Karl Lohnes: Discover a new way to dress your windows

You’ve probably noticed recently that you wake up with lighter mornings. As spring emerges, it’s time to think about the convenience of window treatments and how they can do more than provide privacy.

If you like to sleep on weekends, you will appreciate the ability of your window treatment to darken your room. If you like to keep your house cool during the summer months, you will probably appreciate the thermal capacities that allow certain colors to block and keep the heat. Whether it’s blocking the sun or giving privacy, window coverings are also a big part of the decor of a room, so make sure that function also meets beauty.

For a long time, window blinds have been a somewhat invisible support figure in the decor of a room – they mixed in with the room and did not stand out. This year, look at window fashion to do just the opposite; add fashion, style and texture to your rooms.

Cast shade

The big buzz for blinds and blinds is texture and automation. Woven natural grass blinds that offer an organic look, open and close for light filtration, prevent summer heat and allow privacy are an elegant choice for fitted blinds. Adding technology to blinds via motorized blinds is a luxury (which costs around $ 1,000 per large blind), but meets today’s need to control our homes with our wireless devices. Automation is particularly popular in bedrooms: you like to leave your blinds open at night to fall asleep facing the city or the mountains, but you don’t like the bright morning sun? Just roll on your phone early in the morning and close the blinds without leaving your bed. Automated blinds are also great when used with a timer or app to lower them at certain times of the day to keep the hot afternoon sun from shining in your home while you’re at work.

Add luxury

For drapery, look at fabrics like flamed linen or lush, textured velvet for a luxurious look and feel. In order not to remove the curtains, the material must be the same color as the walls (allowing it to disappear), or hide the material on the ceiling or behind the curtains so that it is not at all visible. Lining textured drapery fabrics with a light-blocking anti-light lining will create a more structured look to the overall hanging drape and, of course, prevent light from entering. You might think that heavy fabrics will look intimidating in a room; just choose lighter colors (I always recommend a fabric color between one and two shades of the wall color). Do you want to make sure your curtains hang perfectly well? Add sous (or nuts and bolts) in the bottom hem!

Some design rules when choosing and mixing curtains and blinds

Let me share some proven tips when you do it yourself.

– Match the color of your built-in blinds to the color / finish of the window frame; if the frame is made of wood, choose a light caramel color. If it is aluminum, choose pale gray. In most cases, the window frames are a white version, so choose it.

– The drapes must be of a lighter or darker shade than the color of the wall. If the walls are covered with wallpaper, choose the background color of the paper for the color of the draped panels.

– Do you want a real designer look for your windows? Match your curtains to the color of the wall, then layer a shade in the window that is a bit lighter for a textured look that will make your window a fashionable focal point in any room.

Do you have a decoration dilemma or want to give your opinion? You can contact Karl on Facebook or Instagram at Karl Lohnes Designer.

Karl has worked as an interior design expert and product designer for 25 years.