What to Put on the Patio Door.

This is how the pros do it. Function, mood and harmony will lead you to the right decision. 

What do you want the window coverings to do? Is total privacy the issue, or is it blocking the sun from damaging your furniture or floors?  It could be keeping heat in during the winter and out during the summer. Or, it could be that you just want window coverings to soften things up a bit. Writing down the required functions of the coverings is the “Do Not Skip” first step.

Stand at the entrance to your room and look at the overall decor style. Is it a formal, antique-accented traditional-styled living room,  or perhaps a master bedroom sanctuary in a contemporary style? Or it could be a hodge-podge, which we snoots in the design industry refer to as ‘transitional’. You need to determine the mood of the space.

Look through ‘shelter’ magazines specific to the mood of your room. Traditional Home, for example, will have wonderful examples of window treatments that suit that style. Get some education on what style of covering fits the mood of your room.You may love  a particular window covering but find that it doesn’t really work with in your room style.  For example, shutters don’t typically work in a traditional living room.

Now make a list of what the covering must do and what style it should be.  The next step is to find a window covering that meets all your criteria, and enhances and fits with the overall scheme of the room;  It will be in harmony with the room. You can do this with internet searching. It will take a bit of sleuthing, but the information is out there.

Or, you can call a professional window covering person and make an appointment for a one hour in-house consultation. Pay the money. If you forge on alone and make a mistake, it can very easily cost you more in replacement than the house call fee. Call a designer or decorator and ask if they are knowledgeable about both fabric and manufactured window coverings. Look at their website and ask for a reference.   Do not call someone who represents only a particular blind company.  What you need is information and suggestions; not a blind salesman.

Take two or three suggestions that most appeal to you and get the installation specs for each style. Make sure that you can physically place that covering on your door.  Choose the one that meets all your requirements (function), is in the style of the room, (mood) and works with all the other furnishings (harmony). 

If you follow this path to the final choice, you will have made a good, considered decision and the possibility that you made an error will be very, very slim.