subject: Ways To Decorate Your Windows [print this page] Depending on the property, windows can have a positive or negative impact on the ambience of a home. In some properties, windows serve as focal points that allow light to infiltrate rooms, helping to create an invaluable illusion of space. In other properties, windows are merely functional and add little to the overall atmosphere of a home. In either case, windows can be decorated with blinds, curtains, netting and other such accessories to accentuate their inherent qualities and functionality.
Traditionally, windows in homes across the UK have been decorated using netting and curtains. Netting provides a layer of protection from the glare of sunlight and offers additional privacy depending on the type of netting used. Choosing between plain and heavily patterned netting is largely a matter of taste; however, plain netting tends to be especially transparent, whilst patterned netting provides a little more in the way of privacy and security.
Although the popularity of netting has decreased over the past decade or so, the use of curtains in British homes has remained fashionable despite the rise of blinds and shutters. Curtains, especially those comprising heavy materials, provide effective shelter from the outside world. Working well alongside netting and blinds, curtains can help properties retain heat and are able to offer greater security than netting alone.
Unfortunately, curtains and netting can very easily become dusty and dirty, which is why many households have switched to using blinds or shutters. As the design and construction of blinds have improved over the years, curtains and netting as a combined decoration for windows has ceded market position to blinds and shutters, which are available in numerous shapes, sizes, colours and designs. Furthermore, blinds and shutters tend to provide more practical advantages than curtains and netting, including greater privacy, improved security, more effective control over light and easier-to-clean surfaces.
Among the latest variations of blinds and shutters are made to measure panel blinds, which are perfectly suited to open spaces and large windows. Panel blinds also provide optimal decoration for bi-fold doors, the popularity of which has soared in recent years due to the success of televised home improvement shows. The blinds can also double as effective room dividers and, because they are made to the precise measurements provided by customers, panel blinds can completely block out the light penetrating large windows and patios, thereby offering complete control over the appearance and functionality of window spaces.
