Types of Window Covering Treatments

Deciding what type of window covering treatments are best for your home are usually a matter of common sense. The right window covering treatments for your home are also the ones that are affordable, suit your taste and the style of your room and are the most comfortable.

You might want to decide whether formal or informal window covering treatments are best suited for the décor of your home. An informal treatment suits more casual styles such as country or mission styles of furniture. Formal window treatments suit more antique decors such as Victorian or Fabulous Fifties style décor. The type of window treatment that you choose also might be determined by the architecture in your home. For instance soaring windows are better suited to long flowing flounces and swags better than short squat windows.

Yet another way you might want to determine which window covering treatment is best to buy is to determine its suitability for the room the window is in. For instance a living room or dining room can take a much more formal and elegant window treatment then a family room. If the window treatment is for a sun room in which there are a lot of plants you might want to consider a transparent window covering treatment such as sheer chiffon curtains or even just plain window film that fogs the view inside the home but still lets the light in. If the window treatment is for the bathroom or bedroom privacy might be more of a concern and you might consider shades that roll down and black out all light. If the window covering treatment is for the kitchen you might want to consider a vinyl window shade or curtains made out of a washable material that cleans easily.

Keep in mind that a full formal window treatment is usually a lot more expensive then a casual treatment. This is because a full formal window treatment usually consists of two, three or even four layers or elements. In a formal window treatment ensemble there may be a curtain covering the casement that is made out of sheer or lacey material. A layer called over draperies that is made of much thicker material that can completely lock out all light covers the casement layer. This layer is usually made of velvet, tapestry and damasks. A third layer might be a valance that runs across the top of the window in a decorative manner. This type of window treatment can also be covered with cornices covered with fabric called a lanbre-quin.

By contrast an informal window treatment can consist of just one or two layers of fabric and for that reason alone is much more inexpensive than any type of formal window covering treatments.