Your uniquely-shaped windows are stunning! But they can also be a challenge to cover. Not only is an off-the-shelf solution nearly impossible to find, many of these windows are in hard-to-reach areas, making the job of installing a covering an even bigger puzzle!
Today’s blog post is all about these beautiful but frustrating specialty windows and how to find a covering that enhances their uniqueness but also offers the light control and privacy you require.
Common hard-to-fit window designs and shapes
What exactly do we mean when referring to specialty windows? Take a look below for some of the most common types of unique windows in the Portland area and why they’re so tricky to cover.
1. Skylights
There’s nothing quite like a skylight to open up a room and enhance the light in your space. From the popular flat-roof style to soaring, pitched, or angled design features, these specialty windows are a beautiful feature. Unfortunately, many people don’t think about covering them because it seems so impossible and impractical!
However, for privacy, light control, and energy efficiency, a custom-designed treatment can add to the aesthetics and functionality of your home. For example, you may appreciate a remote controlled shade on your bedroom skylight that you can close when you want to sleep in late on the weekend.
2. French doors and sliding glass doors
Glass doors create a unique window treatment situation. Covering these large expanses of glass is necessary to ensure privacy, but you also need to maintain its functionality and operation. For example, does the door move side to side? Inside out or outside in? Right to left? Not just any window treatment will allow for the unique style of movement the door requires.
3. Arched and geometric-shaped windows
A graceful arch is an architectural detail that adds a lot of interest to a plain window. This window feature is actually quite popular, but due to their unlimited styles, shapes, and sizes, they are still considered a specialty custom window treatment.
For example, this style of window can include a round half moon or sunburst shape to a rake, pyramid, or octagon shape!
Questions to consider when choosing a custom covering
Once you understand the type of speciality windows in your space, there are some important things to research and understand before you can move forward with a window covering solution.
- Is the window’s primary function an aesthetic design feature, or do you need to retain functionality? For example, does it need to open and close?
- What direction does the window face?
- How much light enters through the window and how much control do you need over it?
- What level of privacy do you need?
- What about the view outside? Will the window treatment obstruct or enhance it?
- Where is the window located? Can it be easily reached to operate the covering?
- Is the window accessible by children and pets and thus needs safety features?
Answering these questions is an important step in ensuring the final product meets your needs.
Why uniquely-shaped windows require a professional touch
Designing the perfect window coverings for specialty windows requires many factors to fall perfectly into place. Your custom-designed coverings need to…
- Highlight its unique shape
- Meet your light control and privacy requirements
- Be made of high-quality, long-lasting material
- Meet your functionality and safety requirements
- Match the look and feel of your home
- Be something that sparks joy in your life
On your own, creating this perfect solution can feel daunting. More than that, a simple misstep along the way can cost you time, energy, and money. For example, common mistakes we see DIY window treatment designers make include…
- Choosing a fabric or material that doesn’t look good with the current design of the space
- Providing incorrect window measurements and having to do a reorder at their own expense
- Poor installation, leading to damage and other problems
Even if you consider yourself a DIY master, enlisting the help of a window treatment designer who specializes in unique windows will ensure you end up with the perfect solution. Plus, they’ll save you time and money in the long run.
How a designer helps you achieve a window treatment you love
The most important thing an expert window covering designer can do for you when dealing with specialized windows is to eliminate the guesswork and confusion. This manifests in a few ways.
1. Evaluating your space and needs
The value of having an outside expert evaluate your space is priceless. They know exactly what to look for and what questions need to be asked to sum up your needs. Plus, they will look at the functionality of your windows in ways you may not have considered before. For example, how integrating home automation could make your life easier.
2. Choosing the right style
A window covering expert will help you browse and make sense of the hundreds of colors, styles, and looks available. They have an eye for design and can ensure you end up with a style that perfectly fits your home and your personal preferences.
3. Taking proper measurements
A designer offers you a made-to-measure solution that perfectly fits your specialty window. Since these types of windows are notoriously difficult to cover, an exact fit minimizes light bleed and looks polished.
4. Providing a high quality, long-lasting installation
Finally, while creating a DIY solution might be an interesting process, it’s likely that the final results just won’t produce a high-quality result. You want the time and money you spend on covering your windows to be worth it! A designer will ensure you end up with coverings that will be durable and stylish to last for years.
Take your odd-shaped windows shopping!
Here at Portland Window Coverings, we’re experts at finding beautiful solutions for challenging windows of all shapes, sizes, and styles. Our interior designers can create custom blinds, shades, and curtains to fit any window — from skylight and arched to circular and hard to reach openings.
So regardless of whether you’re planning window treatments for your existing space or are just beginning the process of designing your space, you don’t need to worry about alternative window shapes. Portland Window Coverings can help you create the perfect solution through custom shades, blinds, or curtains.
Contact us today to learn more.