Blinds and shades can bring the interior of your home to life. They add color, create privacy, insulate against heat and cold, and control the light that comes into your home.
But window treatments can have an impact on how your home looks from the outside. Many people don’t think of this when looking at their old window treatments or buying new ones. Here’s a guide to selecting window treatments that look great whether you’re inside your home or looking at your home from the outside.
Consistent Color
Your window treatments are visible from the outside when they’re closed. If your shades have liners or are made to appear neutral when viewed from the street, they bring little attention to themselves. So a home with roller shades, tailored Roman shades, and drapery all built with white liners will look beautifully finished from the street—even though it’s a mix of three different window treatment designs.
While a fully coordinated set of window treatments looks wonderful, consistent color is not the most important factor when it comes to curb appeal. Much more important is the condition of your window treatments. We’ll talk about that next.
Make Sure Your Window Treatments Are in Working Order
Window treatments that hang straight and are clean and free of any water staining present an orderly look to the world. So, when the cords stick or break on old blinds, it’s time for new ones.
The mechanisms of shades can also wear out over time. Broken or stuck mechanisms in blinds and shades can cause the window treatments to hang at an angle—an off-putting look.
Water staining is particularly visible on white or off-white fabrics and appears as lines or rings of brown. Staining can be caused by leaking windows, water penetrating the walls through roof leaks, or condensation on badly insulated windows. If a window treatment is badly stained, it’s time for it to be replaced.
Use Wood
Wood shutters and wood blinds have a classic look that is attractive from the outside. Painted shutters and painted wood blinds can also have an impressive look, and white or off-white often looks best from the street. Bali wood blinds and wood shutters can be coordinated to give you matching window treatments throughout your home. From the street, a set of wood blinds or shutters in the same finish can be a very impressive look.
Go Outside and See
The best way to see what’s the right solution for your home is to go outside and see for yourself. During the day, go out to the street in front of your home and see how your windows look. Then try it in the evening and also at night. Most people are surprised at how different their window treatments look from how they imagined them. By observing for yourself how your shades look, you’ll quickly understand what changes you should make—if any.
Curb Appeal Counts
The look of your home from the street is most important when you’re trying to sell your home. Getting your window treatments in order can help improve your home’s appearance and improve your light control inside the house. Oftentimes, when you observe your home from the street and take an objective view, you’ll find that only a few window treatments need fixing. Getting those window treatments replaced can go a long way to creating a look of craftsmanship and harmony.
