9 Upgrades to Elevate Your Window Treatments
Find out what the pros do to turn an ordinary window covering into a standout design feature — and what it costs
The beauty of a great window treatment is usually associated with the fabric. But sometimes it’s the not-so-obvious details — hem stitching, hardware and trim — that make all the difference. Experts here share their tricks for creating dramatic window treatments and tell what they cost.
2. Black It Out
Blackout lining was also added as an upgrade. It’s a heavy fabric that eliminates light in a room when the shades are drawn. Chalk uses a special stitch, which is more expensive, to get rid of any pinholes of light.
The most cost-effective lining for a Roman shade is cotton. Napped lining with a flannel backing for extra body is a couple of dollars per yard more than cotton lining, and blackout is slightly more expensive than napped lining.
Draperies Lay It on the Lining
Blackout lining was also added as an upgrade. It’s a heavy fabric that eliminates light in a room when the shades are drawn. Chalk uses a special stitch, which is more expensive, to get rid of any pinholes of light.
The most cost-effective lining for a Roman shade is cotton. Napped lining with a flannel backing for extra body is a couple of dollars per yard more than cotton lining, and blackout is slightly more expensive than napped lining.
Draperies Lay It on the Lining
3. Pay Attention to Stitching
Room: Living room
Window covering cost: $2,000 per window (fabric, lining, hardware, labor and installation)
Not all fabrics will hang this beautifully. The difference here is in the stitching, says Sheri Stouffer, owner of Finishing Touches, a specialist in custom window treatments.
She used a ripple-fold pleat and extended these curtains beyond the window’s frame to make the window appear larger and avoid obstructing the light.
Room: Living room
Window covering cost: $2,000 per window (fabric, lining, hardware, labor and installation)
Not all fabrics will hang this beautifully. The difference here is in the stitching, says Sheri Stouffer, owner of Finishing Touches, a specialist in custom window treatments.
She used a ripple-fold pleat and extended these curtains beyond the window’s frame to make the window appear larger and avoid obstructing the light.
Some fabrics made of 100 percent polyester tend to billow out, she says. She added a memory stitch, sewn to the top of the hem at the stitch line and then knotted at either side of the fold. It helps keep the pleats perfectly in shape.
4. Hide the Hardware
Room: Teen’s bedroom
Window covering cost: $1,290 per window (materials, labor and installation)
You sometimes don’t know you are staring at an upgrade until you realize something isn’t there. That’s the case with shutters. The open-close mechanism is usually centered in the shutter, a visual disruption.
In this teen’s room, the homeowners wanted something unfussy and easy to clean,
says 22 Interiors designer Lucie Ayres. So they chose to hide the tilt bar, which is located on the pane side of the custom-made shutters.
Room: Teen’s bedroom
Window covering cost: $1,290 per window (materials, labor and installation)
You sometimes don’t know you are staring at an upgrade until you realize something isn’t there. That’s the case with shutters. The open-close mechanism is usually centered in the shutter, a visual disruption.
In this teen’s room, the homeowners wanted something unfussy and easy to clean,
says 22 Interiors designer Lucie Ayres. So they chose to hide the tilt bar, which is located on the pane side of the custom-made shutters.
5. Opt for Real Wood
Shutter price is partly determined by the type of material. Choices range from polyresin (least expensive) to composite to solid wood (most expensive). The homeowners selected 100 percent American basswood for these shutters.
Are Plantation Shutters the Right Choice for Your Windows?
Shutter price is partly determined by the type of material. Choices range from polyresin (least expensive) to composite to solid wood (most expensive). The homeowners selected 100 percent American basswood for these shutters.
Are Plantation Shutters the Right Choice for Your Windows?
6. Use More Fabric
Room: Living room
Window covering cost: $3,500 per window (fabric, lining, hardware, labor and installation)
Fabric choice is a huge factor in making your window coverings a showstopper, but a beautiful fabric won’t look right if it’s not used correctly, Chalk says.
This client wanted a luxurious window treatment to complement the sophisticated room used for entertaining. To achieve that, Chalk started with an embroidered silk that retails for about $330 per yard. She made each panel double wide, which meant extra fabric was used for fullness. She then lined the draperies in flannel.
Custom Draperies 101
Room: Living room
Window covering cost: $3,500 per window (fabric, lining, hardware, labor and installation)
Fabric choice is a huge factor in making your window coverings a showstopper, but a beautiful fabric won’t look right if it’s not used correctly, Chalk says.
This client wanted a luxurious window treatment to complement the sophisticated room used for entertaining. To achieve that, Chalk started with an embroidered silk that retails for about $330 per yard. She made each panel double wide, which meant extra fabric was used for fullness. She then lined the draperies in flannel.
