Views: 1552 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2016-03-01 Origin: Site
Though large-scale windows with expansive views are architectural features, not every home has them. Remodeling isn’t always possible due to structural and budgetary constraints, but you don’t have to enlarge yours to get a grander look. You can make most small windows look bigger using window treatment tricks.
Make Windows Look Taller
Make short windows look taller by hanging floor-length curtains or draperies at or near the ceiling; installing the rod 2 inches below the ceiling molding is ideal. If the gap between the rod and the top of the window seems too great, fill in the blank space with a valance, cornice board or lambrequin installed over the curtains or draperies, or with a shade installed underneath. With shades, install the tops just below the curtain or drapery rods, and then avoid raising the bottom higher than the top edge of the window glass. Opt for cornice boards and lambrequins with shaped bottoms rather than straight. Lambrequins are cornice boards with legs on each side, which means that they frame the window on three sides.
Make Windows Look Wider
To make narrow windows look wider, opt for a curtain or drapery rod that’s 60 to 80 percent wider than the window, including the molding. Hang drawing curtains or draperies across the entire space, or hang stationary panels on each side. Each stationary panel should span from the rod’s end to just past the outer edge of the window glass. In both cases, the eye assumes the extra fabric at each end of the rod covers window instead of wall. To emphasize the horizontal inclination of the curtains or draperies, top them with a straight-bottomed valance or cornice board.
Make Windows Look Taller and Wider
To make a small window look both taller and wider, install an extra-long rod at or near the ceiling. Hang floor-length curtain or drapery panels from the rod, with the leading edges just overlapping the outside edges of the window glass. Top the panels with a valance, cornice board or lambrequin to fill the extra wall space above the window, if needed, or just for decoration. The latter two can have shaped or straight bottom edges. Add a woven or fabric shade for privacy if the panels don’t draw open or closed.
Fabric Selection
To make a short window look taller, make curtains and draperies from printed fabric with a vertically inclined pattern. Vertical patterns include more than just stripes; you can use any pattern that draws your eye up and down rather than side to side. To make tall, narrow windows look wider, choose a horizontal pattern that draws your eye across instead of up. If you want to create the illusion of both height and width, opt for a vertically inclined pattern, or use a solid or random print. You can use placement tricks to create the illusion of width.
Make valances, shades, cornice boards and lambrequins from your curtain or drapery fabric, or choose a coordinating solid, random pattern or nondirectional mini-prints for a contrasting look.
