Facts About Bow Window Treatments and Ideas How To Beautify

Window Treatments
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Bow Window Treatments are Bountiful

Many homeowners fall in love with the architectural detailing of bow windows. They give lovely curb appeal or can make an outdoor view even more astonishing. It may seem like a task to dress these types of windows because they are different from any other type in their construction. However, you have many different types of window coverings from which to choose.

Beautify Your Bow Windows

Bow windows are an architectural treat in any setting. They appear very graceful and let lots of natural light into a room. You will likely want window treatments to control the light coming in and also to draw attention to the elegant features. You have several choices in dressing your bow windows.

Bow Windows vs Bay Windows: What's the Difference?

Many people confuse bow windows vs bay windows as they have some similar features, but bow windows give you extra types of window treatments for them. Bay windows are comprised of three windows in varying sizes. The typical bay window has a larger window in the middle and two smaller windows on each side. The two smaller windows will project outward at 25 to 45 degrees. Bow windows are made up of windows that are all the same size. You may have anywhere from three to six equally sized windows that extend past the exterior of the home in a bow shape. The exterior shape is a gentle curve instead of sharply angled sides as bay window forms. The entire bow appears as an arch that is delicate and exceeds the walls outdoors. Bow windows extend your view of the street for a curbside appeal or they may face the rear of your home or side to overlook a lovely blue lake or a gracious and colorful garden. This wide view made by bow windows looks fabulous no matter which room of your home it is in.

The Double Duty Option

When you layer your bow window treatments, you give them more versatility. One great look is to feature both Roman shades and drapery panels over each individual window. In order to create a unified appearance, you can consider using a solid color for the drapery panels and a patterned Roman shade for each window in a complimentary color. When mixing patterns and solids, you have more versatility in choosing the Roman shade patterns as you can choose a larger pattern or a smaller one and all will look amazing. To add the utmost in grandeur to your bow windows, hang the drapery panels at the ceiling height and have them extend downward until they just kiss the floor. This option is versatile as you can open or close the Roman shades to any level for light control while leaving the drapery panels entirely open, or you can close them all for the best choice in privacy with a thicker drapery panel.

Beautiful Trim as a Supporting Role

If your bow windows are in a room with ample color and style, you will most likely want to have them blend in with the surroundings. An excellent choice to do this is to utilize a simple white or other natural color in a Roman shade and then add a great pop of color on the top bottom and sides of each Roman shade on each window. This is also a great idea if the trim work around your bow windows is highly decorative and it won't compete with it or cover it up. This style can add some pizzazz to a white ensemble while keeping in step with the rest of your bow windows colorful personality.

The Addition of Timeless Texture

If your bow window happens to be in a room with lots of personality and multiple colors abound, you may add texture to your windows without adding colors that would compete with the room's accessories. You can accomplish this task by simply adding a woven wood shade to each window. You will have the addition of texture along with the ability to close them entirely in the daytime sun or at night and have small horizontal lines of light that play upon your walls for a truly lovely room. If your bow window gets ample sunlight and you want to block it entirely in the heat of the day, consider including a blackout liner on the back of the woven wood shades for a room darkening effect.

Smart and Sweet in Guest Bedrooms

Dressing bow windows in either a guest bedroom or a child's room don't really call for anything so dramatic or stately as you would find in a formal setting. To accomplish this look you can add a drapery rod over each individual window with two drapery panels that slide open to the sides to just flank the windows as a frame does on each side. Using this idea works well if you choose a heavier fabric so you can block out the sunlight for a nice nap in the daytime. This will also eliminate the need for dangerous cords in a child's room, which can be a hazard.

The Beauty of Unification

This style of bow window treatments is often thought of by professional interior designers, but rarely by homeowners. You treat your bow windows as if a coordinated unit by installing individual treatments on each pane that connects with each other. You may use Roman shades in a lovely pattern that is sized to fit each window and mounted on the outside of the window frame so they fit very snugly together. This creates a unified appearance on your bow window. You have the option of creating the same thing with any type of window treatment you choose, such as woven wood shades or cellular shades as long as they are mounted in the same fashion outside the molding and each meets the next at the edges. If your bow window doesn't get too much light in it, you can consider using a long valance at the top of the window in this unified manner or cafe style drapes or shades that stretch along the middle of the windows and cover only the bottom half of each window in the same manner.

Color Inside the Lines

The shape of your bow windows lends itself to this great type of window treatment. This idea includes an angled drapery rod that extends to fit the entire top of the bow windows horizontally. For the best light control, you would have an individual drapery panel for each window that can be opened or closed individually. If you don't require much privacy, you may instead use the option of two drapery panels that flank the bow shape on either side and leave the center panes of glass open. When your drapery panels in this fashion are open, you have a maximum view of the outdoors and even when they are all closed, your beautiful architecture of the windows will be followed to still give a lot of interest to the area.

Subtle and Strategic

In a space with beautiful standout elements, such as exquisite molding on the walls you want to use drapery panels to soften the area and add some texture rather than making a strong statement. A lovely drapery panel with a whisper-soft and delicate floral pattern on a cream-colored background can keep in step with this theme and blend in with creamy colored wall paint. The drapery panels should all be hung on each individual window in a manner so as not to cover up any of the beautiful moldings on the walls or around the windows. This style is often used in conjunction with hanging the drapery rods at ceiling height and being floor-length for extra personality.

Combining Valances and Wood Shutters

This combination of window treatments for bow windows is a timeless and classic beauty in any setting. It involves dressing each glass pane separately to highlight the architectural features. The treatments mount inside of the molding so they don't touch each other at the edges with the wall spaces between each glass window pane being visible. The indoor plantation shutters are hung to cover about the bottom half or so of each window in a cafe style with a beautiful colored and patterned valance hung inside the molding at the top. A pleated valance works well in a bright accent color with white wood shutters at the bottom. By keeping each of the banks of bow windows the same, you have a window that still appears contiguous.

Privacy Shades Plus Draperies

When you combine both privacy shades and drapery panels, you get a great amount of style and interest with a high amount of functionality. This works well with light and neutral-colored drapery panels that can be drawn to filter light along with textured privacy shades, which you can lower to block all the light. Woven wood shades in combination with simple solid-colored drapes are a great look for any space in which you have bow windows.

Dare to Go Topless

If you are dressing bow windows that are floor to ceiling, you may dare to leave the top open to let in ample light in a room even when the lower drapery panels or shades are closed. This idea will always give you light in the upper portion of your windows to brighten the space and make it appear larger from the light that plays on the walls. Leaving about one-quarter of each glass pane open and dressing each one with an identical woven shade accomplishes a beautiful combination. The shades can be drawn to block light in the hottest part of the day, yet still allows some light in the window tops. All of these bow window treatment ideas are possible for any space in which you choose to dress with custom window treatments. Custom treatments give you the largest amount of styles, designs, patterns and color combinations possible to create the space of your dreams.
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