Top 10 Types of Window Treatments and Coverings for Your Home

Tweet

We lose about 30% of our home’s heating energy through the windows. As if that were not enough, in the cooling season, approximately 76% of the sunlight falling on double-pane windows enters and turns into heat. Replacing your windows with more energy-efficient ones would cost you a fortune. With the right window treatments and coverings, on the other hand, you can obtain comparable energy savings and enjoy numerous other benefits:

• Improve thermal and sound insulation
• Improve privacy
• Extend the lifespan of your windows
• Improve the interior and exterior look of your home and windows
• Control natural light
• Save money and effort

The benefits you enjoy will depend on the type and quality of the window treatments and coverings you install. That is why, before you go shopping, you should find out a little more about the available options and what they have to offer.

10 Main Types of Window Treatments & Coverings

1. Window Shutters

They are made of plastic, wood, or even aluminum, with fixed slats of louvered. Depending on their sturdiness and operability, they can provide protection against bad weather and intruders, provide privacy, help you control the amount of light entering your home, and enhance your home’s aesthetics.

Exterior window shutters are preferable in bad weather areas and allow the installation of other interior window treatments and coverings. Interior shutters look great by themselves or covered by curtains, as long as they match the floor and the furniture in terms of color and texture.

2. Woven Wood (Bamboo) Shades

Also known as matchstick shades, they come in complex textures, focusing on grasses, exotic reeds, and wood. They are available in sophisticated and attractive natural colors, matching especially classic and rural decors. With their help, you can add a feeling of warmth and simplicity to any room. Installed at the interior, they look great by themselves. They may gain a touch of elegance when accompanied by sheer curtains in matching or contrasting colors.

3. Cellular (Honeycomb) Shades

They are easy to recognize by their honeycomb design and famous for their ability to improve insulation and maximize energy efficiency. Available in single-, double-, and triple-cell models, they are usually made of soft materials, like paper, cloth, lace, or polyester.

Their cell shapes trap air, creating a barrier that keeps the warmth indoors in the winter and outdoors in the summer. Their apparent simplicity can be taken to a new level with a set of stylish curtains.

4. Horizontal Blinds

Venetian blinds are the most famous. They are made of plastic, metal, or wood slats suspended by cloth strips that allow you to rotate them at up to 180 degrees, and thus control sunlight and privacy levels.

Pleated blinds have a similar design, except that the main material is not cut into slats but pleated, and the blinds can be pulled up to the top of the window. Just like cellular shades, horizontal blinds go great with curtains.

5. Vertical Blinds

They do not collect as much dirt as horizontal blinds, and they draw to one side instead of rolling up. They are perfect for sliding and wide windows and doors. Made of fabric, PVC, faux-wood, or metal, they can enhance any décor, stop the light, and discourage insects. The only other type of window treatment vertical blinds go with are exterior shutter storms.

6. Shoji Panels

If you watched Japanese movies, you surely saw this type of panels used to divide rooms or cover windows. They are basically wood or bamboo screens with porous translucent rice paper to allow light filtration. For large windows and room division, it is possible to combine several panels using hinges. These panels do not go well with any other interior window treatments. However, they do a great job on their own, representing a worthwhile exotic investment for any home.

7. Panel Tracks

They are a stylish and versatile solution for picture windows and sliding doors. You can mount them on the wall or on the ceiling, and slide them back and forth on the track to operate them. They are made of fabric, woven wood, or solar screen, and very easy to operate and match with any décor. They are an excellent standalone window treatment, but they allow combining with other solutions as well.

8. Roman and Roller Shades

Both types of shades are available in a variety of fabrics, colors, styles, and textures. They hang flat in the closed position, and they offer light control, privacy, and thermal insulation. Roman shades fold horizontally into pleats. Roller shades, on the other hand, roll up and down, according to your needs and preferences. Both types of shades are practical, stylish, and affordable and they combine great with curtains.

9. Drapery

Nothing beats drapes when it comes to window treatments and coverings. They are available in countless fabrics, thicknesses, textures, and colors.  With them, you can enhance any décor, control light, and ensure your privacy. They provide the best results in terms of looks and function when combined with curtains.

10. Curtains

Similar to drapes, they too offer impressive variety. However, they are made of thinner, lighter, often translucent fabric. The common practice is to choose matching drapes and curtains and install the curtains first, and the drapes over them, towards the interior of the room. The curtains do a great job letting sunlight in, warming up the house, and enhancing the look of any other window treatments and coverings used with them.

Final Tips on Choosing the Best Window Treatments and Coverings for Your Home

When choosing the treatments and coverings for your home windows, you should take into account several factors:

• The weather in your area and your needs in terms of bad weather and sunlight protection
• Interior design colors, style, and textures
• Dimensions and installation requirements
• Manufacturer, supplier, and prices.

Generally, the most practical and convenient solution is to order window treatments and coverings for the entire house at the same time, from the same supplier. This way, you can provide your home with a unitary look and feel, and save yourself the time and trouble of dealing with multiple suppliers, couriers, and receiving several packages.

You will also save valuable money on shipping services and maybe obtain discounts for shopping in bulk. The only question left to answer is what suppliers will cater to your needs best. While the final decision is, obviously, yours, our research shows that the ten stores below feature a huge inventory of window treatments and coverings and should be able to match any needs and budgets.

10 Stores for Your Window Treatments and Coverings Needs

• Blinds.com – They have one of the widest offers of window treatments and coverings, and they work with famous brands, like Bali, Coolaroo, Levolor, Blinds.com, and Norman. Although they don’t carry too many drapes and curtains models, the ones available look astonishing.
• Blindsgalore – To the above brands, Blindsgalore ads a few more: BG Kids, BG Boutique, Comfortex, Expressions, Simple Fit, Kellie Clements, and Expressions. They place special emphasis on luxury and customization.
• BlindsExpress – With brands like Bali, Comfortex, Norman, and Levolor in their portfolio, BlindsExpress are another worthwhile option. We only wish they carried more drapes and curtains models.
• Rakuten – Although they do not specialize in window treatments and coverings like the preceding stores, their offer is impressive, definitely worth a closer look!
• HomeDepot – The idea that you can find anything you need at HomeDepot proves founded one more time – All you need is time to browse through their incredible offer.
• HalfPriceDrapes – Affordable drapes and curtains are at home in this store, in a huge assortment, along with a few types of window shades.
• Wayfair – You can never go wrong shopping for window treatments at Wayfair. They carry everything you could wish for at excellent prices.
• Walmart – Besides drapes and curtains, at Walmart you’ll also find blinds and shades. Perhaps the offer is not as varied as in the other stores, but you have nothing to lose checking it out.
• Macy’s – Elegance is at home at Macy’s, especially as far as windows and drapes are concerned.
• BangGood – Their window treatments are colorful and joyful, perfect for the modern family home.

See also our popular ranking of the Top 10 Companies for Window Blinds, Shutters and Shades.

Have you visited any of the above stores? Have you found the window treatments and coverings you were dreaming of? Do not hesitate to share your achievements and findings with us in a comment below. If you have any stores you would like to add to the list, we look forward to your suggestions!

Tweet