Hi Diana,
Attached is a picture of our livingroom windows which are in need of a fresh window treatment. I would prefer something that just covers the lower section of window, leaving the muntin bars exposed, as they are now. A further restriction is that it should be somewhat resistant to claws as our cats like to look out these windows and often push the curtains out of the way. I’ve considered Californian shutters in a colour to match the window paint (each individual window frame has a full 4″ recession so plenty of room to have them built in cleanly) but wonder how they would look with the horizontal lines of the shutters right above the vertical lines of the mission-style bench and if they would suit a traditional setting. Thanks very much for any suggestions you might have!
Carol
Hi Carol
I can see from the picture that you have a lovely Arts and Crafts home and that you have kept true to the look of the era with the colours and furniture. Well done! In fact, the curtains of that era were exactly as you have them now – cafe-style in lace! Also, very popular back then were roller blinds and heavy drapes in velvets and brocades (left over from the Victorian era). I do agree with you that California style shutters would not work here, but I do have a few suggestions for you below:
1. Keeping the panels the same size to fit your hardware, but instead of gathering the lace as you have, make the panels flat with the bottom free. You could up-date to the Art Nouveau era look by picking a silk fabric that has a large floral imprint in tone-on tone or a burnout pattern in off-white or white like you have. I’m suggesting Art Nouveau because it will create a nice graphic contrast to the hard lines of your Mission bench. Here are some examples of patterns.
2. A more permanent window treatment would be to have 4 stained glass panels made, matching the colors to coordinate with the colors in your room . This way the 2 ends can remain clear for the cats, but they will also be able to look through the stained glass. Here are some great Art Nouveau examples.
3. If you are stuck on a lace, you could update it by getting fresh panels and gather them in the middle with a color co-ordinated band, that would remain on it permanently. Therefore, you are partially covered and the cats don’t have to scratch the panels open. See my sketch below.
Thank you Carol. Let me know what you’ve decided.
Send in your dilemmas and I’ll fix them for you.
Cheers!
Diana
I’ve never thought about stained glass panels as window treatments for a home. That is a great suggestion and the Art Nouveau styles are really pretty.
Thanks for all the great suggestions Diana! I’ll take a picture when I finally get this done.
I would love to see an update to this, and more pictures of the room. I purchased an arts and crafts home built in 1925 and we have a similar recessed bank of windows. To our left is stairs, to the right side a large radiator and front door, and behind a fireplace and a large “arch” (if you will) that goes into the dining room. I find the room impossible to furnish. I just can’t envision it.