill length for a clean look, and use floor-length curtains in a bay to make a statement.

Advice from the stylists

Use a floral patterned voile as a sheer to complement a bold, contemporary curtain fabric.

How to acquire

Samara J515F-01 drapes, £37 per linear foot, Jane Churchill. Sophia 074 voile curtains at £48 per meter from Harlequin. The Bradley Collection offers a Fusion twin curtain rail for special orders.

Toss on a pelmet

A vast bay window can have a clean, contemporary look by adding a pelmet.

Use a tiny pelmet in color from the curtains for a modern twist on the classic curtain valance. A pelmet conceals the curtain track around a bay window, making adopting a more understated curtain style possible. Pair it with a curtain with a pinch pleat heading to achieve the same simple look. You only need a pair of holdbacks to match the pelmet and draw back the curtains when you want to allow in as much light as possible.

Advice from the stylists

Striped satin for a fitted aesthetic and a touch of artistic detail with a fringe trim make this window treatment suitable for a five-star hotel.

How to acquire

Harlequin’s Sapphira 8515 bespoke drapes cost £48 per linear foot. Jem silk in Maroon 33, priced at £19.90 per meter at Linwood, was used for the pelmet and holdbacks. Jane Churchill ruched trim style JM38E-02 costs £27 per linear foot.

Hang four separate curtains.

Add a touch of class to your bay window by hanging four long curtains.

An elegant alternative to a single set of curtains is to hang a pair in the center and another set on either side of the bay. Use a suspension-rail system so the fabric gathers neatly below the pole and does not obscure the pole’s flat face in a wood-effect and metal finish. To allow the curtains to cover the upper part of the window when drawn open, place a holdback for each curtain two-thirds of the way up the window. Curtains should be made long enough to pool on the floor, completing the opulent effect.

Advice from the stylists

The finishing touch is the curtain pole color used as trim on the cloth.

How to acquire

Put up some drapes and blinds.

Use dress curtains to frame the bay window and blinds to regulate the light.

An easy way to dress up a bay window is with roll-up blinds. If you want your window to look attractive from the outside, pick a bright pattern that can be seen in all its detail and pair it with a simple cloth that complements it. Use a decorative pole to frame the bay window and pair it with slim dress curtains for the side windows. These soften the look of the window’s frame but cannot be closed. For a clean, contemporary look that dispenses with the need for heading tape, try using snap-together rivets to fasten the curtain fabric to the pole.
Advice from the stylists The rear of the blinds and the dress curtains should be made of the same material so that the look is consistent when the blinds are rolled up during the day.

How to acquire

Villa Nova offers Venice Grass curtains and blind backs for £27.75 per meter. Blinds from Osaka 658-26102, sold at John Lewis for $14 per yard.

Sharpen your Edges

Make a simple window more interesting by adding color to its leading edge.

A leading-edge curtain is sure to steal the show. Simple holdbacks allow even more contrasting fabric on the rear of the curtain to be visible when the curtains are open. Keep things understated by highlighting the curtains with a pencil pleat and a plain pole. A pole that is just a hair more comprehensive than the window will give the illusion that the window is more expansive than it is and will allow you to draw the curtains back without obstructing the view outside.

Advice from the stylists

The satin-finish cloth used for the front edge adds a dazzling sheen.

How to acquire Made in Villa Nova, the Stanza Onyx 1041/04 curtains cost £20.50 per meter, and the Valetta Gerbera leading edge, backing, and cushion fabric cost £23.50 per meter.

Put in Panels

Create a window masterpiece by combining panels of plain and picture cloth.

A window with a tedious view can be easily disguised by hanging fabric with an excellent illustration. The paneled pattern should be limited to the bottom third of the length; the above two-thirds should be plain. Make a clean break between them with a ribbon braid and some finishing trim. A pole with an eyelet heading is used to prevent the cloth from collapsing and obscuring the design. To ensure that the curtains hang evenly, can be drawn quickly, and do not obstruct the radiator’s heat, remember to keep them at sill height.

Advice from the stylists

To highlight the print, the seam should be trimmed from a plain fabric of a lighter contrasting color.

How to acquire

Agean blue curtains at The Fabric Warehouse for £8.99/m and beaded trim for £5.99/m. Brocante Fabrics’ Framboise on White Petits Oiseaux paneling retails for £39.50 a meter.

House to Home is an excellent resource for learning more about interior design and getting inspired to create a home you love.

linda