I've lived in enough pre-decorated houses to know that a shabby old set of curtains can really ruin the look and feel of a room. Of course, there's nothing worse than a naked window - it's all too easy for an undressed window to look like a hole in the wall, even in an otherwise well-decorated space. But on the other hand, a well-chosen window dressing can really make the rest of your room design pop >>>...
I wrote previously about old creaky houses and some of the problems this may present, at least audibly. But old houses have a lot more going on than just orchestral underpinnings! A really common problem in older homes is windows painted shut. While sometimes windows may stick due to expansion caused by humidity, windows painted shut are very common in older homes, so we'll cover how to unstick windows in this post >>>...
Blinds used to be my least favorite kind of window treatments. Honestly, for most of my life, I've really hated the things. Why? Because until fairly recently, I always had really terrible ones >>>...
Finding just the right window dressing to give your room the look (and light, and privacy!) you want can be really hard. I've talked about the classy look you can get from a nice set of curtains, and the convenience of a good, working set of blinds, but if you're looking for something that combines style and functionality, you really can't beat a shade. Like curtains, they're made (usually) of cloth, but like blinds raise and lower easily, and can be adjusted in a wider variety of ways >>>...
If you have the misfortune of having a room that's gone over to the dark side - whether it has windows that are too small, too far apart, don't let in enough light, or doesn't have any windows at all - there are a few things you can do to brighten your space without flipping a switch or picking up a sledge. Strategically placed large wall mirrors, for example, increase the apparent size of a room as well as brighten it. For a room without any windows at all, though, a faux window can add not only some semblance of a view, but can make your room seem both bigger and brighter >>>...
