Do you live in the perfect house where windows are symmetrical, evenly spaced, logically located and aesthetically pleasing? Wait, don't answer that. I will - you don't - none of us really do. The majority of homes have windows that are not placed exactly where or how we might want them. And sometimes it takes a bit of imagination to make the look perfect.

Color is your friend! Think of the walls in your home as your Artist's canvas. Even if you don't care about the beauty of your rooms and windows, you still need window coverings for a variety of other reasons: privacy, light, heat and UV damage control, and even to control noise levels. Just a little information about how colors work can give you added dimension in your rooms as well. Dark colors draw your eye, and seem closer to you. Lighter colors push back away from you and seem to disappear. To give a room some depth, use color to prevent having a "flat " feeling in the room. Think about a room where the walls are painted in light tones. If you have a room where you want window treatments to be noticed as a focal point, you should use darker hues of the colors you like. To leave window coverings unnoticed, go with lighter colors - even matching the wall colors as closely as possible. The reverse will be true if the walls are painted in darker shades. Rooms where "tone on tone" or similar colors are used throughout the room, can feel too monotonous for some tastes, but others love the simplicity. You decide what happens within your own walls.

Use walls to your advantage. Another way to create an illusion with window coverings is by placement of drapery panels and valances. You can take an unevenly centered window and hang the draperies further into the wall area, beyond the edge of an ill-placed window, evening out the wall space. To make a window appear larger, or taller, you can hang draperies to the left and right of the window, and not into the window space at all. Vertical Stripes draw the eye to the ceiling and make draperies appear longer. Horizontal lines will make windows seem shorter and keeps your eye lower on the wall. You can also create the illusion of a curved window by placing a curved shape at the bottom of a cornice or valance. What were once boring, rectangular windows, now take on a much more interesting shape, giving character to the room.

Get in the mood. Dark colors tend to give rooms warmth that causes us to feel safe and cozy. Lighter colors also create a feeling in our minds: airy and open. Think about the mood you want to generate in each area of your home when you select window coverings for the rooms. Some colors stimulate your brain, others can put you to sleep. Shades of red in a bedroom may keep you awake during the day, but in the dark, red absolutely disappears. Lighter colors show up at night and in low light. Light affects colors more than any other single factor. Light also affects you and how you feel, even though you may not consciously pay attention to its influence.

So now that you know little "tricks" to make your windows more interesting - which one will you use?

Copyright (c) 2007 Vita Vygovska