Trend trackers and décor experts agree that giving your interior windows an update can offer your whole home a finished look. With bold and saturated colors in paint and furnishings and accessories making a strong comeback, new window treatment designs are right in step.

At Levolor Window Fashions, for example, some of the latest innovations are as much about lifestyle as they are about stylish choices. “Research indicates that fabric is No. 1 in importance to the consumer,” says Bryan Nicklas, director of marketing at Levolor. The company has recently announced its new luxury line of Roman shades featuring on-trend patterns and stripes, resulting in 90 color choices to complement a variety of home décor tastes. And because color is back, the company has taken a universal approach across all décor styles and collections to make it easier to coordinate its products.

Window on Your World

Beyond fabric comes practicality. Levolor’s Natural Shades collection and Hunter Douglas’s Style & Design collection offer updated styles that blend natural elements like reeds and bamboo, and soft fabrics such as jute and other textiles. And as many of us live in close urban and suburban quarters, privacy as well as insulation from heat, cold and noise are also a priorities.

Window Shopping

homedecoratingbiz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/sidebar_diningwindow.jpg" alt="sidebar_diningwindow" width="132" height="132" />Ask yourself a few questions before you shop for window treatments: How are you using the room? Is it a children’s playroom? Is it a media room or bedroom? What’s your décor style? Do you value privacy? Also, do you have any special needs? For example, for the bathroom, faux wood is recommended for its tolerance of high humidity. Custom-cut vinyl blinds from Bali Today are perfect for this application. And for children and asthma/respiratory sufferers, there’s also help. Window treatments such as Levolor’s Cellular shades are protected by the company’s exclusive DustGuard treatment and can cut up to 50% of airborn dust.

Once you’ve established your needs, here’s a short list of window treatment news, courtesy of the experts at Levolor:

• Look for window treatments that offer light-blocking and light-filtering choices, with colored liners for a cohesive look.
• Day/Night operation in window treatments provide another smart innovation which can provide optimum light control for darker bedrooms or media rooms.
• Cordless models offer a cleaner, more streamlined look, and optimize safety for families with young children.
• Top down/bottom up shades allow you to customize for privacy, providing the option of pulling the shade up or putting it down, so that light can come in without exposing your interiors to the world.
• Design details: With open concept homes gaining in popularity, the need to coordinate finishes and colors has increased. Perceptions, a softer vertical shade line, works perfectly for a sliding door and can be coordinated with Roman shades for your kitchen windows.

So don’t neglect your windows, because we all love a room with a view.

Courtesy of homedepot.com