WINDOW DRESSING: The Art of Adorning the Home's Eyes

By Gail Green

As windows are the eyes of the home and are a major focal point of any room, it is only fitting they deserve special treatment. And, yet, the modern impulse to forget or play down their dressing is omnipresent. It appears that when there is a "view," the decorative framing aspect of that vista is dismissed. Instead of enhancing the attractive outside perspective, dressing the window has oftentimes become a forgotten art.

There is nothing wrong with plain, especially when the views are spectacular. But, when a room can be immeasurably improved upon, when the view can be amplified, the question begs the question: why not? The misconception, here, is that windows coverings somehow preclude or obviate the view, that one square inch of air will be missed. That perspective is putting your nose to close to the pane and not seeing the advantages the advantages in the round. That is, by framing the view, by making it a focal point, the vista is actually enhanced.

Sometimes, the addition of a simple header is all that is needed to frame a view. In many ways, this is comparable to a painting not having a frame. And, though it is not uncommon for many modern paintings to prefer that look, the wall itself acts as the work's frame. With a window, however, the relationship of view to wall is not that clean. There are beams and columns that interfere with a clean background of window to wall. Window dressing helps that transition by acting as a mediator, softening the hard edges.

What is particularly interesting is how subtle this transition from wall to view can be. Window dressing, itself, can be a simple overhang of side panels upon window frame. One can even decoratively increase the size of the window. While the literal size of the window can't be increased, the illusion of an increase in size may be affected by simple visual tricks. For instance, if your window is 3 feet wide and you want to make it look larger, create a valance, hard of soft, that extends at least 6" past on either side, thereby making the header 4 feet plus. By then adding side panels that start at the extended width, say at least 6 inches out, on each side, the visual illusion is that of a window 4 feet wide. In this particular instance, the view is especially highlighted, while overlapping the window itself by only one or two inches. Thus, the vista is amplified, rather than obviated. This technique is especially helpful in rooms where the window is the only focal point.

Window dressing can add a decorative levity to a room. The draperies can metaphorically take its theme from the other elements in the room. For instance, if there is a particular pattern that needs being accentuated, the window treatments can incapsulate that theme into its design. So, if you have a fabric motif of, say, circles and swirls, that design may be reiterated in the header, side panels, or shades. Alternatively, if you want to create some levity or clever humor to a space, the header can express this aspect. For instance, if the theme is nautical, the window dressing can be a simple pole over the window frame from which a simple shade may be extended, very like that found on an ocean liner over portholes.

By adorning the windows, the eyes of the room, a room is enhanced and enlightened. The clever use of draperies improve the overall appearance of a space, creating a focal point and highlighting the views.

One of the biggest selling points of any home is the view to the outside world. One of the biggest investments a homeowner can make is investing in highlighting this view. And, one of the best ways of enhancing this perspective is by creating a visual framework around the window so as to amplify the vista beyond. To help you create the focus you want in your home, email us at Gail@GailGreenInteriors.com

http://www.GailGreenInteriors.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gail_Green

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7 Window Treatments That Can Lower Your Energy Bills

 Julie Kim
Houzz contributor, architectural and urban designer with over a decade.

Whether  it’s a pair of drapes hung to frame a pleasant view or a cheery striped awning floating above a picture window, homeowners often dress up their windows for beauty rather than function. But with the right materials and proper placement, these decorations might actually help lower your monthly energy bills.

The impact can be significant. According to the United States Department of Energy (DOE), something as simple as a set of medium-colored drapes backed with white plastic reduces solar heat gain by as much as 33 percent.

When the hot months arrive soon, don’t just blast the air conditioning. Explore some of these window treatment ideas instead.

Shades
The DOE considers window shades the simplest and most effective way to save energy with window treatments. Proper installment is key. Mounting shades as close to the glass as possible and right up against the adjacent wall creates a tight seal that minimizes both heat gain and loss. Shades with dual layers of fabric — a light color on one side and a darker color on the other— add more functionality. Try reversing the shades based on the season; the light color will reflect heat in summer, while the dark color will absorb heat during winter.

