Window Treatment for Dark Rooms
When light is lacking in a room because of the size or location of the windows, the choice of window treatment is critical to avoid choking off what little light creeps in and smothering the room in utter gloom. Window treatments for dark rooms may be necessary to control privacy, but they should always be as minimal as possible. There are several ways to dress windows fashionably without creating a cave. Does this Spark an idea?
Just Say No
If a room is located on a side of the house where visual intrusions into your privacy are limited (such as facing the windowless wall of another house next door), or when the room is located on a second floor or features clerestory windows, eliminate fabric window treatments altogether. Just let the light come in. If privacy is an issue, frost the lower part of the window and leave the upper part unfrosted. You might also apply frosted stripes in a horizontal pattern: space these frosting stripes more generously above shoulder height on the window to provide privacy in rooms where people may be dressing. Decorate the otherwise "naked" window with a very simple swag of fabric or other material across the top of the window frame.
Café Curtains
Preserve privacy and still let light into the room by installing light café curtains over the lower half of the window and leaving the top half of the window untreated. This approach can work on large windows that are set lower on the wall, almost to the floor, as well as normal window heights. This approach is only possible, however, if there are no neighbors with second or third story windows above the height of your windows.
Beaded Shades
Use curtains of beads to block views but allow more light into the room. Colored glass beads can make a sophisticated design statement as can wooden beads. Keep the size of the bead work small and "tight" for maximum privacy.
Sheers
Sheer curtains have been used for years to control privacy and yet permit light to come into the room. Choose white sheers so the available natural light will be diffused and spread by the whiteness of the fabric. Every layer of sheers added will reduce the light notably, so try to use only one layer of sheer drapes.
Shutters
If you need to darken the room completely on occasion, such as for sleeping or for a home theatre, install solid window shutters. Leave the shutters open except when blackout conditions are desired. This shuttered look can be exciting in a vintage Victorian room or a room with a Country or Nautical theme.
In-Glass Technologies
For a "naked" window look, without the nakedness, install windows that have mini-blinds built in between the glass panes. Open and close the blinds with a mechanical or electronic device. These very narrow blinds can be almost invisible when opened and yet fairly opaque when closed. Windows are now available that have a special gas inside the window panes. When activated, the gas becomes polarized and blacks out the window; when inactive, the polarizing effect is reversed, and the window is clear.
Tags: into room, control privacy, Dark Rooms, half window, light come, light into