Most interior designers work their rooms around where the light comes from, so if you’ve got a window, chances are  it’s a focal point. It is imperative, therefore, that you dress your windows properly, considering a number of factors before you make your final decision. Below is a short guide to help you make the right choice for your curtains.

Tone

The first consideration you might make is the overall formality or intended casualness of the room. A formal living or dining room with elegant furniture requires equally well-dressed windows. Classic drapes in silk damask or velvet with swags or tie-backs over sheer netting is appropriate for this level of formality, whereas a simple, natural, slouchy Tab-top would better suit more laid-back surroundings.

Detail, Coordination & Contrast

Silk fringe or rosettes, and other fancy trimmings are often used in living and dining rooms, but if you prefer a clean, simple line, then by all means use what you like. If you’re a minimalist, you won’t be happy living with fussy details.

For a more casual, but still sophisticated room, panels or drapes of natural silk in colors which coordinate with the floor coverings and upholstery make a nice statement. Wool blends and linen are also chic in this setting, and should meld with your chosen furnishings. For example,  a softly draped wool panel is superb with an overstuffed couch, and dark polished wood tables.

Materials

You’ll need to decide what fabrics and materials best suit the environment, tone and function of your room. For example, if you’re furnishing a bathroom window, it is wise to select a material that is fairly water resistant, like cotton, wool or hemp. If you’re decorating for a bedroom, consider a blackout lining and a heavier fabric to block out the light. Drafty hallway? Interline your draperies with thermal lining to lock in the heat and save on your energy bills. Think carefully about light too. Silk curtains, for example, fade easilly when exposed to harsh sunlight, so if you are going for the luxury look in a naturally illuminated area, be sure to line the material carefully.

Exhibition or Privacy?

A fourth factor to consider is the windows themselves. Think about how you plan to use the windows. Is there a beautiful view, and lots of natural light that you would like to make use of? Or do you live in a city with a view of an alley, and a need for privacy? Voiles and semi sheer fabrics are the chicest way to get the ‘net curtain effect’ with an element of style, allowing you to see out, but preventing others from seeing in.

Tastes, Preference & Fashion

A fifth factor is your own personal likes and dislikes. If you like an eclectic, or even eccentric, look, use the colors and fabrics that you like the best. If you choose colors in the same value, that is all pastels or all brights, and patterns in the same size range, you can mix and match fairly easily. Busy room? Go easy on the paterns and stick with block colour.

Nearly every household has an embarrassing stash of junk that they keep hidden from plain view; under a bed perhaps, or stuffed behind a screen. Even in the most extreme of circumstances, effectively concealing your clutter this doesn’t have to be a tedious, expensive undertaking. Plenty of simple storage options are available to keep your jumble out of sight.

Forget hiring a closet organizing consultant, or pay to have an elaborate shelving system installed. Comparison shopping for some basic storage items will ensure the best value, and there are ways to hide your storage that are both reasonable, and pleasing to the eye.

Some companies offer cubby units with coordinating bins, often in wicker, canvas, or plastic. The bins can be removed, or left in the unit to store books, shoes, toys, or any item that would usually end up shoved into a closet, or lying on the floor.

Short or tall cabinets can be found at a reasonable cost, containing several shelves concealed by double doors. Discount stores often sell attractive units for the price, with faux wood fronts in finishes not previously found, like espresso and birch. More utilitarian cabinets may cost even less, since they are often designed for garages. They can be used in less visible places, like basements, or can be hidden behind a floor-to-ceiling curtain suspended from a rod.

Curtains can also be hung from existing structures in the home, like alcove walls, to hide unsightly storage solutions. Another idea is to attach curtains to the undersides of tables to create instant storage space.

Some manufacturers have started making modern, reasonable storage solutions that fit into a home’s decor because they look like furniture. One such item is a scaled-down version of an armoire, with hooks for hanging jackets, purses, and keys, and an area for small items like shoes below. Why not double the useage, and use mirrored doors for a bedroom closest?

Room dividers are another way to hide clutter. A corner in a low-traffic area makes a convenient spot for cheap, open shelving, or stacks of boxes. An attractively designed decorative screen, which you can customize by covering it in your choice of fabric, will render the storage invisible.