Ideal locations: Shades are flexible, so any window orientation is suitable.
Best uses: Depending on material, color and whether they are raised or lowered, they can help reduce both solar heat gain and heat loss.

Blinds

Both interior and exterior blinds help reduce solar heat gain while maintaining desired light, ventilation and privacy. When closed and lowered on a sunny window, reflective blinds (white or near white) are capable of reducing heat gain by 45 percent.

Ideal locations: South- and west-facing windows.
Best uses: Reducing heat gain where you still want options for light, ventilation and privacy.

Exterior blinds are potentially even more effective than interior blinds. Unlike interior blinds, they block heat before it is transmitted through the window and warms up the room. They are tricky to add to an existing window, however, so are best left for new construction.

The designer of this home integrated exterior blinds into the facade as a beautiful architectural element.

Drapes

Depending on fabric weight and color, drapes help insulate your home from both solar heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter.

As stated earlier, medium-colored drapes with a white plastic backing can reduce solar heat gain by as much as 33 percent if left closed during hot months. As with other window treatments, a tight seal is needed for maximum performance. Hang drapes from a cornice or right up to the ceiling down to the floor and position them as close to the window as possible.

Ideal locations: Any orientation, because of their flexibility.
Best uses: Reducing solar heat gain and loss, depending on a number of factors.

Awnings

Awnings not only add personality to a home’s exterior but offer an excellent defense against the sun in areas with perpetually hot weather. Exterior awnings can reduce solar heat gain by up to 65 percent for south-facing windows and 77 percent for west-facing windows.

Ideal locations: South- and west-facing windows.
Best uses: Reducing heat gain in warm weather.

Some features will help improve your awning’s performance. Opaque and tightly woven awnings block sun better than flimsy fabrics; light-colored awnings reflect more sunlight. Since awnings trap hot air next to the windows, the DOE recommends openings for ventilation. Finally, retractable awnings allow sun to reach inside the house during the colder months.

Roof Overhangs
Roof overhangs operate similarly to awnings. If designed properly, the right roof overhang not only will block solar heat in summer but will allow desirable heat to help warm your interior in winter. Consult an architect or a designer experienced in passive solar design. He or she will consider a multitude of factors, like latitude, climate and window size.

Ideal locations: South-facing windows.
Best uses: Solar heat gain and heat loss in new construction projects. Awnings are a sensible option for existing windows.

High Reflectivity Film

Because of high reflectivity film’s permanence, the DOE suggests using it in climates with short winters. The film reduces heat gain the entire year, including in winter months, which might actually benefit from solar heat.

Silver, mirror-like film works better than more transparent film. High reflectivity film works well on very large windows, like on the garage here, where cool temperatures are desirable.

Ideal locations: East- and west-facing windows.
Best uses: Reducing solar heat gain all year round.

Mesh Window Screens

Mesh window screens reduce heat gain by diffusing solar radiation. Experts advise mounting the screen to an exterior frame and covering the entire window.

Ideal locations: East- and west-facing windows.
Best uses: Reducing heat gain in windows that need light all year round.

Are Plantation Shutters the Right Choice for Your Windows?

One of my favorite choices for window treatments is the plantation shutter. They are versatile, less expensive than custom draperies, and can increase the value of your home. They are the only window treatment that can be financed into the purchase of your home. Why? Because they are highly desirable and usually stay with the home when it's sold. 

Let's take a look at how Houzz members are using them in their homes.

Cornerstone Interiors

Plantation shutters are a popular choice for kitchens. When shopping for interior shutters, it's important to know if you are buying custom shutters truly built for your windows or if the company will take stock panels and cut them down to fit. Often, the prices are very similar.

Samuel H. Williamson Associates

"Traditional" shutters are not the same as plantation shutters. They have the smaller, narrower louvers and are more often found in the New England states. Traditional shutters are rarely installed today since the trend is toward letting in lots of light and keeping the view open to the outside.

Somers & Company Interiors, Gillian Somers

The Spanish introduced shutters to the Americas. Large plantation homes in the South often used the wider louvered style shutters, giving them their name.

