I am so excited to (finally) be getting into some fresh new projects and reveals in our Kansas house! While I’ve spent most of the last month sitting in front of the computer getting the site updated, I have taken breaks here and there to continue to settle in and style up our house. One of the biggest things I’ve been focusing on in recent weeks is window treatments. We have always hung some sort of curtain or window treatment on most of the windows in our past homes; and they are often one of the first projects I tackle in a new place. Today, I’m going to show you just how transformative window treatments can be and make the case for why you should hang them in your home…even if you’re renting…and even if it’s just for a short time!

There tends to be a running “joke” among military spouses that with every move, you have to buy new curtains. Without fail, it always seems that the curtains from the pervious house (or houses) don’t ever work because the sizes are wrong/different, you need more panels than you had last time,  your tastes changed, or all of the above! Even though curtains can be a bit of an investment and a pain to hang, I personally think they are completely worth the cost and effort. Whether it’s a tailored roman shade, a simple cornice box, fancy draperies, or basic off-the-shelf curtains, the addition of color, pattern and texture on the windows is immediately transformative in a bland space. When the walls are neutral (and can’t be changed), when a space lacks architectural details, or when your furniture is very monochromatic, curtains add a powerful punch of style in a relatively budget-friendly and efficient manner. Even if you don’t do anything else to your space, adding window treatments will help the room instantly feel more complete, comfortable, and stylish. Let me show you what I mean!

Here’s the last peek you’ve seen of our family room…

And here is the room today! Basic linen curtains (these are from Bed Bath & Beyond) hung on a simple black rod instantly make this room feel more complete. Sure, we’ve done a bit of re-arranging since you’ve seen the space last (and even added a new couch!), but the big transformation really came when we finally hung the curtains. I seriously hemmed and hawed over what to do in this room for WEEKS…buying and returning curtain set after set and even selecting some fabric for custom drapes. I ultimately decided non-patterned curtains were the way to go, but amped up the style a bit with the two-tone look (just a navy curtain and a white curtain hung side by side). I contemplated adding pleated tops to these store-bought basics, but after trying it, decided I really preferred the clean look of the grommet tops. This look is completely non-DIY: four store-bought panels (2 in each color) hung on a rod. Can’t get much easier than that for some major style oomph!

My next example is in our dining room. Here’s the room right after we moved in…

…and with the addition of some wild floral drapes, the rooms is instantly brighter, more colorful and more complete!

These are lined drapes I made myself using my favorite tutorial. I fell in love with this fabric MONTHS ago, and am so excited to have in in our home this time around. While we do have the bright green credenza and some colorful dishware in this space, the main color and style story comes from the drapes. While they took a bit of time to make and cost a little more than off-the-shelf drapes, they were worth it because they are the main decor element in this space. Thanks to their strong pattern, not much else will be needed in here to finish it off!

Thankfully, most of our windows have blinds, so our window treatments can be mainly decorative. However, there are some windows in our house that don’t have blinds, and thanks to some strong evening sun, we really wanted some sort of window covering.

Even though we mainly added these for function over style, the added textural element in this kitchen space was quite welcome and made a huge different in the feel of the room. I am SUPER excited about these roman shades. They are no-sew and no-hardware and look awesome! The tutorial will be live over on ForRent.com soon!

Last but not least, let’s take a peek at our master bedroom. While our room is quite generous in size, we only have two windows in one corner of the room. At first I was stumped and not quite sure how to tackle this corner…but the curtain-loving gal that I am was determined!

I reeeaaally wanted to use the bathroom curtains from our last house somewhere in this room and ultimately decided to see if I could make them work hung in the corner. Thanks to a neat corner curtain rod hack (that I’ll show you later this week!), I was able to hang these simple DIY curtains in a way that didn’t feel too busy but added some much needed color, pattern and warmth to the big blank walls! This corner of our bedroom is one of my favorite spots in the entire house right now…all those yummy fabrics came together so well!

Notice how in each of these examples, the walls weren’t painted and no other major changes were made. Just the addition of curtains added a color palette and decor story to each room, dramatically upping the style factor. I still have some more windows to dress, but I hope with these examples, I’ve encouraged you to get some curtains up on your windows. Even if you don’t have the time, budget, or desire to do anything else in your space, they will instantly add major style and color to an otherwise bland and boring room!

Clever Window Treatment Ideas for Renters

 

I use all sorts of store-bought, DIY, and non-traditional window treatments in our homes. Later this week, I’m going to show you more creative ways to dress your windows, and even share some of my favorite sources and hacks for hanging curtains on the cheap (you can now see the post here). And lastly, thanks again to all of you who left nice comments and suggestions on my new blog design last week. I am happy to announce that the winner of the $100 Amazon gift card is STACY! Be sure to check your email, girlfriend!