Extension Bulletin No. 451 August 1951 Window Treatment Extension Service. Institute of Agricultural Sciences The State College of Washington. Pullman. Washington Function of Window Treatment Well-planned window treatment­ Controls the quantity of the light. Gives privacy. Frames a beautiful view or shuts out an unpleasant one. Decoratiue Use of Window Treatment Well-planned window treatment- Adds beauty through color, texture, and pattern. Harmonizes the colors in the furnishings with the background of a room. REFERENCE: How to Make Curtains, Michi­ gan State College Extension Service. Window Treatment By Lila B. Dickerson. Extension Home Management Specialist* Just as you consider a davenport or rug as an out-of-place piece of furniture, can spoil when refurnishing a room in your home, you the effect of an otherwise well-arranged room. should also plan your curtains or draperies Simple window treatments that are useful as carefully. Poorly used window treatment, just well as decorative are always a good choice. Choose Your Window Treatment The best window treatment for a room de­ The Size of a Room pends on the size, shape, and arrangement of If the room is small and you want it to ap­ the windows as well as the general character pear larger, choose draperies that blend with or of the room and its furnishings. match the color of the walls. Too much design In a room with elaborate furnishings you'll or color contrast divides the walls into small want to use more formal window treatment. areas and makes the room seem smaller. Choose lightweight, fine-textured, plain or small-pat­ For a room with simple furnishings, choose terned fabrics. These are in better proportion informal treatment. for a small room. In two adjoining rooms, you can gain a In a long, narrow room, full, wide drap­ more spacious effect if you use the same or eries break the length of the long wall. Color harmonizing materials and treatment in both contrasts in walls and draperies do the same rooms. thing. You also need to consider how your family Use deep valances to break the height in rooms with high ceilings. uses a room when choosing curtains or drap­ In large rooms you can use heavier mater­ eries. For example, if small children find the ials, plain or large-patterned. The colors may space near the windows a choice p~ace to play, contrast with the walls. you probably would not want draperies to the fl9or, or glass curtains. If you use the room for The Surface of the Walls detailed sewing or reading, you need a lot of Rough, coarse-textured materials are pleas­ ing against rough plaster walls. Smooth walls light. The hanging of the curtains as well as the need smoother-surfaced materials. material itself affects the amount of light which Many figures or patterns in a room make comes into the room. it seem smaller and create confusion and rest­ Admit as much light as possible into a lessness. The eye, however, must find enough dark room or subdue light and prevent glare in plain space for rest and enough patterns for in­ a very light room. terest. • Acknowledgement is made to R.uth Smith, Chairman, Department of Interior Decoration, for her assistance in preparing this bulletin. 3 '•' Shades and Blinds ~ -~ - --- You can use curtains and draperies with or without shades. If you do not use shades, use curtains of a heavier material and hang them so you can draw them together for privacy. Venetian Blinds You can adjust venetian blinds easily to allow light and air to come into the room. And when yvu use them in modern rooms, they emphasize the horizontal lines _of modern furnish­ ings. Today you can find them made of wood, steel, aluminum, and plastic. Vertical venetian blinds with slats that draw from side to side instead of up and down are new. They make a low ceiling appear higher. Roll-up Blinds The color and texture interest of roll-up blinds are often needed to round out the furnishing plan of a room. Made of l slender strips of bamboo, plastic, and other interesting mater­ ials, they do not control light and air as well as venetian blinds. Roller Shades Roller shades are useful to control light and air at windows. - ---- ------- ----- ----- --.) Fire-resistant window shades, coated with vinyl plastic which promises saf~ty and easy cleaning, are available. If the casing of the window is deep enough, shades look best fastened to the sash next to the glass. They must fit the window perfectly or the edges will be marred. Bamboo Curtains You can now buy match stick bamboo curtains made on the vertical. They come in several widths and lengths, and are good to use as draw curtains. Although they come in natural or colors, you can dye them to fit in with your color scheme. 