Deciding how to style your windows is often a task that is left to the bottom of the decorating pile, with everything from colour and pattern to architecture and size to consider it’s not always easy to know where to start. Styling a window can completely transform a room from basic to beautiful in only a couple of simple steps. Adele Shotton-Pugh, Interior Designer for home furnishings retailer Terrys Fabrics highlights five easy ways to update your window design.
Add Storage
A windowsill or frame is a practical ready-made shelf, so if you’re short on space, using the area around your window for additional storage offers a solution. Many windowsills are often the perfect depth for stacking books or magazines, layer them in different directions for a modern look.
Layer Treatments
Layering curtains over blinds is a great way to step up your window treatment style. The key here is to make sure that each layer has just enough contrast so that there’s no clashing. For your base layer, choose between hard window treatments such as shutters and wooden venetian blinds and soft window treatments, such as roman blinds or voile curtains. For your upper layer, choose made to measure curtains or drapes that incorporate complimentary colours to the rest of the room.
Odd One Out
Grouping items in odd numbers looks both more natural and visually appealing to the eye. So, whether you’re styling a selection of trinkets and candles or vases and photographs, pairing them in three’s and five’s is much more effective at capturing your gaze and creating a balanced display.
Colour Consistency
To make your space feel larger, choose a colour palette that’s similar to the rest of your room. In doing so, you’re creating the illusion that the window space is an extension of the room, rather than a separate area. Warm toned colours such as reds, oranges and yellow are colours that advance, meaning that they appear to move forward, creating a cosy and welcoming atmosphere. Cooler-toned colours such as blues, greens and violets are receding, meaning they make the space feel brighter and larger. Whichever colour palette you choose for your room, extend this to your window treatments and decoration for a consistent space.
Bring the Garden In
Incorporate house plants into your window design for the ultimate outdoor to indoor living space. House plants are often compact, taking up minimal space, but with maximum output both in terms of visual appeal and health benefits. As well as looking fantastic, many house plants have brilliant air purifying properties which can improve air quality and wellbeing within the home.
