Good Home Design

Posts Tagged ‘window treatments’

If you are looking to add a bit of country to your home interior this spring, but don’t have a large budget, you will be happy to know that a few well-placed accents can go a long way. This article looks at the key ways in which you can create your own country home interior with a contemporary twist.

Window Treatments

One of the easiest ways to achieve a cozy cottage feel is to change the window treatments. Try replacing a contemporary curtain with a sheer panel drape with a long, flowing valance on a wrought iron curtain pole. Country cottages bring the beauty of the outdoors inside, so forgo the blinds and heavy draperies to let the sunshine into your living area. Look for inexpensive wrought iron pieces to coordinate with the wrought iron curtain pole. A wrought iron candelabra is a great addition to a country sitting area.

Décor and more

Another quick and easy way to transform a room into a country space is to update the pillows on the settee. If your goal is to create a cozy cottage look, consider bold floral patterns with light colors and coordinating stripes or blocks.

Look for inexpensive artwork at discount stores to replace older pieces that may not fit into the new look. Country framing doesn’t have to cost a fortune. Simple frames made from old wood add a touch of whimsy.

Walls and flooring

Consider repainting walls if you currently have a dark color in place. Using light-colored settee covers can also brighten up the room. Country homes typically have light colors and hues of white scattered throughout the living space.

If you have hardwood flooring covered by a modern rug, consider replacing the rug or doing away with the rug altogether. Browse flea markets or local artisans for area rugs with a shabby chic look.

Bring the Outdoors In

If you have a garden, be sure to bring in a variety of cuttings to scatter around the room in vases. But don’t have to stop there. Bring some outdoor furniture into your living area as well. A worn rocking chair from out back can add country appeal to any room. Consider adding flower boxes to outside windows as well. You will enjoy watching bees and ladybugs work as you lounge inside. Another way to bring nature closer to you is to place a bird feeder near the window.

Vinyl window treatments can be a great way to provide window coverings. They are easy to use, come in multiple styles and colors, and are easy to clean. Plus, they are durable and they will not fade. When choosing vinyl window blinds, it is good to keep in mind a few of their advantages.

Vinyl window treatments come in three major styles: vertical, Venetian, and mini. Vertical blinds are those that hang down. Many people choose to put these over sliding glass doors because these blinds are easy to open and close, and because they are quite long. However, they do come in shorter styles so as to fit over regular windows. They are best, however, for windows of unusually long width. Venetian blinds are the common horizontal blinds. They have slats that are between one and three inches wide, and can be moved up and down. These can be custom-cut to fit a variety of window shapes and sizes. Mini blinds are those that are an inch or less in slat width.

One of the biggest advantages to vinyl window treatments is the fact that they are easy to customize in color. The vinyl itself is colored, and so it will not fade. Nor will the colors chip off, as they would if the blinds were painted the desired color. Additionally, technology is advanced far enough that you can have vinyl window blinds that look like wood. Many companies make treatments that look so much like wood that it is almost impossible to tell the difference by looking at them. But, unlike wood, vinyl won’t dry out, crack, or fade. Custom blinds to match a specific color scheme can also be made.

In addition to being versatile and customizable, vinyl window blinds are also relatively inexpensive. They are much less expensive than wood, and are even less expensive than many fabric curtains, especially if the fabric is of particularly high quality. You can get good quality vinyl window treatments without spending an arm and a leg. You can then spend the money on something else.

Cleaning vinyl window blinds is also very easy. It can be done with a damp cloth. You have to be careful with fabric window treatments, as they can fade, and some materials cannot be washed in a regular washing machine. Wood treatments will split and crack if you use water to clean them. Vinyl is easy to clean, and it can even be done by taking the blinds down and spraying them off with a hose outside. Dusting them is fairly simple. Just shut the slats and dust that way. There are even special dusters and vacuum attachments that allow you to easily clean three or four individual slats at a time.

Vinyl window treatments can be a great way to express yourself through decor. It is possible to find vinyl blinds in nearly any shade. And you can even get the look of bamboo, cherry, or pine wood without having the inconvenience, hassle, and expense of using actual wood blinds.