The shutters shown here are designed with a narrow divider rail. This allows for separate control of the top and bottom louvers, a feature that comes in handy when evening arrives and you would like some privacy.

Kerrie L. Kelly

Today's plantation shutters come in many different styles and louver sizes. The most popular louver size where I live is 2 1/2 inch as shown in thisfamily room.

The shutters depicted here in this room appear to have the larger 3 1/2 inch louver style. What size louver you choose is really a personal decision. The 2 1/2 inch louver is more traditional and is a great choice for average size rooms with normal ceiling heights. If you have huge rooms with soaring ceilings, the 3 1/2 inch louver may be a better fit.

Somers & Company Interiors, Gillian Somers

When shopping for plantation shutters, there are important features to look for. A custom shutter company will measure your window exactly and build your shutters to fit. These shutters appear to have been custom built because of the location of the divider rail. Beautiful.

Conard Romano Architects

Shutters designed with a divider rail or in the double hung fashion are a popular choice in bathrooms. They allow for closure of the bottom louvers for privacy while the top louvers can be left opened for a view and light. It's harder to get that kind of function with curtains, drapes or wood blinds.

Valerie DeRoy Interiors, LLC

Sometimes a half shutter is all you need, but I would caution you on buying half shutters. They cost almost as much as full length shutters. You won't get as much insulation or sunlight control. Full window shutters beautifully let in lots of light and view while protecting your furniture and rugs from sun damage. So weigh the advantages and disadvantages before making the decision to go with half shutters.

BraytonHughes Design Studios

When shutters are are built specifically for your windows, you will have lots of choices regarding how they are designed. For a window like this, the two panels could open from the center or bi-fold to one side.

If you never plan to actually open the panels back against the wall, having them open from the center is fine. But if you plan to throw open the panels and there is something in the way on one side (like the pipe running up the left side of this window) then bi-fold is the way to go. They work similarly to bi-fold doors, folding one on top of the other, off to the side.

This window is designed to offer the homeowner many options for controlling the view and the light. First of all they are designed in a "double hung" fashion. This will allow opening of the top louvers while the bottom louvers are closed. And because they are double hung, the top panels could actually fold all the way back against the wall leaving the bottom panels in place. The homeowner also could throw all the panels back opening up the entire window. Pretty cool all the function you can get with a plantation shutter!

These wonderful, old re-purposed shutters show how shutters designed to bi-fold would work.

Conard Romano Architects

How your shutters are designed will depend on your needs/wants and the style of your windows. This window seat has three windows across the back. Since they are narrow, one large panel was designed for each window, as opposed to two skinny ones. This allows for lots of light and view. Also, they are designed with a divider rail for separate control of the top and bottom louvers.

sherry hart

Plantation shutters can be custom built to fit any shape or size window.

Evalyn Ashmore, ASID

These panels fit around the handle of the door. This room would just not look the same if a fabric treatment had been placed on the door.

Celia James

When shopping for shutters, ask about:
1. Tension adjustment screws (to prevent issues with drooping louvers later)
2. Mortised hinges (looks better in a frame install and from the outside on bi-fold panels)
3. The wood from which they are made (never buy pine shutters, bad to bleed sap)
4. Rabbited edges (prevents light gaps through the center where panels meet)
5. Siderails at least 1 1/2 inches in thickness (prevents warping of panel)
6. References (and check your BBB). All shutter companies are not created equal.

Witt Construction

I love the uniform look when all the windows on the front of a home have plantation shutters. Great curb appeal!

If you want to soften the look of your shutters in some rooms, such as bedrooms, feel free to add drapes or a valance on top of your shutters. They'll give you all the sun control and privacy you need and leave you free to add whatever decorative treatments you like.

Do you have plantation shutters in your home? If so, have you added fabric treatments on top or do you like the look of shutters alone?

The best window coverings

By

 

Chantal Dauray

Tips on how to use lighting without sacrificing your privacy.

Choosing the right window covering

Your budget, tastes, needs and decorating style, together with the amount of brightness you wish to achieve in the room, will guide your decisions as you consider numerous possibilities. Here are some guidelines.

