An Expert Guide to Choosing the Right Window Treatments for your Living Room

Here’s a bright idea! Find style, privacy & function with these 5 beautiful window treatments.

Guest post by Bali Blinds & Somfy Systems

Installing new window treatments is a quick home improvement project that immediately adds style and personality to bedrooms, living rooms, and beyond. Whether you’re excited about adding color, texture, and volume to a space, or simply rejuvenating a room by playing with the light, the 5 beautiful window treatments below provide plenty of inspiration.

Roman Shades

roman shades

Above: Flat Roman Shades with 6″ Valance and 1″ Teardrop Crystal Bead Trim in Light Gold 202 and Motorized Lift: Damask, Warm Amber 3264, Square Pillows: Dover, Rainy Afternoon 3721

Want to transform your space with the touch of a button? Pair the relaxed folds of a Roman shade with motorized lift. Motorization allows you to use a handheld remote control, wall switch or programmable timer to adjust out-of-the-way window coverings, lower an entire room full of shades to enjoy the last rays of the sunset, or dim the light (and reduce glare) to sharpen the picture of your favorite TV show.

Natural Shades

natural

Above: Standard Bali Roman Natural Shades with Cordless Lift: Highpoint, Brook 35113 with 2″ Edge Banding: Taupe 1007, Room Darkening Liner, and 6″ Standard Valance.

Natural shades bring a rustic look to your windows, playing off of this season’s popular rough hewn wood furniture and accents, as well as other natural fabrics. Taking elements of the landscape inside, natural shades are hand woven with bamboo, jute, grasses, and other sustainable materials, adding an earth-friendly vibe your space.

Solar and Roller Dual Shades

solar shades

Above: Dual Shades with Motorized Lift and Cassette Valance: Roller Shade (Back): Rowland, Slate 20004; Solar Shade (Front): Terrace, Sterling 40233.

Two great shades that go even better together: Sheer solar shades protect your furnishings and rugs from harmful UV rays, while softening natural light. Room darkening or blackout roller shades can block out the sun like you’re flipping a switch.
Put them together in a dual shade and you have ultimate flexibility: either shade can be lowered or raised to match your mood, your activities, or even the time of day.

Wood Blinds with Drapery

wood and drapery

Above: 2″ Wood Blinds with Cord Lift/Wand Tilt and 4-1/2″ Eloquence Valance: Fig 1851, Cloth Tape: Willow Dark Taupe G696 and Bali Custom Drapery: Dresden, Olde Town 3443

Wood blinds offer great light control—adjust the slats just so, to let in as much sunshine as you need. When lowered and tilted closed, these blinds also let you enjoy total privacy. Add drapery panels to accentuate (or create!) long lines, cool contrasts in texture, or to make wall colors pop. Full folds of fabric can both brighten and soften the space.

Sun Up/Sun Down Cellular Shades 

sun up

Above: Cordless Sun Up/Sun Down Cellular Shade in 3/8″ Single Cell Sheer Bliss, Butter Cream 0161 (top) and 3/8″ Double Cell Storm, Lemon Drop 3938 (bottom)

With the Sun Up/Sun Down cellular option, it’s a snap to pair fabrics of different styles, colors, and privacy levels to create the perfect combination shade. The split makes all the difference when you mix sheer and blackout fabrics to let in light through the day and have absolute privacy when you need it.

These are just a few of the possibilities. Are you ready to re-do a room? Or overhaul the whole house? Remember, if you can dream it you can do it. And Bali can help.

For more great information and galleries of pictures to add to your inspiration wall visit Bali Blinds powered by Somfy or the Bali Blinds blog.

Victoria Keichinger
Victoria Keichinger

Victoria Keichinger is the Vice President, Brand Marketing for Coldwell Banker Real Estate. When she's not managing national media and advertising for the Coldwell Banker brand at work, she finds herself most at home in Jersey City, NJ with her pre-school crush turned spouse and son. A true Francophile, she loves to travel and will go anywhere there are ski slopes.

16 comments

  1. Installing new window treatments is a quick home improvement project that immediately adds style and personality to bedrooms, living rooms, and beyond. Whether you’re excited about adding color, texture, and volume to a space, or simply rejuvenating a room by playing with the light.

  2. We have been thinking about changing out the window treatments in our house, and wanted to look at our options. I really like that wooden blinds actually help with your privacy. Since our bedroom faces the front of the house, this would be a really nice touch for us.

  3. I’m not going to tell you I did it myself, because I really felt like I needed help with this project. And when I go to make the curtains for Leah’s room, I will definitely need help again. It’s just way too hard to lay everything out and measure it perfectly all by yourself, so I definitely recommend getting a helper if at all possible.

  4. In your article, you stated that two great shades that go even better together: Sheer solar shades protect your furnishings and rugs from harmful UV rays while softening the natural light. My wife has been complaining all summer long about how hot our living room gets during the afternoon. Are these shades available in any types of colors or designs?

  5. I’m really liking the look of those wood blinds with drapery! My living room has a lot of natural colors in it, so I think that the wood mesh really well with the rest of the room. Plus, I could make the drapes a pop of color themselves as a way to create more contrast in the room.

  6. Good article! I like the wooden blinds with the drapery too, especially how the two colours complement each other quite nicely. I’ve got some good ideas now to suggest to my customers. Thanks!

  7. Thanks for the information on choosing window treatment! My wife and I are redecorating, and we really want to replace our old blinds first. I like the picture you have of wood blinds with drapery. I didn’t realize they provided such great light control. We will have to look into them.

    1. Hi Burt, So glad you found this article helpful! Best of luck on your redecorating project!

  8. My wife and I have been looking for some draperies, and I think that being able to get some tips would be good. I’m glad that you talked about some different window treatments, and I think that your tips would be good for us. I’m going to have to think if we want blinds along with our custom draperies or not! Thanks!

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