Window dressing suggestions

9 years ago

I was on here not long ago looking for solid shutter recommendations for a study and living room. Thanks for the pointers but nobody mainstream hit the mark and truly bespoke were still reluctant to take on the project for much less than £10,000 which is about four times our budget! So back to the drawing board as we're about to start on this living room. Currently we have full height curtains that draw back over the wall on either side of the window so that none of it is covered when the curtains are open. It's quite a dark room, north facing.

We are going to wallpaper with (bold I know) Little & Greene Sakura in the metallic/gold. As solid shutters are out, we are confused by options and any help much appreciated.

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Comments (5)

temple274
9 years ago
Those windows are crying out for a pelmet to hide the ugly top section. OK it doesn't add to the light but a good pelmet and thick well gathered and draped curtains will up the cosy factor and be appropriate for the architecture.
PRO
User
9 years ago
I think the windows are beautiful, they're original and a lovely design. The Pelmet suggestion will add to the dark as it pushes the light even further down, however, if you stick with pale, plain colours this will help. I'd go for a pale mustard or a light green to match the wallpaper. ( The vanilla shown is too pale and needs to be a little deeper, but it's the better choice of colours ) It's often a mistake to make window furnishings 'busy' especially in a dark room.

Currently all the furnishings in the room are of a dark nature. It just needs light, airy and to be brightened up all round, then you will not notice half as much the lack of light.

Use Daylight bulbs in light fittings, we have them in the whole of the back of the house which is north facing, the difference is immense.
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Hi Lauren! I worked on a project with a similar situation! The windows were in a spare bedroom, so ideally they really did need to be covered at night time, however only when people were staying over. We had venetian blinds made for the standard rectangular window, then for the 2 angled windows, we produced a 'shield'. Basically, we got our joiner to make two shields which were templated to the same shape as the window reveals, with a handle in the centre, which then hooked on to the window. So they could be taken up and down as you wish. They were produced in oak and finished the same colour as the rest of the joinery and blinds, with a handle in pewter to match the rest of the ironmongery in the house. Unfortunately I don't have ay photos of the shields, but you can see the window, and the hooks that the shield mounts on to! We found this to be the most simple, unfussy option, and you are still able to see the windows in their full glory. The shields are kept in the cupboard when not being used. I hope this helps! Holly @ MillChris Developments Ltd
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I think some beautiful white voile for the day time, mounted on a very discreet ceiling mounted track, such as Silentgliss, which can be bent into the bay. I would then put a bay pole in front of this with whichever curtains go with your scheme, using a blackout lining. I would be careful not to have the curtains gathered too full though as you do not have a lot of space to the left of the window to pull them back. Although unconventional, to overcome this problem, you might want to consider having the curtains made to different widths, ie a shorter left curtain and a wider right curtain so that when they are closed they meet at the corner. On a flat window this would be very conspicuous, but your window is unusual.
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Going with a roman blind would be a good choice, the soft fabric won't look out of place next to the curtain - https://www.makemyblinds.co.uk/roman-blinds/
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Hi Susie, you said above that you are going for a Roman blind and wanted some advice on the fitting. Below are some points to consider. You can buy Roman blinds with various backings. As this is your bedroom, ensure that it definitely comes with a blackout rather than a dimout backing. If it is surface-mounted (i.e., outside of the window frame) then less light will appear down the two sides of the fabric. If it is recessed, you are likely to experience more ‘light ingress’. You can choose to have it manually-operated (e.g., via chains made of plastic or metal beads) or remote-controlled (via mains or rechargeable batteries). Although a powered blind is more expensive, it is rather fun to operate it from the comfort of your bed. You can even have it opening and closing automatically at sunrise and sunset (or at other periods) via a timer that knows your longitude and latitude, or from abroad (for security reasons) via a smart phone if you are into technological living! Joy.
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PRO
Adornas Kitchens & Interiors
9 years ago
We're with ^Man About The House^ on this one- the windows are too beautiful to cover with shutters. However if you still like the idea of them, www.californiashutters.co.uk are literally 1/3 of the price of normal shutters because you do all the measuring and fitting yourself. We bought 3 sets of large shutters for the price of one local quote!

If you don't need privacy, and new curtains will work- A pelmet might be nice. Hang it just under the cornice (see image below), and stop it just shy of the start of the first pane of glass (not actually blocking any glass) almost like what you've done with the curtains.

The wallpaper and paint colours are beautiful, and perfect for a North Facing Room. We would recommend a light but warm fabric that will compliment the room's palette. You could add a pale green 'leading edge' on the curtains and/or on the box pelmet if you felt it was going to look too plain.

Obviously not this colour, or pattern- but this kind of idea....
PRO
Evolve Interior Design
9 years ago
These are very large windows and if your budget is about £2500 I would suggest first getting a few quotes for making curtains with and without a pelmet (which I would also prefer to see but it's not always financially viable), and get a fabric quantity estimate too. This will likely make up your mind for you as to what you can do. Trim on leading edges etc is lovely, but can hike the cost up a lot! Light fabric would be much better, less 'in your face'...

Drop me a line if you need anymore help! Good luck, Kate
stuart_smith4711
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks guys for the initial response. I really needed a bright day to be able to post a daylight picture. There's a covered verandah outside those windows which does limit the light and "cozying up" with more window dressing was what we were trying to avoid. There will be a blonde/bamboo wooden floor and the sofas will be tan leather - quite neat, on legs.. not too cozy. Actually we face more West than North and we do get late afternoon sun at the end of the room.

Window dressing suggestions

Comments (5)

temple274

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Window dressing suggestions

Comments (5)

temple274

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stuart_smith4711
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