1 The kitchen. Wood blinds and faux-wood blinds are easier to maintain than pleated blinds or curtains. The more rigid the blinds, the easier they are to clean.

2 The bedroom. For a more restful sleep, an opaque blind is a good choice. It can be concealed behind a valance or dressed up with attractive curtains. Other options are rigid horizontal blinds or fabric blinds combined with some curtains for greater opacity.

3 The living room. If you’re intent on keeping prying eyes out, horizontal
blinds or louvered shutters are your best option, as louveres can be inclined based on your preference for shade or light without the interior being any more visible to passersby. If privacy is not an issue, anything goes! If you
choose drapes, err on the side of simplicity, keeping them in a shade similar
to that of the wall.

4 The bathroom. Horizontal blinds are a sound choice here. However, select a waterproof material (faux wood, for example), particularly if the space is poorly ventilated or the blind is close to the shower stall.

5 French doors. Solar blinds (or perforated blinds) are perfectly suitable, as they reduce the glare and heat from the sun and protect furniture from UV rays. Also popular are light-filtering sunscreens (with Sheerweave) with their Japanese style and the lovely luminosity they confer on large windows.Fabric blinds are a good choice as well.

Windows above electric baseboard heaters
Rather than hemming your curtains so that they hang just above the heater, simply move them away from the heat source with a mounting bracket (available at most hardware stores), which attaches to the baseboard heater. The effect is more elegant. As for blinds, allow a clearance of at least 30 centimetres from the baseboard heater, and if possible, avoid vinyl or plastic-based materials.

How to Pick Blinds for a Child's Bedroom

By Tami Stanley

Hunter Douglas

There are lots of reasons to pick made to measure blinds over curtains when you're furnishing your house. They are often much better at blacking out all the light from a room, and they're also pretty good thermally, as well as giving you a bit of added privacy.

What you might not consider though, is that window dressings, like so many things around the house, can become a hazard to small children. Even the most mundane of objects can become a potential death trap and made to measure blinds aren't excluded from that.

Even though you might want to have blackout made to measure blinds in your nursery, it might not be the best solution unless you think carefully about how the blinds will operate and whether they'll be safe for your little ones.

How can blinds cause injury?

The pull cord which you use to open and close your blinds is one of the main, and most obvious hazards. There are more risks than just that though. If you opt for something like a venetian blind they have cords which hold them together. Because these are much shorter loops than the pull cord itself, it is surprisingly easy for little ones to become entangled in the mechanism. If this happens to be around their neck it just doesn't bare thinking about.

With all those possible hazards, you're going to want to think carefully about the sort of blinds which you choose so that your little ones are nice and safe as well as in a dark room at bedtime.

Safety first

Just because made to measure blinds can be a hazard doesn't mean that they will be, and if you follow our simple steps, it'll be easy to achieve.

We've already identified what some of the main risks are, next you just need to know how to minimise those risks, to make sure that there's almost no way you're little one can end up hurting themselves. You'll sleep much better at night knowing that every area of your house has been thoroughly child proofed, and the chance of an accident in the home has been reduced to almost nothing.

Firstly, make sure your child's bed or baby's cot isn't placed right under the made to measure blinds where possible. Overly long cords which are too close to your child's sleeping place can create an opportunity of entanglement occurring. At night time you're less likely to be checking on them all the time, assuming that they can't get into too much trouble whilst asleep. By the time you check on them the damage could be done.

Instead, make sure you invest in cord cleats for every single adjustment cord around your house, even if it's a room your child isn't meant to go in (they have a bit of a habit of getting in these places as well. You can also shorten the cord itself so it's well out of the reach of little hands.

There are safety devices which you can buy and install into the cord itself which act as a breaker. If too much (more than a little tug) of pressure is applied, these will split, causing the cord to dangle harmlessly in two sections rather than a single problematic loop.

So simple, so easy, and it means you can make sure your little ones are safe and sound at all times.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tami_Stanley

Blinds 4 Less

Quality Blinds, Shutters, & Shades

Proudly Serving Southern California since 1994

Free In-Home Shopping

(951) 924-9435

http://blinds4less01.com