Window Treatment Design Tips and Ideas ~ Exciting Windows!

Interlining is a light-weight cotton fabric that is napped - it looks like flannel. It comes in white and ivory colors and is readily available in any home dec fabric store. Interlining is added between your face fabric and your drapery lining. Adding interlining to your draperies is the best way to insulate your windows and it adds a luxurious and expensive look to your window treatments. Many interiors designers and decorators use interlining in professional custom-made window treatments.  Interlining is a must for draperies made of silk. It helps preserve the fabric and adds, as mentioned above, adds luxuriousness to your treatments.  There is a new drapery lining on the market now that combines interlining with regular drapery lining - we call it “combo lining”. Combo lining has flannel on one side and regular drapery lining on the other. Since is it one piece of fabric, you save time in construction of your custom window treatments.

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For some reason the residents of York Maine seem to be dressing upo their windows all at the same time. We have never seen such a large number of clients from one area working on similar projects. Most of these clients in York and the surrounding areas of Wells, Ogunquit, Kittery and Kittery Point Maine seem to be interested in both creating beauty and maximizing the heat retention offered by quality custom draperies.

You can see some of these designs in our drapery gallery or give us a call today to learn how we can help you maintain the beauty of your living spaces, while assuring you stay warm this winter.

Do you live on a busy street? Do you have a lot of hard surfaces in your home? Properly planned window treatments can be a wonderful addition to your enjoyment of your home by dampening or reducing sound transmission. There are a number of products available today that can reduce the sound travelling into the home from outside or coming from other areas of the home.

Draperies are a great choice, but other products like Duette Honeycomb shades from Hunter Douglas can reduce sound transmission as well.

If we can help with issues like this, visit us at www.excitingwindows.net or call 603-964-7282 today to get started.

Although not traditionally considered by home buyers, architects or builders, the planning and budgeting for window treatments prior to the building phase is fast becoming one of the most important trends in residential construction today. There are many practical reasons for this shift, not the least of which is ensuring there is a sufficient budget for the home buyer to choose window treatments that adequately complement a dream home.

Available choices in treatments today are much more varied than ever before. The home buyer must choose from selections that include traditional draperies, simple blinds or shades, increasingly popular plantation shutters, or window film that reduces glare, fading and heat gain. Along with these options, the savvy homeowner is likely to ask that these treatments be motorized and possibly interact with a home automation system.

The desire to motorize window treatments is one of the most important details to plan during the construction phase. An experienced and certified window treatment dealer will be able to assist the home buyer in making the appropriate product choices, while also providing the electrician with wiring schematics that will ensure the desired outcome. Wiring a home after construction often makes the option of motorized window treatments highly cost-prohibitive.

As the expense of heating and cooling our homes continues to escalate, the wise consumer will seek out a window treatment professional for advice about products that will provide the greatest level of performance and deliver the desired decorative effect. Here in New Hampshire, we are primarily concerned with maintaining warmth in the home during the winter months. Most window treatments will provide some insulation value, but superior products can actually triple the “R” value of the window being covered.

Architects and home designers seem to be continuing their best efforts to bring the outdoors inside through the use of larger windows, often designed in unusual shapes. These larger windows may require extra framing to accommodate the weight of the treatment chosen for that window. This framing could include blocking up to several feet away from the window in order to support decorative drapery rods. If a steel header is used above the window, wood blocking should be added to at least a 1 ½” thickness over the face of the header to support a range of treatment options.

As you can see, considerations about window treatments can be just as complicated and important during the design phase of a home as decisions about kitchen layout or plumbing fixtures. Take the time to seek out a qualified window treatment expert to help you early in the pre-construction phase of your new home. You may find this to be some of the most valuable time you spend.

Ed Hopkins is the Principal of Exciting Windows! by Verticals Etc. He and his staff have been trained and certified by over twelve different manufacturers of quality window treatments. See the possibilities for window treatments today by visiting the largest showroom in New Hampshire at 122 Lafayette Road in North Hampton, or online at www.excitingwindows.net. Ed can be reached at 603-964-7282.