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The sun is higher in the sky, the days are longer and those lazy, hazy days of summer are upon us. As your thoughts turn to the outdoors, take a moment and look at the window that frames your view to the outside. Chances are, your window treatments can be freshened up very easily to give your rooms that easy, breezy feeling!
Think Layering.
All the summer markets forecast layering as the new direction for windows - layering of panels, valances and even dual shadings (think Graber Synergy®). Add sheer panels and tiebacks to your existing window treatments. Use both sheer and decorative panels on the same curtain rod or choose sheer panels in several pastel colors and shirr them onto the rod for a striped look. Add a perky valance in a blooming print or bright tropical colors to your vertical blinds and horizontal blinds.
Think Pretty.
There's one common thread to these summer looks - they're lighter in scale, more feminine, and come in pretty colorings of pink, ice blue, rose, red, or blush peach. Change-out your tiebacks with printed silk squares folded like a kerchief. Accessorize your window treatments like you accessorize your apparel. Look for illusion tiebacks, tab chokers, and all kinds of pins and decorative elements. Explore the costume jewelry department for options! Beaded or flower garlands, lace buttons, and napkin rings work great too. Do you have fabric shades on your windows? Add a decorative shade pull with a beaded tassel, a chandelier drop or chandelier earring - use your imagination!
Think Light & Shadow.
Don't treat the light as your decorating enemy - use it to your advantage! If your existing blinds and shades look tired - update and replace them with some of the great new products on the market - shadings, woven woods, solar shades or roman shades. They provide you with both privacy and sun control, and create a wonderful mood in the room by the interplay of light and shadow. What about those bare windows? Mount a decorative curtain rod and hang wind chimes, tea lights or candle lanterns (found in garden departments this season) for the ultimate in window jewelry!
No matter how you choose to freshen up your window treatments, have fun and enjoy the summer!
Deb Barrett, owner of Window Dressings, Kaneville, IL, is an award-winning window fashions designer, professional speaker and
author. She has built a reputation for cutting edge couture treatments, winning the Window Fashions National Design
Competition five times, including its Award of Excellence. With more than 30 years experience in the window treatment
field, Deb shares her talents through speaking, media tours and writing. Her work frequently appears in popular decorating
magazines including Windows and Walls and Decorating Ideas, and she is the author of Tools of the Trade and Soft
Furnishings Sketchbook.
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