Special Shaped Windows and Coverings
Specialty shaped windows give your home or office a lot of great appeal because they are not just the regular rectangle in your home or building. Since special shaped windows are an architectural feature, many people don’t realize that you can have custom-made window treatments in many styles to cover them.
As a rule of thumb, specialty shaped windows don’t normally open and close and they don’t have window screens because of that. You still want to dress your special shaped windows to match the rest of your decor or to offset a focal point in a room with beautiful window treatments. Just because the windows themselves don’t open, doesn’t mean that you don’t want window treatments to open fully or partially.
French Doors Solutions
French doors fit into the category of a specialty window because they are specialized to swing open for access to a patio outside in most instances and not just a window that opens and closes. French doors come in many different sizes and may have one solid glass pane or several smaller glass panes surrounded by a frame. Either way, a lot of light and heat comes in French doors, so you will likely want window treatments on them. You have a large variety of choices of custom-made window treatments including draperies, shutters, blinds, woven woods, shades and even motorized window treatments.
Bay, Corner and Bow Window Solutions
Bay and bow windows are constructed much alike. A bay window accentuates the view from inside to the outside world by dividing it into different panes. A bow window is similar except it’s constructed of four or more windows joined at equal angles to form a more even curve. Either of these types of windows is great for a living room or a master bedroom as well as a breakfast area. The most dramatic effect for bay and bow windows is to have each pane of glass covered individually with blinds, shades or shutters and incorporate stationary drapery side panels on each end to really up the wow factor of your architectural design. If you have curved windows, you still have choices from all of the different window treatments when you choose to have them custom made. All three of these types of window coverings may be hung differently to show off the beauty of your windows with inside the frame mounting hardware that is virtually invisible.
Patio and Sliding Glass Doors with Windows
Patio and sliding glass doors fit the specialty window category because they are not a standard window. Some styles of window treatments are better suited for these types of large windows. Window treatments that raise from the bottom up don’t work as well in such large areas as they will have too much stress on the because of the width and height to raise and lower with standard blinds or shades. However, custom draperies and vertical blinds work exceptionally well in these applications. They open easily and are best suited for side-to-side operation to open and close them. Custom draperies can be made with a thicker fabric and a liner on the back to help insulate your home better all year round by trapping air next to the windows when closed.
Angled and Arched Windows Solutions
Most angled or arched windows do not open at the top, but being high on your walls does let in a considerable amount of light that you may wish to block out in the hottest part of the day. If you want the top to be permanently covered, you can choose honeycomb blinds, wood or faux wood blinds, shutters or pleated shades for the top of the glass panes and then choose from any style of window coverings you wish for the bottom portion of windows that open and close. You can keep the unique look of your specialty windows by adding an arched fabric covered cornice over the top of the windows and hang a rectangular operable shade at the bottom for a great appearance. You can have your window treatments custom made in this style so that when you open the bottom window treatment upwards, it actually hides beneath the fabric cornice and gives you a flawless look with no stack showing at all.
Skylight Windows and Out of Reach Windows Solutions
Skylights are a great overhead solution in any home to let in natural light to accent all of your decor and furnishings in your home. However, in the hottest part of the afternoon you will likely want to limit the light coming in your skylight because of the heat it generates in your home. Windows that are out of reach are covered in the same manner as a skylight. The best solution for both of these specialty windows is to utilize custom made honeycomb or cellular shades that are motorized for your convenience. Motorized shades can be operated at the touch of a button to open and close them without the need for a ladder to reach up high. The beauty of this solution is that you can program the motorized shades to open and close, fully or partially on a set time schedule so you don’t have to keep manually making adjustments to the time schedule.
Specialty shaped windows dictate that you need custom-made window treatments because the shapes vary in size and you want them to match other window treatments in the same area or room of your home for a seamless match. Custom window treatments allow you to see all of your options and choose the one that fits your budget and your style for specialty windows.