The tried-and-true area underneath the bed is always a good bet. Some companies have acknowledged this otherwise useless space’s potential by creating attractive storage boxes, made of wicker or cloth. However, if the bedspread touches the floor, inexpensive plastic containers designed to fit under beds will do. Even shoe boxes or other small containers will work, as long as they can’t be seen.

Pocketed pouches that hang from the backs of doors make stashing small items simple. Those lacking dresser or desk space will find them handy for holding those oddball items that can wreak havoc on the best of organizational intentions. Even shower curtains can be purchased with pockets for sponges, soap, razors, and other bathroom accessories.

Finally, hat and coat racks are old standbys for a reason. They confine jackets, caps, and sometimes umbrellas to a small area, and prevent household members from tossing their things on furniture when they take them off. Wet items also have a chance to dry without dirtying the rest of the dwelling.

These storage ideas can be implemented for little money, and may spur you to come up with your own storage ideas. If you’re good with a hammer and saw, a talented seamstress, or even just quite resourceful, you’re really in luck. The possibilities are endless.

Whether you treat your home as your refuge from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, or use it as an office for a small business, your interior environment plays a much more important role in maintaining your physical and mental health than you might think. While there are several ways one can enhance their own well-being from their surroundings - see our blog on decorating according to colour psychology below - one of the best ways is getting in touch with nature, and bringing the outside into your home. House plants offer a range of benefits to the occupants of any living space. They can lift your spirits, purify and detoxify the atmosphere, and generally improve your quality of life.

Plants act as a filter for pollutants that can otherwise harm health, promoting cleaner air in the space they occupy. They increase the oxygen content of the air you inhale, allowing you to breath more easily and think more clearly. Simply having plants around and caring for them  too can be very therapeutic, and has found to reduce stress in human beings.

Think back to science class, and you might remember that all plant life survives and grows by taking carbon dioxide from the air around itself, incorporating the carbon into organic substances for itself and returning pure oxygen back into the atmosphere. We humans as well as other animals breathe in oxygen from the atmosphere and utilize it in our respiratory cycles to burn food for energy and create organic molecules of our own. In turn, we exhale carbon dioxide. Plants utilize it for their own purposes, and thus the cycle continues. Oxygen is a key component in a healthy lifestyle, if an obvious one. If we don’t get enough, breathing becomes more difficult, slowing down our bodily functions and inducing feelings of fatigue.

Harmful pollutants such as micro particles, airborne chemicals and allergens may be present in the air we breath; some have the potential to cause ill health. Many homes, regardless of when they were built, contain traces  - sometimes dangerous levels - of benzene, ammonia, carbon monoxide, trichloroethane, xylene and other industrial chemicals. Research has suggested that having a variety of plants in your house can reduce respiratory diseases, tiredness, and illness by stripping the air of dust and other contaminants.

Flora at home can create a harmonious sense of well being and create a more natural, peaceful, and nurturing environment that is more conducive to productivity and serenity. Studies have shown that simplybeing around other living things can liven your mood considerably. Much like pets, plants make us feel connected to nature and the natural world we are intended to be a part of. Living in a completely sterile and mechanized environment can have an alienating effect on a person.

So, which plants should you incorporate into your surroundings? Of course, it is a matter of choosing in accordance with your own personal tastes, in addition to where you live and your own unique micro climate. For instance, if you want more of a house tree, a Ficus Benjamina might be something you’d be interested in. It survives well in a diverse array of environments. Similarly, Peace Lilies are both attractive to the eye, and are great at purifying air. Spider Plants, Boston Ferns, and Palm Trees are also common and popular choices to spruce up your home. Whatever your choice might be, make sure to take care of them on a regular basis, and check that their species is compatible with the climate of the room you intend them to live in.

Making houseplants a welcome addition to your family can improve your life on a variety of levels.  They can increase the quality of your health, sleep, and general mood. Aside from the pleasant aesthetic of vibrant colours and the organic feel of living things to offset the unnatural indoor environment, they are great for your peace of mind and your body as well. Why not take a trip to the local greenhouse or find seeds online today and plant your own? Happiness is just a shoot away. 

