Searching for the perfect window treatment for your kitchen? More and more, professional designers are turning to café curtains, and for good reason. They offer an amazing, special touch to that space and provide a number of other benefits you’ll discover the moment they’re installed. Why should you explore café curtains for your space? Take a look.

What are Café Curtains?

Café curtains are hung about halfway up the window. They take their name from the roadside cafes of the past, and while today the height of the curtain is completely up to you, the goal with this style is to create a clear, natural dividing line between the curtain and the valance. Café curtains come in a number of different options including sheer and heavier fabrics, and you can choose from both lined and unlined styles. You choose the head construction from pinch pleats to tab top curtains. 

The Benefits of Café Curtains

Not sure why you might want this style for your kitchen window curtains? They’re one of the most versatile options available. They not only give you the privacy you might want in your kitchen, but they also provide an excellent source of natural light. They soften the light coming in and help enhance the beauty of the window itself. They also offer you a closer view of the outside world without letting everyone see into your house. In fact, they’re a distinctive choice that makes sense in almost any space outside of the kitchen like your home office, your dining room, or even a creative space like a reading nook. In fact, any space where added natural light would be a huge plus is the right space for café curtains. 

At Gallery of Shades, we offer a number of unique café curtains to meet your stylistic needs. Learn more when you contact us today.  

Window treatments are a must with any space, but sometimes they look just a bit unfinished, even with the best options. Enter valances. Used to create the perfect stylish finishing touch on top of curtains, blinds, or shades of any type, a number of different valance styles to help enhance any space. What options do you have to consider as you find the right window valance to add to your space? 

What Is a Valance?

If you’re not familiar with this window treatment piece, you may wonder more about exactly what defines a valance and why you’d want one at all. Valances are like a short version of drapes. In this case, they’re a panel that sits just at the top of the window. You typically use a drapery rod to install them. They can be quite helpful because they not only offer a finishing touch to a window, but they can also hide the hardware at the top of your other window treatments and offer a neat, tidy look.

A Few Valance Options 

There are many different types of valances available today. Take a look at a few of the choices you could consider. 

• Straight Gathered Valance: Easily the most recognizable type of valance, this is simply a rectangular piece of fabric that has a pocket for the rod in the top. Often these look fairly long out of the package because once installed on the rod, they’re bunched together to create the gathered look you want. 
• Shaped Valances: Rectangular valances look amazing in many spaces, but when you need to add a bit more style, you may want to consider a shaped valance. Here, instead of a straight line at the bottom, you might find scallops, curves, or even waves. Typically this kind of valance has a larger rod pocket to help finish off the shape. 
• Swag Valances: Some valances present a singular image. Others drape and swoop with unique twists and turns, and it’s these valances that tend to make the biggest statement in a room. Called a swag valance, these deep pieces of pleated fabric fall dramatically across parts of the curtain rod creating a waterfall-type feel that is pronounced in a room. There are many options here too from victory swags that include shallow swoops to empire swags that are carefully framed on each side, a swag style gives you lots of different options. 
• Scarf Valances: If you’re looking for elegance, you’ll find it with scarf valances. It offers a dramatic draping effect with a slight curve at the top and flowing ends on either side of the window. These tend to be sheer, but you can work with richer, thicker fabrics if it matches your space. 
• Balloon Valances: Going for the drama? A balloon valance is an ideal touch. These tend to be constructed from fairly light fabrics, and they help to fill out your window. It has distinct puffs that move away from the window to create a balloon effect in the fabric. 

Which valance is right for your space? