What Goes Wrong With Window Treatments?
Window treatments can transform a room, but mistakes, in measuring, choosing the wrong type, poor proportions, or ignoring function, can lead to ill-fitting, unattractive, or impractical results. Avoiding the common ones ensures treatments that fit, function, and look great. Here’s what goes wrong and how to avoid it.
Mistake: Inaccurate Measuring
How to avoid it: Measuring wrong is a costly window treatment mistake, treatments that are too small, too big, or ill-fitting look bad and function poorly, and custom treatments cut to a wrong measurement waste money. Avoid it by measuring precisely, or having a professional measure, especially for custom treatments where errors are expensive. Follow the correct measuring method for the mount type (inside or outside mount) and treatment. Because ill-fitting treatments are unattractive and custom errors are costly, accurate measuring is critical. Measuring carefully (or professionally for custom) ensures treatments fit properly, so never rush or guess at measurements.
Mistake: Choosing the Wrong Type for the Room
How to avoid it: Choosing a treatment unsuited to the room, sheer treatments in a bedroom needing blackout, delicate fabrics in a humid bathroom, leads to poor function and disappointment. Avoid it by matching the treatment to the room’s needs: blackout options for bedrooms, moisture-resistant treatments for kitchens and baths, and appropriate light control and privacy for each space. Consider how each room is used, light, privacy, moisture, and choose accordingly. Choosing a treatment suited to the room’s actual needs, rather than just looks, ensures it functions well, so match the type to each room’s requirements. (For more on this, see How to Choose the Best Window Treatments for Your Home.)
Mistake: Poor Proportions and Placement
How to avoid it: Hanging treatments at the wrong height or width, drapery too short or narrow, blinds mounted poorly, throws off the look and can make windows and rooms feel smaller. Avoid it by following good proportion guidelines: hang drapery higher and wider than the window (to make it feel larger and grander), ensure drapes reach the floor properly, and mount treatments appropriately. Because proportions greatly affect how treatments and rooms look, getting the height, width, and length right matters. Hanging treatments with proper proportions and placement, especially drapery, makes windows and rooms look their best, avoiding the common mistake of skimpy or poorly-placed treatments.
Mistake: Ignoring Light Control and Privacy Needs
How to avoid it: Choosing treatments without considering the room’s actual light control and privacy needs leads to too much or too little light, or inadequate privacy. Avoid it by thinking through each room’s needs: full blackout for bedrooms, privacy for bathrooms and ground-floor windows, filtered light for living spaces, and adjustability where you want flexibility. Choose treatments that provide the light control and privacy each room requires. Because a beautiful treatment that doesn’t control light or provide privacy as needed is impractical, considering these functional needs, not just looks, is essential. Matching light control and privacy to each room’s needs avoids this common oversight.
Mistake: Overlooking Child and Pet Safety
How to avoid it: Corded window treatments pose a strangulation hazard to children and pets, a serious safety concern. Avoid it by choosing cordless or motorized treatments, especially in homes with children or pets, or in children’s rooms. Cordless mechanisms eliminate the dangerous cords, and many treatments now offer cordless or motorized options for safety. Because corded treatments are a real hazard, prioritizing cordless or safe options in homes with kids or pets is important. Choosing child- and pet-safe cordless treatments protects your family, an essential consideration that’s easy to overlook when focused on style and cost.
Mistake: Sacrificing Quality to Save Money
How to avoid it: Buying the cheapest treatments can lead to ones that look flimsy, function poorly, or wear out and need replacing sooner, false economy. Avoid it by choosing reasonable quality appropriate to the use, even within a budget, quality treatments look better, function better, and last longer. You needn’t buy the most expensive, but avoiding the flimsiest options, especially in prominent rooms or high-use windows, is worth it. Because window treatments are visible, functional, and long-lived, basic quality matters. Balancing cost against quality, rather than just buying the cheapest, ensures treatments that look good, work well, and last, avoiding the cost of premature replacement. (For more on this, see How to Budget and Pay for Window Treatments.)
Staying Ahead of Mistakes
The common window treatment mistakes, inaccurate measuring, the wrong type for the room, poor proportions, ignoring light and privacy needs, overlooking safety, and sacrificing quality, are all avoidable with careful measuring, thoughtful selection, good proportions, and attention to function and safety. When you’re ready to connect with a qualified local pro, connect below. (For more on this, see Questions to Ask a Window Treatment Provider.)
Frequently Asked Questions
Inaccurate measuring. Treatments that are too small, too big, or ill-fitting look bad and function poorly, and custom treatments cut to a wrong measurement waste money. Measure precisely, or have a professional measure, especially for custom treatments where errors are expensive, following the correct method for the mount type. Because ill-fitting treatments are unattractive and custom errors costly, accurate measuring is critical, so never rush or guess at measurements.
Match the treatment to the room's needs: blackout options for bedrooms, moisture-resistant treatments for kitchens and baths, and appropriate light control and privacy for each space. Consider how each room is used, light, privacy, moisture, and choose accordingly. Choosing a treatment unsuited to the room (sheers in a bedroom needing darkness, delicate fabrics in a humid bath) leads to poor function, so matching the type to each room's actual needs ensures it works well.
Follow good proportion guidelines: hang drapery higher and wider than the window (to make it feel larger and grander), ensure drapes reach the floor properly, and mount treatments appropriately. Hanging treatments too short, too narrow, or poorly placed throws off the look and can make windows and rooms feel smaller. Because proportions greatly affect how treatments and rooms look, getting the height, width, and length right makes windows and rooms look their best.
Yes, corded window treatments pose a strangulation hazard to children and pets, a serious safety concern. Choose cordless or motorized treatments, especially in homes with children or pets, or in children's rooms. Cordless mechanisms eliminate the dangerous cords, and many treatments now offer cordless or motorized options for safety. Prioritizing cordless or safe options in homes with kids or pets is important, an essential consideration easy to overlook when focused on style.
Not necessarily, sacrificing quality to save money can lead to treatments that look flimsy, function poorly, or wear out and need replacing sooner. Choose reasonable quality appropriate to the use, even within a budget, since quality treatments look better, function better, and last longer. You needn't buy the most expensive, but avoiding the flimsiest options, especially in prominent rooms or high-use windows, is worth it, since window treatments are visible, functional, and long-lived.
