One thing people often forget when buying a new home is that window coverings need to be factored into the budget. Those huge west-facing windows with sweeping San Francisco Bay views may make you want to move right in — but with that view comes a very unforgiving dose of afternoon sun that can quickly fade furnishings, rugs, and hardwood floors.
That damage can be expensive and sometimes impossible to reverse, so it’s best to select the proper window treatments before it happens.
There’s also longevity to consider. Quality custom window treatments are an investment, so this probably isn’t the place for the “Color of the Year” or a design trend you may love today and tire of five years from now. These are three of my go-to solutions that stand the test of time.
SIMPLE LINEN-LOOK RIPPLEFOLD DRAPES
Linen-look ripplefold drapes work in everything from an elegant home to the most contemporary setting because they don’t scream any particular “style.” The clean, uniform folds provide softness without fussiness, and the drapes glide smoothly and quietly across the track.
They can be blackout lined in a bedroom, privacy lined when appropriate, or even left unlined with the right fabric.
While I love the look of linen, 100% linen tends to wrinkle and relax. Today’s linen-look fabrics can incorporate polyester, cotton, and linen, providing that beautiful, relaxed appearance with easier maintenance and fewer wrinkles.
SOLAR SHADE “WORKHORSE” ROLLER SHADES
If there’s a workhorse in the window treatment world, it’s the solar roller shade.
Solar shades have come a long way in the past 20 years. Today we can select fabrics that provide different levels of sun, heat, glare, and privacy control depending on what each window needs.
This is particularly useful in rooms with windows facing different directions. A north-facing window overlooking beautiful foliage may need only a little privacy and glare control, while a west-facing window taking the full force of the afternoon sun needs substantially more protection — all while maintaining a consistent look throughout the room.
Color choices have also become much more sophisticated, from creamy whites and warm neutrals to deep charcoals, many with subtle texture.
LIGHT-COLORED WOVEN NATURAL GRASS ROMAN SHADES
These are one of my favorites because they bring natural texture into a room without competing with anything else.
A simple woven natural grass Roman shade is a quiet design element. Depending on the room, it can be privacy lined, blackout lined, or left unlined when privacy and sun control aren’t concerns.
I especially like lighter, more delicate weaves because they don’t dictate what you can do elsewhere. Paint colors, upholstery, and patterns can change over the years while the shades continue to work beautifully. That subtle natural element grounds a room without demanding attention.
The common denominator among all three?
Timeless window treatments don’t need to be the star of the room. They should make the room more comfortable, protect what’s inside it, and provide a beautiful backdrop — even as your tastes and furnishings change over the years.
Any content, resident submissions, guest columns, advertisements, and advertorials are not necessarily endorsed by or represent the views of Best Version Media LLC (BVM) or any municipality, homeowners associations, businesses, or organizations that this publication serves. BVM is not responsible for the reliability, suitability, or timeliness of any content submitted, inclusive of materials generated or composed through artificial intelligence (AI). All content submitted is done so at the sole discretion of the submitting party.