4 Fixtures Choose well-constructed fixtures of the correct size to carry the weight of your fabric. Buy good hardware. And avoid ornate fixtures which attract attention from the draperies; Wooden pole. Fixtures held in place by screws are usually most satisfactory. In time Single rod. nails loosen and pull out under the weight of heavy draperies. You can attach them at the upper outside corner on window frames so curtains cover the woodwork. Curtain rods fastened Double rod. 4 to 6 inches above or at the sides of the window facing on small wooden blocks give the effect of Triple rod. a higher or wider window. Place your fixtures before you measure for your curtains or dra­ peries. The drawings on this page show types of fixtures. Traverse rod. Bay-window rod. Hook and eye track. 5 Changing Window Size and Shape Often windows vary in size in a room or tures to this extension. Use a valance or a seem too short and narrow for today's styles, cornice board ro cover it (see page 13) . but you can change their appearance. Fasten To gain width, extend the top window board extensions or metal extender plates to frame with wooden blocks fastened to the wall the top and sides of the frame to gain height at the side of the window (see drawing below) . ·or width. To gain height, add a wooden extension Place extension rods or traverse rods at the top from 4 to 6 inches or more above the window outside corners of the blocks._Then hang your frame (see drawing below). Fasten the fix- draperies to hide these additions. c. 1---------~c. Ta----t '!I I I I I To make a window appear higher. To make a window appear wider. Curtain Fabrics You'll find many new materials for cur­ allover brocades designed to go with plain tains in wide widths, new weaves and soft tex­ colors. tures, interesting patterns, and coordinated Among the new materials are cotton, nylon, colors. rayon, ninon, fiberglass, synthetic, and plastic Many of the new fabrics are wrinkleproof, fabrics. water-repellent, mothproof, and fade-resistant. Most of the new fabrics have been corre- Nylon 1a ted in color and design. Among them you can Nylon is a textile favorite because it is find stripes, plaids, floral patterns, prints, or soil-repellent and easy to care for. It 'needs 6 little or no ironing or stretching. Nylon fabrics Glass · Fabrics are being made for practically all types of Glass fabrics are a recent development. window curtains. They include casement cloth, These fiberglass fabrics hang softly, do not sag taffetas, damasks, brocades, organdies, and mar­ or wrinkle, are not weakened by sunlight, and quisettes. cannot burn. They stay clean a long time, be­ Plastics cause glass fiber does not absorb soil. Plastics are now available in attractive, Ninon moderate-priced curtains and draperies that are colorful and sunfast. Ninon, a moderately priced fabric, is, like Good style and design have been added to marquisette, a weave and fabric name·. Ninon plastics and they are durable, easy to clean, tailors and drapes beautifully, is washable, needs resist cracking and peeling, and are mildew­ no stretching, and only light pressing. proof. You can also find plastics which do not burn. Orion Plastics for draperies and slip covers are Orion is the most silk-like of the synthetic made with a cotton back to reinforce them. fibers. It resists sun, smoke, and gases better Then there are film or non-fabric-backed plas­ than any natural or other synthetic fiber. tics for unlined draperies and casement and kitchen curtains. Plastic patterns include stripes, prints, Rayon Fabrics plaids, and solid colors. Rayon fabrics continue to stay in the lime­ light because of their up-to-date styling, serv­ Metallic Fabrics ice qualities, and reasonable price range. Metallic fabrics are rayon, cotton, or wool­ en-warp fabrics with metallic filling threads Cotton of silver, aluminum, and copper. Thin alumi­ Cotton also continues as an all-time favor­ num foil is most widely used; it does not tar­ ite. It comes in materials that are wrinkle­ nish and you can iron and launder it. resistant, water-repellent, and fast-color. Questions to Ask When Buying 1. How can you clean them? 6. Is the pattern in proportion to the size of 2. Will the material shrink or stretch? your room and furnishings? 3. Is the material color-fast to sunlight and 7. Is the texture of the material similar to the washing? wall and other furnishings in the room? 4. Does it have the finish you need? Is it 8. Is it the best-quality material for the money crease-resistant, fire-resistant, and moisture­ spent? resistant? Is the finish permanent? Look for this information on the labels, 5.