Custom Draperies 101
7. Add Trim
Room: Kid’s bedroom
Window covering cost: $625 per window (fabric, trim, cotton lining, standard cord-lock system, labor and installation)
Grosgrain ribbon or beads as trim can take window treatments to the next level.
These outside-mounted Roman shades were chosen because the client wanted a fun pink fabric that her child wouldn’t outgrow, Chalk says.
Grosgrain ribbon trim was added to the shades to complement the gray wall color.
Your Windows: Roman Shades 101
Room: Kid’s bedroom
Window covering cost: $625 per window (fabric, trim, cotton lining, standard cord-lock system, labor and installation)
Grosgrain ribbon or beads as trim can take window treatments to the next level.
These outside-mounted Roman shades were chosen because the client wanted a fun pink fabric that her child wouldn’t outgrow, Chalk says.
Grosgrain ribbon trim was added to the shades to complement the gray wall color.
Your Windows: Roman Shades 101
Room: Bedroom
Window covering cost: $650 per window (fabric, trim, labor and installation)
Trim and construction can get rather sophisticated, as shown here, where multiple types of fabrics and trim were used. The client didn’t want to completely cover the window, but did want something to complement and frame the bedding, Stouffer says.
The perfect solution was a valance. To replicate the fun, playful feel of the pieced quilt, three fabrics in a damask, stripe and solid were selected with a bead trim. The bead trim cost $25 per yard.
Window covering cost: $650 per window (fabric, trim, labor and installation)
Trim and construction can get rather sophisticated, as shown here, where multiple types of fabrics and trim were used. The client didn’t want to completely cover the window, but did want something to complement and frame the bedding, Stouffer says.
The perfect solution was a valance. To replicate the fun, playful feel of the pieced quilt, three fabrics in a damask, stripe and solid were selected with a bead trim. The bead trim cost $25 per yard.
8. Layer Treatments
Room: Master bedroom
Window covering cost: $140 per window (draperies and hardware)
Upgrades aren’t always custom. In this case, the client chose blinds to cover the windows, but wanted to soften the frames, Stouffer says. Ready-made pinch-pleat drapes in a silky polyester were a great solution, Stouffer says.
There are quality trade-offs with ready-mades, she says. Typically with inexpensive ready-made drapes, the lengths will vary, the stitching is a straight stitch, patterns don’t match up from one panel to another, some panels aren’t lined, and they come only in a few lengths, Shouffer says.
Rods: HomeGoods; drapes and rings: Bed Bath & Beyond
.
Room: Master bedroom
Window covering cost: $140 per window (draperies and hardware)
Upgrades aren’t always custom. In this case, the client chose blinds to cover the windows, but wanted to soften the frames, Stouffer says. Ready-made pinch-pleat drapes in a silky polyester were a great solution, Stouffer says.
There are quality trade-offs with ready-mades, she says. Typically with inexpensive ready-made drapes, the lengths will vary, the stitching is a straight stitch, patterns don’t match up from one panel to another, some panels aren’t lined, and they come only in a few lengths, Shouffer says.
Rods: HomeGoods; drapes and rings: Bed Bath & Beyond
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9. Choose Decorative Hardware
Room: Living room
Window covering cost: $3,100 per window (fabric, hardware, labor and installation)
Hardware has come a long way from plain rods and finials. There are dozens of styles to choose from that can make a window shine, says interior designer Annie Santulli.
She picked these high-end, Greek-inspired finials to jazz up the draperies, which is the main reason these simple sheer window treatments cost $3,100 per window.
More
Your Guide to Window Treatments
Learn the Lingo of Drapery Rods and Accessories
Room: Living room
Window covering cost: $3,100 per window (fabric, hardware, labor and installation)
Hardware has come a long way from plain rods and finials. There are dozens of styles to choose from that can make a window shine, says interior designer Annie Santulli.
She picked these high-end, Greek-inspired finials to jazz up the draperies, which is the main reason these simple sheer window treatments cost $3,100 per window.
More
Your Guide to Window Treatments
Learn the Lingo of Drapery Rods and Accessories
Room: Kid’s bedroom
Window covering cost: $525 per window (fabric, lining, standard cord-lock system, labor and installation)
Window treatments really stand out when their patterns match up, especially if the windows are near each other, as in this room.
This little boy’s room features an inside-mounted Roman shade in outdoor fabric, says Lynn Chalk, a window treatment designer. The upgrade here is the fact that the stripes on both shades align when the shades are drawn up during the day. That required extra fabric, which increased the cost.