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Embrace your inner Bill Gates with these curtains…

1) For the Internet Obsessed…

If the internet is like your second shadow, your Siamese twin, your Ying and your Yang.

And if you can’t live without your YouTube, Google or Flickr and the mere thought of going a day without logging onto your Facebook account gives you the absolute jitters…

…. then this one’s for you, you beautiful crazy geeky person, you.

Apparently, someone had 9 wooden window blinds designed for them with a range of those logos printed on them including one for Digg, Flickr, Google, Facebook and Firefox.

Now that’s dedication.

(img src: nets2go.co.uk)

2) This One Produces Electricity…

You definitely can’t blow your nose with this one (or rather, you can, but it might be the last time you do).

The brainchild of Sheila Kennedy, this (prototype) curtain has thin flexi solar panels built into it. The idea is that any energy the curtain derives from the sun is stored and funnelled through to other electrical equipment throughout the home.

Really good (and cool) idea.

However, on a health and safety tip: how safe would it be around children?

And on a style tip: Would a range of different textiles be available? Or would a choice have to be made by the consumer between style and being environmentally friendly?

(img src: inhabitat.com)

3) Aaaand This One’s ‘Wiimotely’ Controlled…

It’s highly debatable as to whether this gadget’s really needed …unless ones room is SO big, the curtains are a 100 miles away but…anyway…

The ‘Wiimote’ is a remote that opens and closes your curtains for you. Looking at the video, it does look like a lot of wrist action just to do that. Wouldn’t it take the same amount of energy (or slightly more) to just get up and do it manually?

Hmm.

4) This One’s Made Out of Computer Punch cards…

Yep, you heard. Someone fashioned a blind out of a humble needle and thread plus the piers de resistance itself… computer punch cards.

Looking at the photo, they don’t look like punch cards at all. It looks more like some sort of calligraphy or creative pattern.

What an amazing way to use waste considering much of that was probably initially destined for the dumpster.

(img src: flickr.com/photos/jeffreygarman)

5) And This One’s a Tree…(but not as you know it)…

Aaaah, nature. It’s so, erm, natural, isn’t it?

I mean, look at that tree outside - and the way the curtain brings out its sheer beauty. All it needs is a couple of birds and voila, Mother Nature at her best.

Except that…ahem…the tree is inside not outside. And, erm, it’s not a real tree actually, but rather a profile of a tree …intricately printed on fabric…using ASCII characters.

Cool or what?!

Eat your heart out, Ikea.

(img src: nsybrandy.nl)

6) Don’t Walk Past This One if You’re, Erm, a Magnet…

The designer of this magnetic curtain, Florian Krautli, who is now my bestest friend in the whole world (but doesn’t know it), created it by incorporating itty bitty magnets to the fabric so that it could be bent/shaped any which way the user chooses.

Where do these designers get their ideas from? Did the Tooth Fairy give them more than a gold coin when they were little?

Not only is this design idea overly-fab, it’s such a simple idea in a “why-didn’t-I-think-of-that” way that it’s a tad frustrating (in a good way, of course).

(img src: nets2go.co.uk)

7) A Shower Curtain that Could Teach You a Thing or Two…

I personally prefer to sing my little tonsils out in the shower, but these shower curtains are pretty cool though. With lots of useful information printed on them, you can kick your sleepy brain into gear in the morning while lathering up in the bathroom.

A range of ‘educational’ shower curtains are available for your grey matter’s absorbing delight including Maths, French and Spanish Vocabulary, Geography and The Periodic Table.

Bathroom showers will never be the same (unless you don’t buy this particular shower curtain, that is. Ahem.)

(img src: nets2go.co.uk)

8) Plastic, Liquid-Crystal Curtain, Anyone?

If a curtain can be fashioned from magnets and computer punch-cards, then why not from plastic and liquid crystal?

This curtain consists of 2 pieces of plastic that switch from clear to opaque when the user presses a button. It’s made possible through the liquid-crystal that’s positioned between both pieces. As energy passes through it, it imbues an interesting dream-like impression onto the plastic.

(img src: nets2go.co.uk/)