Friday, 05/06/05

Windows may be called the eyes of a home, but if they're the wrong size for a room, set in odd locations, or leave you exposed to your neighbors, they can easily be seen as eye sores.

To make difficult windows complement their surroundings, they need to be dressed properly, which doesn't always mean a fancy fabric treatment.

Here are some typical examples and solutions that may solve your own problems:

Stacked windows in a vaulted room

Most people want to know if there is a rule for where the window treatment should stop in a two-story room. And, can you get away with just treating the first floor windows?

Jo Carol Nipps, owner of Accent on Windows on Lebanon Road, suggests this guideline: ''If there is a balcony overlooking the vaulted room, you can get by with just covering the lower windows.''

Recently, Nipps, who's been in business for 16 years, installed a dark wood, three-inch rod above the first-floor windows in the vaulted great room at Ed and Ginger Rice's Lebanon home. Dressed with embroidered chocolate silk panels detailed with a one piece swag/jabot and accented with six-inch bullion trim in sand, the window is now an elegant focal point.

Tip: When we asked several designers and workroom owners how to control the sunlight and heat from the second story windows, everyone agreed these windows could have solar film installed over the glass.

Margaret Shrewsbury, co-owner of Solar Insulation in West Nashville, says not all solar films are dark.

''For under $500 for four 3-foot-by-6-foot divided windows, we can cut the UV heat and visible heat and light anywhere from 50% to 78%,'' she says.

Another solution is motorized shades, says decorator Ceil Tiedt of Ceil Tiedt Interiors in Franklin.

''Hunter Douglas Power Rise is one brand,'' she says, adding that the remote control makes it easy to open and close with a push of a button.

Privacy and light can go together

Three years ago, Nashville interior designer Phillip Suits of Landy Gardner Interiors completely renovated a sun room in a 1920s two-story Belle Meade colonial. The client needed some way to create privacy without giving up natural light.

Suits hired Anna Davis of Anna's Custom Creations to create panels of ivory Indian cutwork hung from a handmade iron cafe rod with drawing wands, which are used to open the panels without touching the fabric.

The treatment doesn't hang from the top. To align the window and French door heights, Suits lowered the large window treatment to the first mullion. And by taking the treatment to the floor, he gave the room more visual height.

Odd sizes set too close together

When windows are set too close together and are different sizes, you can't help but wonder, ''Should I create two separate treatments?''

There is no right nor wrong answer; each situation is different.

To draw attention away from one client's odd pair of windows, Jennifer Watts-Martin of Katie Beth Creations in Nashville treated them as one large window.

David and Ann Pickens of Nashville knew they had a problem when they first saw the windows in their new home's master bedroom.

Tucked in the corner, the windows looked like mismatched bookends. To minimize the architectural dilemma, Watts-Martin hung three panels from a 1 3/8-inch smooth mahogany pole with scrolled wrought iron black finials on each end and an elbow in the corner.

To create balance and to minimize the size difference, the deep vintage red cotton floral panels were installed outside of the smaller window's opening. Now, instead of a dead corner, the center panel anchors the treatment and turns the awkward windows from ugly to pure sophistication.

Tip: When a window is too small for the wall or room, try hanging the treatment outside the opening or draping the entire wall to give the illusion that the window is larger.

Privacy in the bath is sometimes a necessity

One of the more common problem windows in a newer home is the one over the master bathtub. Many times the window has clear glass. That's great if you live out in the country where the only eyes peering back may be the stray cow or passing deer.

But what if you live in a subdivision, where your only view is of your neighbor's house, or worse, into their kitchen window?

Decorator Tiedt believes fabrics soften a room and also take the echo out of rooms. For the window over the tub, she suggests either a top-down/bottom-up blind (readymade examples can be found through the Smith & Noble catalog, www.smithandnoble.com, or through area blind companies) or sheer fabric on cafe rods at the top and the bottom of the window.

''If the sheers are gathered at least three times the width of the window, then you could only see shadows from the outside. Sheers are huge in the industry right now. There are literally thousands to choose from at all price points. They come in variety of colors and textures… Then I would suggest a valance of the sheers.''

For a twist using the same treatment, Tiedt also suggested using sheer fabric inside a custom ornamental wrought iron frame set in front of the window.

Tip: If you're worried about moisture and creating a mildew problem with a fabric treatment, here's another idea. On the Internet, there are several window film sources that sell directly to the public. Check out www.wallpaperforwindows.com or www.decorativefilm.com.

If you're a do-it-yourselfer and experienced when it comes to hanging wallpaper, go ahead and tackle the project. You'll want to make sure there are no wrinkles or bubbles and the film is level.

There are tons of options, including etched glass, frosted, stained glass, even cloudscapes or meadow scenes, and numerous colors are available, too. Prices vary as to the size of the window, design and company, but it can be far less expensive than a custom window treatment.

If you don't want to tackle the project on your own, Solar Insulation is the local representative for Decorative Films. For around $6 a square foot (a minimum of $125), they'll come in and create an entire new look. The best part is you'll be able to walk around your bathroom without worrying who's looking in.

If you're hiring a pro

If you're planning to invest in custom window treatments, ask your interior designer or the workroom if they have the ability to show you what your window will look like with your fabric choice before one cut or stitch is ever made.

Several software programs exist including one designed and marketed through Minutes Matter Studio in Hendersonville (www.minutesmatterstudio.com). This computer program eliminates any questions by showing exactly what the treatment will look like finished in your room.