Is her house very modern? I don't know anyone personally who is getting rid of their drapes this year. I have been asked to make them for 2 people, and have made new spring summer ones for my office. I also looked online to see if removing WTs was a trend, and I only saw articles on what styles and colors may be popular.

Here home is a 1970's builder's grade side split. I would not say it is any STYLE. They live there, have little in the way of furnishings, as if they are just starting out in life but we are in our mid 50s. Her DH seems to think furniture is a waste of money outside his bed/TV/barca-lounger, so my sense is she doesn't have the courage to decorate so is celebrating it as a STYLE...but when she flat out made the claim like she had been told "curtains on windows are OUT" I just wondered if I was THAT far out of things. In the absence of fantastic views or beautiful casings..curtains add so much to a room to go without but that is my personal preference.

Perhaps share this article from Veranda Magazine with her on beautiful summer homes...you'll see some do and some don't have window treatments. I think window treatments have a lot more to do with function (privacy, light control, temperature control) and the look one is going for in a specific room rather than a blanket statement that they're "out". Just like the idea that a specific skirt length is "out", I think home decor "rules" have eased a lot. I happen to generally prefer window treatments as I think they add softness to the room as well as sound deadening effects that bare windows don't have, though I too have some bare windows in my house.

I agree! I guess your friend proves that they aren't for everyone, but I honestly don't know anyone who doesn't have WT's. I think they add so much to a room, but it looks like your friend and her hubby aren't as into decor as we are. :-)

I'm on the fence with adding WT to my great room. There are shades up on all the windows from the previous owner for privacy. Even though we live in Florida and face SouthWest, I really like the light even when it is blaring through the windows. It's a big decision, because once the hardware is up, it's up.

Just an additional note, rooms in magazine pictures and model homes seem to forego WT to give more light.

I have no window treatments. I live in a wooded area about 200 ft from the road so you can't see the house. Lots of nature & wild life that I like to watch.

Undressed windows? For the most part, I'd say no. They work in some houses (and on some windows), but I definitely don't see this as a trend. For one thing, most people need and want the privacy that window treatments provide. I no longer have curtains, but have plantation shutters throughout my home. Love my shutters and they work perfectly for my current home, but curtains will never, ever be a thing of the past.

I only have shades and blinds, no drapes. I have too many childhood memories of heavy dusty drapes taking up every bit of wall space. Drapes never smelled better or seemed cleaner even when they were just back from the cleaners. Helping my mother rehang 24 feet of drapes was no picnic either. They weighed a ton, were hard to handle and she was not exactly patient. Later in life my mother purchased vertical blinds and loved them. On my own I can easily snap the shades and blinds in or out of the window, no help required.

I agree with Annie, Ida and others.

Besides, functional things can't be "out". Until they're not functional anymore. Window treatments are functional-privacy, light control, etc. That's how they came into existence. Some rooms in some homes don't need them, or need them less or need them to be different. Some people don't prefer them. Some windows are just too beautiful. There will always be bare windows somewhere. And there will always be even more windows with some sort of window treatments. Until somebody thinks of how to make the room shaded when needed, and invisible from outside with something else:)

I understand she will be using shades or blinds for that, but no, curtains too are not out. Soft furnishings and fabrics, besides being pretty, carry function too. The sounds become softer. The privacy, thus, increases. The level of comfort rises.The temperature is controlled better. Etc, etc.

Lastly...as someone who's really spending too much time reading design books blogs and magazines..no, the curtains are not out:)

I also have some windows that have curtains and some that are not...the ones that are not are too large and beautiful..to dress them with curtains would mean to spend several thousand dollars and risk loosing the advantages. They do have very unassuming semi-transparent shades on them though, that don't interfere with their lines.

In short. The choice of window treatments doesn't depend on a fashion. It depends on your house(its style and location), your needs and preferences, and your windows.

No, it's not a trend and curtains are definitely being done. People will always hear things that aren't true, then spread the rumors around.

There will always be those that prefer hard treatments or no treatments, but there will always be those that like some fabric around.

Beautiful window Annie..is that a light hanging?

They're definitely not out; all the top designers use them, although not every window needs them. We don't need them for privacy but if nothing else I have side panels that are never closed just for the softness and color they give a room. In several rooms I have heavily lined drapes for heat control when the sun is shining strongly at a particular time of the day. Your friend's personal preference is just that, and does not mean that no one else is doing drapes. In the average home without stunning views or incredible looking windows, drapes can only improve the beauty and livability of almost every room.

I agree with much here, I like treatments for the softness/sound deadening and addition of color. I don't NEED any as I too am in a wooded area no where near prying eyes. I have wood valances and one draper panel for looks in my living/dining rooms--they don't move. Hidden behind them are the vertical blinds the house came with. AS noted they were hung, hardware and all..plus when entertaining in winter the HUGE DARK holes of the windows suck the light out of a room. I just think a dressed window adds so much to a space. I just wonder who told her this, where she got the idea that window treatments are "OUT".

Oh yes, I absolutely would call it a trend to leave windows undressed.

I would say that a generation ago, the only reason you would have a window with nothing on it at all would be because you could not afford it.

Today, many people choose to keep their windows bare. For at least the last ten years it has been a common look in shelter mags, on TV shows, blogs, etc. Yes, for some people they serve a function, but for many people WT are only or primarily decorative (like Annie's above). I recall learning this lesson when an installer stapled WT to a window, to get just the right look (without asking first BTW).

My epiphany in re WT came with one of the first rooms we had painted when we bought our first house. When the prep guys took down the WT, the room was 10x lighter. If I don't need privacy, I opt for light. I personally don't care for WT that do not function (ie valances only above the window itself, or drapes too narrow to close) but I have used them in a few cases just for décor. Overall, I like not having to spend big bucks on WT. The few places where I have used them in my primary home, I regret.

I don't have any window coverings (except plantation shutters in a bath for privacy) and I love the light that comes in. Even a valance, to me, is restricting the view, blocking the light and preventing me from seeing through the upper part of the window. I just want to rip them out of the way. I don't need the privacy in the living area of my home, but if I did, whatever I used would disappear as much as possible during the day and come down at night when people might see in. If I needed privacy during the day, I'd have bottom up shades so I could still see out over the top and maximize the light coming in.

There you go. MtnRdRedux and Olychick told her! : )

I had to giggle when I read your neighbor's comment, "Curtains are no longer being done." No - that will not be a fashion trend for 2016. I make custom window treatments and we've had no slow-down in our workroom. That being said, people either want something on their windows or they don't. IMO, some rooms can feel cold or unfinished without the softness of window treatments.

Thanks, kathie...that's a crystal light fixture.

Hiding underneath is a room darkening shade.

DH and his family are all well over 6ft so I learned to be sure the tops of windows are unobstructed early. Hanging even a valance does not have to hide the view. Since DH hung them you can be sure my wood valances are even at the bottom with the casings that are on our windows. It was such a relief when I took down the poorly hung curtain in my kitchen. Leaving that window totally naked has added light, we can see the garden and the room feels less cluttered. I guess the answer here is #1 do what suits those who live there. #2 do what works in that space.