Do you feel that your current room feels too restrictive or cramped? Well, most people would tell you to just get a new place or do some new remodeling of your house. However, that is a costly option that not many are willing to spend on. Hence, here is a method that is not only wallet-friendly but also simple to implement to achieve maximal results. That is, changing the window treatment to shades in order to change the atmosphere of the room.
Sheer is the way to go
The one thing that makes a room appear spacious and cozy is the amount of natural light it is exposed to. With shades, they are generally good at keeping light out but that is not what is good for a small room. So, instead of using shades to create a darker environment, switch to sheer shades instead. They allow more sunlight to enter into the room, greatly brightening the surroundings and allowing the room to have a more open and airy feel to it. Not only that, but they also allow you to look out through the sheer and still catch a relatively clear view of the other side.
If not sheer, go light colors
Of course, while sheers seem to be an ideal solution, they offer little to almost no privacy protection. The next best alternative is then, to choose shades with light colors. While it is tempting to want to match shades to existing furniture, it may actually prove counterproductive. This is because wood usually comes in dark colors and these dark colors will once again bring a gloomy outlook to a room. This makes the room seem smaller than it really is. As such, it is important to utilize light colors for shades design. Some of the colors that could work are the classic white, off-white, cream, and light gray.
Clutter and colors reduce space
This is fairly straightforward, when there are many objects around a room, not only will there be less walking space but also less viewing space for the eyes to take a break making it seem as if the room is full of objects. This is especially so if the objects obstruct the view of the window. It is important to ensure that minimal objects are placed near the window to allow for more natural sunlight to illuminate a room. It is also important to keep a uniform color as having too many colors increases the visual stimulus which makes it seem as if there are too many things in a room to be registered into the mind. which will fit your windows perfectly.
Types of Blinds
Vertical Blinds
This depends on whether your home has vaulted ceilings. For those who do, this architectural move naturally adds height and size to the room. However, if your house possesses low ceilings, a room may feel more cramped and restrictive. In this case, the more inexpensive option would be to utilize vertical blinds to add perceptual height to the room.
Wood Blinds
Wood blinds are also another great option as they bring in a natural breath of air. However, as mentioned earlier, it is important to make sure that the wooden slats are not dark-colored so as to ensure that the room looks breathable. You would also need to ensure that the wooden slats are on the thinner side as having slats too wide would make the windows seem more compact and as a result, affect the perception of the room.
Specific Installation Tips
A low profile brings space to the top
Window treatments are usually accompanied by window coverings and it is important to choose the right kind of window coverings. Those that you see in movies that make a room elegant like cellular and Roman shades are unsuitable if you want to have a spacier room. Their designs place emphasis on its complexity and cause it to have a dominating presence in the room. This can cause the viewer to be overwhelmed by its design and
bring focus away from the free spaces in the room, making small rooms seem even smaller. Hence, sticking to blinds with minimalistic designs would do favors to making your room seem bigger. It is important that wood blinds and roller shades are integrated to sit flush in your window. This is to create a cleaner look and a more simple design that the eyes can gloss over and allow the additional spaces in the room to shine.
Outside window coverings to be mounted on the windows
We have been harping on and on about how bigger windows equate to bigger rooms. However, there are cases where it is physically impossible to alter a window to make it larger. Some of these cases are windows in basements, laundry rooms, and garages, to name a few. So, for this case, you can consider mounting the window coverings on the outside of the window instead. The overlapping of the window treatments on the inside and outside will create an illusion that makes it seem as if the window has been enlarged. Then, now that your windows look bigger, referring back to my first sentence, it equates to a bigger room.
Hence, the above are some pieces of advice you can follow to make your living space more comfy and spacious. Furthermore, the methods do not call for spending a fortune on renovation works nor spending the amount of time and effort required to repaint the whole house in a lighter color.
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