Easy Window Treatment Tips That Don’t Break the Bank

You don’t have to spend bookoos of dollars on window treatment design to get the point across. I give points for creativity! Expect that having a window treatment designed, installed along with the fabric selection, can run anywhere from $700-$1500 or more per average size window. Sometimes that kind of spending doesn’t exist when you just completed a full room makeover. I know that the thought of “improvising” for a window after you just invested so much time, effort and expense on the rest of the room may seem disheartening, but if you think creatively I am sure that you can come up with something that will suffice until the bank account is replenished.

Here are some instant tips to quickly improve the look of your windows:

Toss it on! Take an old vintage bedspread or a tablecloth and drape it over a store bought drapery rod for a draped one-sided panel effect. Then pin it back about half way down from the sash line. Maybe embellish a “window waistline” with a ribbon or tie and bravo! You just created a window treatment!

Think Linen! Grab a handful of your grandmothers tea napkins that you will never think to pull out, iron and use. And GIVE THEM A PURPOSE other than sitting in a drawer in the buffet. If you are hesitant to stitch them together, just use tiny little safety pins. Turn them on their side and fold down the center point to make a triangle, tack a row of them together and you have created an instant kitchen valance! (OR if you really get going and have several patterns and colors, it would make a great bed skirt on a little girl’s bed!)

Customize Store Bought…just for you! Window treatments don’t have to look store bought. Take a plain panel that you picked up at a department store and dress it up! Stop into a fabric store and find a tassel trim (often I find that onion tassel looks the best for any decor). Grab a sewing machine or hand stitch a full row on the leading edge of the panel facing the inside area of the window. An inexpensive embellishment that really makes your window looks custom!

Key tips that I always follow – why bother if it doesn’t add either drama, elegance, purpose, or beauty? Make sure that it is worth your time; use lots of beefy fabric, gather, gather, gather! Don’t forget the steamer! There is nothing worse than a large wrinkled- unfinished window treatment. You may as well have done nothing at all!

What are some of the do-it-yourself projects you’ve done to add a personal touch to your home?