Large windows make a dramatic impact in any room and create vistas of light, but they can also make a huge impact on your energy bill, especially in the summer when the sun starts beating down and heating up your room. As the temperature rises, here are three innovative large window treatment ideas that will improve the look and feel of your room while helping to keep your room cooler.
Panel Track Blinds
Panel track blinds in solar shade fabrics are a contemporary and creative large window treatment idea that not only help block out the sun’s heat and damaging rays, but also allow you to keep your view to the outside, and since it’s summer, you don’t want to lose that! Plus, panel tracks are very sleek and updated with the way they glide so smoothly along the top track. You can choose the level of openness for your fabric which will determine how much light passes through along with how much view-through you will have. Panel tracks are perfect for sliding patio doors, especially south or west-facing doors that get a ton of sunshine. And, I think they are much easier on the eye than traditional vertical blinds since they have only a few panels, not dozens of individual vanes.
Faux Wood Vertical Blinds
What if you have faux wood horizontal shades on your regular windows, and need to cover a patio door, too? Did you know that you can also get faux woods in a vertical blind? Hardly anyone knows this! And it’s great news for your room because this means that now your large windows, and especially your patio doors can match your other blinds in the room for a seamless look. Faux wood verticals can also take a beating from the sun and heat (and kids!) without warping, unlike real wood. And because they are verticals, you can easily adjust the tilt to accommodate the changing direction of the sun, or close them partially or completely, depending on your view and your light blocking and privacy needs.
Vertical Cellular Shades
I like being green and saving on energy costs. If you’re like me, and looking to get the most energy efficient window treatment ideas for large windows, look no further than vertical cellular shades to keep your room cool. Their honeycomb cells in either light filtering or blackout fabric are designed for excellent insulation and UV protection. I prefer the light filtering fabrics because of the way the light gently glows through them in my favorite color. I also love them because they happen to be cordless by design, so they’re child safe and pet safe. Plus, they stack back neatly and compactly, making them just right for a busy sliding door off your deck or patio. And if you like to have your window treatments match each other, no matter what size or shape the window, you can order the same fabrics in horizontal versions for other windows in the room, even skylights. Now that’s cool!
For more great design options, check out our post on the “The Ultimate Guide to Window Treatments” and get inspired!