Living Room Window Treatments: What Works Best?
As the name suggests, the living room is where we live our lives. And when you’re choosing living room window treatments, it helps to think about your lifestyle. Is the living room where you go to read? Watch TV? How much do you like to entertain? Do you host formal dinner parties or casual game nights with friends? Is light control or energy efficiency a concern? Whatever your particular need, you’ll find many living room blinds and shades that are as fashionable as they are functional.
Cellular Shades: Superior Energy Efficiency and Style
If energy efficiency is a top priority, cellular shades, like Duette® Honeycomb Shades, are an ideal living room window treatment. Duette shades are the very first of their category to be designed with a cellular construction that adds a layer of insulation at the window, so you can reduce energy consumption and stay comfortable all year long. You can also opt for the Duette Architella® honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb construction if you want extra insulation.
The great thing about Duette shades is that they come in so many pleat sizes, colors, patterns, textures and opacities that they’ll work with any living room décor. You can even combine two fabrics on the same shade for more light control. Or choose the Top-Down/Bottom-Up option that lets you operate your window shades from the top down, bottom up or anywhere in between to enhance your views while still maintaining your privacy.
A Modern Twist on a Classic Roman Shade
For a soft, elegant look in your living room, Roman shades are a modern and clean-lined alternative to traditional full-length draperies. Plus, they’re an excellent way to add visual interest if your living room has a lot of whites and neutrals. Vignette® Modern Roman Shades, for instance, feature luxurious colors and textures in a wide range of styles and fold sizes.
Want more light control? You can pair a light-filtering shade with a room-darkening back panel. And since fabrics are available by the yard, you can create decorative matching accents on pillows and upholstered furniture. An added bonus—Vignette shades have no exposed rear cords for enhanced child safety and a clean look from the outside.
Designer Screen Shades and UV Protection
Even on cloudy days, UV rays can fade and damage your artwork, fabrics and carpet. They can also dry out and bleach your hardwood floors and wood furniture, breaking down the paint or stain finishes and joint sealants. To protect your living room furnishings, solar shades, such as Designer Screen Shades, offer excellent UV protection and come in hundreds of gorgeous fabrics as well as opacities ranging from sheer to opaque and from 14% to 0% openness.
You don’t have to stick to solar shades for UV protection though. Virtually all Hunter Douglas shades, blinds and shutters filter at least 75% of the sun’s rays when installed over double-glazed glass windows.
The Warmth and Richness of Wood Blinds
Blinds for living room windows are a popular choice because they work well with practically any décor, from traditional to modern. Crafted from rich hardwood, Parkland® wood blinds offer a warm, cozy feel. And the nice thing is that you can customize your living room blinds with a wide selection of finishes, slat sizes and decorative tapes to complement the other elements in your room.
Shutters: Energy Efficient, Durable and Timeless
Like premium furniture for your living room, shutters offer the timeless beauty of rich hardwood. And what’s nice is that they look just as gorgeous from the outside of your home as they do from the inside. Besides that, they’re very durable and provide great sound absorption and energy efficiency.
You can find options ranging from real wood and hybrid shutters to shutters like Palm Beach™ Polysatin™ Shutters that have the look of finely painted shutters but are guaranteed never to warp, crack, fade, chip, peel or discolor, even when exposed to extreme heat or humidity. Something to think about if you live in a hot climate.
Living Room Shade Ideas
While you could go with shades, blinds or shutters for your living room, don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to just one window treatment. Draperies can add layers of texture when combined with blinds or shades. There is also a wide variety of top and bottom treatments, decorative tapes and coordinating fabrics that can help create a seamless look throughout your living room.
