Don’t Treat Your Window Like a Door – How to Select Window Treatments for French Doors and More

A common interior design mistake is to give in to the notion that everything in your room, or your home, must match. When considering the design of your window treatments, think of the function each must serve.

Function and Style

A door serves a much different purpose than a window, which means it may need to be treated differently from a design perspective. For example, if your great room has two windows and one sliding glass door, and your adjacent kitchen has a French door with a window next to it, you have several distinct window covering needs that can’t effectively be treated in the same way.

To achieve optimum function and style, each opening to your home, no matter the type, must have the proper window covering. This requires different products that can be custom-made to complement each other. Let’s take a look at how doors and window differ from each other, and how that will impact your window treatment options.

• Size and orientation: Doors are often floor to ceiling. Windows are typically about 30-40″ above the floor.
• Use: Doors are used more frequently than windows
• Function: Doors require room to open and close, while windows typically slide
• Frame: Doors are usually flush with the wall, while most windows have a frame which allows for inside-mount if desirable.

Remember, it’s okay to mix and match mounting styles with your door treatments and your window fashions.

Play it Safe with Consistent Styles

If you feel like you really need to have all of your window treatments match, here are some stylish window coverings that can work well on both doors and windows:

• Designer Roller shades
• Alustra® woven texture shades by Hunter Douglas
• Plantation shutters, wood and composite faux wood
• Vignette® Modern Roman Shades

Dare to be Different

Complementary window coverings give your home a naturally appealing style. Take a look below at the many different window fashion combinations for your doors and windows:

• If you have wood blinds on your windows, try a Vignette® Modern Roman Shade
• If you have bamboo woven wood shades on your windows, try vertical woven wood panels on your door.
• If you have Hunter Douglas’s Silhouette® shadings on your windows, try Hunter Douglas’s Luminette® Sheers on your door.
• If you have honeycomb shades on your windows, try Vertiglide® by Hunter Douglas on your door.

Let Ross Howard Designs in Dallas Help You Decide

Ross Howard Design has been the Dallas area’s leader in interior design, home fashions, and custom window treatment for homes and businesses since 1981. The professional designers at Ross Howard are committed to bringing you the latest styles, current trends, and innovative technologies. For more expert information on window treatments and interior design, or for a consultation, give us a call today – 972-490-0088. We invite you to stop by our showroom, look at over 80 displays and pick up your free design book!

Ross Howard Designs showroom hours: Monday-Friday: 9:30 am – 5:30 pm, Saturday: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm, Sunday: closed.