Interior Design for Windows: From the Outside Looking In

Too many people pay little attention to how their windows look from the outside when putting together a design project. These portals into your space are the first impression guests receive when visiting your home, and should be treated with the same attention as you would your exterior paint color. To garner a statement, there are serval ways to make your windows pop from an interior design perspective, and here are just a few.

Interior Design for Windows, From the Outside Looking In

Honeycomb blinds

Often, homeowners make the mistake of deciding blinds are an either or proposition – either I have blinds, or I have curtains. This is most certainly not the case. Each window with an exposure t o direct sunlight should have blinds that can be adjusted when in need. Home furnishing stores, design centers, and even the big box stores have a wide selection of do-it-yourself blind kits in an array of colors. These can be trimmed and fitted in the store to your window’s measurements within minutes before being brought home for installation. Prices vary, but for the most part are within a range that makes them a simple consideration when a room’s look is changed every few years or so.

Window lighting solutions

A drive down any snowy street as Christmas approaches will display house after house with electric candles burning brightly in the front windows. This sense of warmth is an inviting sight during the season, but before too long the holidays have passed and the lights are taken down. The concept derives from the days of the road-side inn, where weary travelers knew they could stop and find shelter and food if the windows were lit.

This holiday tradition can be extended throughout the colder months by using replica candles, available in any reputable lighting store. Though they do come in an array of colors, try to stick with matte whites or eggshell in order to not clash with existing window treatment color and patterns. A light in the window expresses the warmth within your home for all who pass by in the night, and adds a touch of historical provenance and class.

Curio display space

This not to suggest your window sashes become a standing surface to fill up with knick knacks brought back from your vacation in Acapulco, but selective items can be displayed nicely with forethought and ingenuity. A brightly colored glass paperweight can be the central focus of an office window overlooking the yard, catching the afternoon sun as it enters the room while being framed by flowing curtains.

Also, consider sun catchers in windows peering into children’s rooms and play spaces. These not only come in a variety of styles and colors (as well as price points) but can also be great projects for the kids themselves to complete. Craft stores carry kits that can be as simple as painting existing panes, or as complicated as allowing crushed sea glass to be melted down to a truly unique look, personalized to the artist.

Creative play

Using glass-safe paints, add small hints of art on windows overlooking a small garden or exterior social space such as patios or BBQ decks. Trailing vines, with leaves and flowers budding off in a pleasant design bring a sense of child-like whimsy to a window, drawing the eye to the space beyond. These artistic statements needn’t overtake the whole pane, but can border the frame as if a pea plant climbing a trellis.

These colorful statements work best when applied to older, multi-pane windows to create a fun and reflective discovery. Use colors that suggest a particular season, from pinks, blues, and greens for the feel of spring and browns, oranges, and a little black to draw a reminiscence of autumn.

For more great information on choosing the right interior designer for your next project, visit InteriorDesignPro for a complete list of top designers in your area.

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