An integral part of any home, windows afford us the opportunity to make the most of a good view while allowing natural light in to illuminate our interiors. But it’s not just the functionality of a good window that is important here, as the choice of dressing you use to style them – from blinds to shutters to curtains – can make all the difference to the overall look you are aiming to achieve within your décor.
When it comes to choosing the window itself, if you’re planning to purchase new ones within a home renovation project, there are so many to choose from with varying purposes, so you’ll be spoilt for choice. It pays, however, to check within your home’s legal documents and see if there are any covenants regarding the changing of any windows in your home before you begin any work or purchase any new items. If you have a listed property with sash windows, for example, you will need to seek approval from your council if you’re hoping to replace them.
Another factor to consider when window shopping is what properties you wish them to hold. Is it that you live on a busy street and you want to create a more peaceful environment in your home? If so, you can reduce noise with acoustic glass – it’s a special type of insulating glass designed to absorb noise and consequently reduce it, leaving you with a more peaceful environment in your home.
What style of window should you choose?
If you haven’t quite decided on what type of window you need to buy and you’re looking for inspiration, it’s useful to know what options are out there. There are quite a few types of window to choose from with the main eight varieties being casement, tilt and turn, sash, sliding, bay, bow, skylight and transom. Within these styles there are varying ways in which the window can open as well as how many openers they have, resulting in 17 types overall.
The age and style of your home will help to determine which you opt for, for example, Victorian and Edwardian houses will often have bay windows as a feature, while sash windows are common in Georgian homes and sliding windows and tilt and turn windows suit more modern abodes.
Dressing your new windows
When your windows are installed, you’ll no doubt want to exert some of your styling prowess to ensure that your new additions blend expertly into their new surroundings, this is similarly significant if you’re simply aiming to smarten up existing windows that are already in situ.
There are hundreds of ideas to seek inspiration from, ranging from the colours you choose, pattern, material and style to the type of window and what suits it best as well as considering what room you are focusing on. Bathrooms will benefit from privacy detailing if the window glass isn’t frosted, while bedrooms may benefit from blackout curtains.
Bay windows can be uplifted with an inviting window seat and shutters, while space saving blinds can prove to be very useful in kitchens, and a selection of curtains and voile panels in similar tones is a beautiful way of dressing floor to ceiling windows or patio doors. A top tip when choosing your window dressing is to add space by oversizing your blind or curtains to make the window and overall space appear bigger.
Don’t be afraid to make a statement when it comes to dressing your windows, some of our favourite ideas include picking a bold fabric and pairing this material with cushions and a footstool; opting for complementary designs and colour tones with blinds and curtains on the same window; and choosing a roller blind that blends art with functionality.
