Finding Window Treatments in Houston for a Contemporary Room

When you’re decorating a room in contemporary style, you need your window treatments to reflect that style too. We spoke with Jane Cunningham, principal designer at Room Resolutions, to better understand the process of selecting window treatments for contemporary rooms in Houston.

Contemporary décor covers a range of styles influenced by the later portion of the 20th century. It’s built on softer, cleaner lines. In Jane’s experience, how people define contemporary differs from person to person. Usually, people are looking to open the room up. She’s heard people say things like, “I don’t have to have 15 items on the counter of my house.” Or “I don’t need an ottoman by every chair.”

Contemporary spaces “give you the freedom to move.” Even if your living space is small, you can bring the outdoors inby widening your view of the sun, the rain, and the outdoors in Houston.

The first step is to unclutter the windows. If you think about your grandparents’ windows, they probably had many layers: shades on top of shutters, valances, and sheers. It can be claustrophobic. Remove the layers. Choose window treatments that have clean lines. And get the contemporary look you desire.

Your Options For Contemporary Window Treatments In Houston:

Shutters For Contemporary Homes

Plantation shutters work well with contemporary homes in Houston. Their wide 4.5” louvers complement a contemporary style. When you add a rear mount tilt rod to these wide louvers, your windows have clean lines across them from the shutters.

Shutters give you control over the level of light. The panels can be swung open to the side so that you’ll have an open view of your entire window. And you can choose to install divided shutters. These shutters have the light coming in through the top.

They’re easy to clean, which is important if the space quickly gets dusty. Contemporary décor shines best when everything is clean and polished.

Cunningham recommends Polywood shutters to homeowners who are searching for window treatments for contemporary rooms. She recommends them because their colors stay true and they won’t warp over time.

She also notes that more contemporary spaces have reclaimed wood shutters. They offer a touch of nostalgia. They highlight the restorative use of hardware. They go well with hardwood flooring to pull in the entire room. With reclaimed wood shutters, you can take something from the past, revisit and reuse it. And the new application of reclaimed wood as shutters goes right along with the contemporary style.

Modern Barn Doors

Barn doors are a full scale masterpiece on the wall. Go with as bold of a color as you desire. You can go with the restorative look. Or you can make it look just like a traditional barn door. And you can make it look contemporary similar to the hotel you recently went to.

Modern barn doors can be used as room separators in places that traditionally don’t have full doors. This is particularly the case when you want to close off your kitchen at certain times.

Barn doors as window treatments look amazing on large windows with sufficient wall space. Shaker doors have an open feel that matches a more contemporary style. Hardware makes a large difference. Pick stainless steel to make it look more contemporary. Or paint a barn door a bold color. If your room had primarily shades of white, a red barn door stands out against the wall and contributes to the room.

“Barn doors add a conversation piece. The next gathering you have, I guarantee someone is going to have a comment. That’s because people aren’t expecting a barn door on a window.” - Jane Cunningham

Cunningham has learned from experience that our homes are part of who we are. They’re also an experience our guests can share with us. And a barn door is a portion of that experience. Your guests will definitely be talking about them.

Roller Shades

Roller shades are a great solution for contemporary rooms with large windows and doors which fold into themselves. They’re tucked away and let you bring the outside view in.

If you like to sleep in total darkness so you can have a restful night’s sleep, roller shades can include room darkening options. And if you need acoustical help to dampen noise, combine them with draperies that can be hidden from sight on the window’s sides.

Window Film

Many contemporary rooms we’ve seen in the Houston area feature large windows that are often 25-30 feet tall. And if they’re west-facing windows, the sun wear down the room’s items.

Jane recommends window film to homeowners with large windows. It allows you an unhampered view of outside, which is perfect for a contemporary room.

In addition, the film blocks UV rays, which helps your furniture and carpeting maintain their color longer. It also contributes your home’s energy efficiency.

Find Contemporary Window Treatments For Your Houston Home

Give us a ring at 713-853-9629 to arrange your free in-home design consultation. Our window treatment professionals come to your home and show you samples of the contemporary window treatment options you’re interested in. So you can choose the window treatment that goes with your rooms!

To find out more about Jane Cunningham and Room Resolutions, go to RoomResolutions.com.