At a recent Hunter-Douglas workshop I attended, I learned that he was an expert in light control and privacy. I must admit that I have tried to be creative in what I call myself and how I describe what I do, but I have never been called an expert in light control and privacy. I like to think that I am more of an artist with fabric. Most people are purely functional when it comes to window fashions. Your windows can be more than devices to light your home or let in a cool breeze. They can be a work of art. In fact, window fashion IS the new art. Most people I work with have a piece of furniture or small arrangement that is the focal point of a room. In most living rooms and family rooms, the television is the focal point. All the furniture is in front of the TV. They are not designed for conversation or to encourage people to look at each other and communicate. I always suggest that the windows become the focal point. With this perspective, your eyes go straight to the windows as you enter the room. When this is the case, having a beautiful window treatment is preferable. Most people don’t realize that a window renovation and a new paint color are an affordable way to upgrade a room without buying new furniture or spending thousands of dollars.

There’s nothing like custom colors and window treatments throughout the home. Decorating with fabrics is an affordable luxury while still addressing “light and privacy” concerns.

Window fads have come a long way. I remember pinning a Peter Frampton blanket to my bedroom window while he was in college thinking he really did look good. He did… right over the milk carton and plank shelving. Then we graduated to “ready-made” from a department store. It was more about privacy and, as they say, light control. Art was something you hung on a wall or placed on a shelf. You never thought of a window design as the new art.

Window mods are now divided into three categories. Functional, Decorative and what I call the Fine Art category. A functional treatment can be a hard treatment, such as a blind, blind, or shutter. You open and close them. Let in the light. Keep the light off. Close them while you dress. Open them when you are dressed. It is simple. They are usually described as light filters or room darkening. The fabric version of the feature is classic curtains on a crossbar. Imagine what you have seen in a hotel room.

You enter the decorative realm when you experiment with colors, fabric textures, or when you add a border or cornice. Decorative window styles use colors and textures combined with new complementary paint colors. They do not necessarily have to close or prevent the entry of light. They can be combined with scissors, lace or the new translucent fabrics. Fashionable window hardware is a growing trend that simply adds to the beauty of a window.

Curtain rods have traditionally been hidden, but now with new rod and hardware fads, a decorative treatment can be easily created.

You enter the category of Fine Arts when you combine the elements of function and decoration. There used to be a “tipping point” in the spectrum of decoration and fine art. Now the line is blurred. It’s perfectly acceptable to have gorgeous tapestry drapes with satin linings mixed with trim panels AND plantation shutters. That was a taboo as recently as a few years ago. Basically, the rules have changed. The rule is that there are no rules. Marshall McLuhan defined art years ago as anything you can get away with! Beautiful custom window fashions are no longer just for the elite. The competition has lowered prices and there are many people vying for your business. Remember the glasses commercial where a woman asks a snobbish salesman why glasses are so expensive. He replied, “These glasses speak French.” Big window fashions no longer “speak French”. Everyone reading this column can get some kind of custom window design, create a new focal point, and transform any room they want.