Interior Design Today - Episode 015

Welcome to the Interior Design Today radio show with Mary Knackstedt. In our 15th episode, Mary talks about Window Treatments. What kind should you have or do you want? Today, our windows are being treated in many different ways. They say that we'll have no fading, but it is interesting that many furniture and textiles do fade. Any amount of light that you have, whether it is coming from an electrical fixture or the sun, it causes some degree of fading. If we want to protect our textiles, it is probably best to use a window treatment that will provide us with some type of protection, especially when you're not in the room. We have many different types of treatments today. It isn't just venetian blinds or verticals or traverse draperies, but so many other combinations; treatments that become invisible when you have them open, others that are really a beautiful embellishment which soften and detail a room. Some of our larger spaces really need a wonderful window treatment to finish the room. They add a lot of elegance, and also, soft materials help the acoustics in your room. If you have removed the carpet in the room and have a hard-surfaced floor, and if most of your furniture is hard-surfaced, you'll really want to consider bringing some soft material into the space for balance. Window treatments can be one of those options. Fortunately, today, we have a lot of window treatments which are very easy care. At one time, everyone had two sets of window treatments; one for the summer and one for the winter. A lot of people enjoy that option in spaces where they spend 12 months of the year. Sometimes, we really want a change because of the way the outside is coming into our space. Sometimes the leaves on the trees or the amount of sun exposure can affect this. There are a lot of beautiful options today. As you look through the various magazines and come up with ideas for treatments that you love, the question is: does it fit with your window style? We're fortunate to have a lot of windows which are much easier maintenance. Often they can be tipped and washed from the interior. Sometimes they are opened differently than they were in the past. Window treatments need to work with these styles. Look at your windows. Are they really contributing to the enjoyment, the pleasure, and the use of your room? Is the glare controlled? Is the sunlight and fading controlled? Do you need a touch of embellishment or enhancement. Consider appropriately designing your windows to compliment the rest of your interior. Please subscribe to the video or audio version of the radio show via iTunes or listen to it at http://interiordesigntodaypodcast.blogger.com via the following MP3 Link.