Window Treatments

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and the hottest rooms in your room face west and south, then you need to consider window treatments which will keep the sun out in the boiling heat of summer.  If you live in the Northern Hemisphere and the hottest rooms in your room face west and south, then you need

to consider window treatments which will keep the sun out in the boiling heat of summer.  As a general rule, it's always better to prevent the heat from entering the house (ie past the window) than to try to cover it up after the damage has already been done.  In other words, shutters on the outside, awnings, trees, bushes, pergolas - all these work to keep the heat outside before it hits the windows.  Having said that, if you don't have that option, then consider using shutters internally, full block out curtains or blinds.

If you like the comfy look of elaborate lined curtains, remember that the more folds there are, the more dust it collects.  Heavy curtains are great to block out the sun and heat but they also are great dust collectors.  When my son was diagnosed with a dust mite allergy, the curtains were the first to go in his room

and I replaced them with functional and easy to maintain timber venetians.

Thicker fabrics undoubtedly bring an opulent feel to the room, if you've got swags (see Fig 1).  Alternatively, the cafe style curtains (Fig 2) - give a more carefree, less austere look to a room.  Roman shades/blinds give a no fuss classic look to a room and it looks wonderful whilst showcasing the fabric in the best light (Fig 3).  Austrian blinds/shades are showier with that pleated effect and is a softer window treatment (Fig 4).  Fig 5 shows us low maintenance simple styling that is the Holland blind dressed with a pretty soft valance.  Then of course there is the very trendy wooden shutters which do cost a bit more when you first put them up but you'd have to agree that the clutterfree look is second to none (Fig 6).
 

Fig 1

Fig 2

Fig 3

Fig 4

Fig 5

Fig 6