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Windows Design Dilemma

EDITED! Would you replace the blinds with curtains or roman shades?

4 years ago

last modified: 2 years ago

EDITED! We are getting new white Marvin wood windows and wood trim. Would you put curtains in the bedroom, or roman shades? I can see the pros/cons of each. Thanks!

(Old post: We are updating our old wood windows in our 1932 house. We are thinking of doing white wood windows and white trim, but I think it would be too much white in the master bedroom if we did white blinds. Can I do white trim with stained brown wood blinds? We would also do all the baseboards white too. Thanks! I'll put a pic in comments.)

Featured Answer

K Laurence

4 years ago

I would do both the trim & blinds in a creamy white or use Roman shades in lieu of the blinds.

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Comments (9)

empohio
Original Author
4 years ago
We would keep the dark blinds, but paint all trim white.
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It's a bit embarassing, but I can't envision a pulley. I know what a pulley is, but not sure where it goes in a shade since I don't have much exposure to this kind of thing or home decorating, really. But, I think I know what you're saying about the toggle, oilpainter. The instructions for a regular roman shade that I've seen on the internet, and with the pattern I have, call for using 1/4" dowels and eyelet screws. Of course they would attach to eyelet screws in the top board if I was doing this in the traditional way. So, I'm thinking of putting a dowel/pocket on the shade that would go right underneath the curtain rod. Then putting the eyelet screws in the top dowel that would pull up the rest of the dowels; but I see in the pattern that you're supposed to put two eyelet screws on each side to run the cord through, and with a dowel there is only room for one screw. I think I'll try to figure out how I would put the toggles on since that would give me two holes to work with on each side. Or maybe I'll just buy some shades from the Sears catalogue. lol Just wanted to mention to pris that I don't have magnetic curtain rods on the walls. The magnetic curtain rod is for a steel door that I didn't want to put holes in. Thanks for your help everyone.
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I am glad I posted as I was for sure taking those blinds down but now I don't think I will. Have you ever seen the "decorative" drapes on the super short poles that go on either side of the window to "frame" it yet it is impossible to draw the drapes closed because they are all scrunched up to be about a foot long on a foot long decorative pole. I doubt I am explaining myself well but i was thinking in terms of this b/c I don't want to ever bother closing the drapes nor do I need to and nor do I want all that material. this kind of "frames" the window. I have seen it on HGTV but can't figure out how/where to buy this I will look into RH...Any other ideas or mind readers out there that know WHAT I am talking about? :)
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Becky - don't know if you remember my room and link from up-thread but I've continued to follow your situation and thought I'd give you an update on mine since we have similar large, private settings and goals for views. Much as I love roman shades whether fabric or some kind of woven wood/bamboo, I just didn't want to cover up that much glass with the stack height. We did a test run with a textured roller shade on 2 windows in our living room. That way if we hated them it wasn't an investment in every window and we'd keep looking. Here's what we have, a roller shade behind a cassette. You can see the texture, it's not room darkening but offers excellent light/glare control and privacy. When they're open, they are very unobtrusive and leave the glass bare. The cassettes aren't invisible but if you match your wood they will disappear as much as anything can. Mine are in between my wall and my wood color so they have a bit of warmth to them. We are probably going to use these throughout the house where we need light control. Some of those windows may get additional decoration with curtains, and that's an opportunity to add some pattern and color. Personally, I don't think these have a modern look or really any definitive style look because I chose a neutral to basically disappear. If you chose a wood tone or a color of course they will be a focal point and that to me is where the clean lined modern look comes in. But as a first layer with curtains or even on their own matched to your wood, IMO they can work with any home or decorating style. Hope that helps. It's a tough decision and a lot of money, that's for sure!
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We have a similar look...with one more window on top in the middle. We did not put anything on top, but had them framed out with brown oak. The other windows have brown blinds. We keep them up, mostly so we had all the windows tinted by a professional. In fact, if you get a lot of sun, I suggest you do that on all the windows. It is a bit pricey but will protect you, the furniture and floors from the UV rays which will damage everything. Good Luck!
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chloebud
4 years ago
^Yes to K Laurence's suggestion.
empohio thanked chloebud
DH
4 years ago
If you’ve got the budget, I think updating your window treatments could make a big impact in freshening up your space. I don’t think you need to match the blinds to your trim, but have you considered adding some drapes to soften up the space a little? Natural linen with bamboo blinds is one of my favorite looks. I’ll see if I can find some photos that help demonstrate the look.
empohio thanked DH
empohio
Original Author
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
Thanks DH! We have the same set of windows downstairs in the living room, and have drapes, but we liked the clean look of blinds for the bedroom. I'm still open to seeing your photos though! Thanks!
DH
4 years ago
Tried to find a variety to show a few possibilities...

This color palette reminded me of your room, and I think it does a good job showing that dark blinds can definitely work with white trimmed windows. I think the drapes work here because they’re not too light/in contrast with the walls, and they help repeat the accent color in the bedding. The sheerness of them allows for different levels of privacy and room darkening when used in tandem with the blinds. And, arguably, the softness of the drapes helps bring a romantic feel to the bedroom.

This photo also has a similar color palette, but no drapes. What helps the white trim work here and feel cohesive with the rest of the room, is that the bright white is repeated elsewhere in the sconce shade the headboard. Good design often uses repetition and the rule of three (color, shapes, etc.) to help bring a concept together.

A few other photos... maybe one will strike your fancy.
empohio thanked DH
empohio
Original Author
4 years ago
Thank you! These are great!!
empohio
Original Author
4 years ago
DH, I was thinking what you mentioned about needing more white to bring it together. We'd paint the trim, and around the doors, and I was also thinking about adding a white planter. Thanks for starting my ideas!
empohio
Original Author
2 years ago
Bumping this post - we are going to install Marvin white windows and paint the trim white. Would you put curtains or roman shades in this bedroom? Thanks!

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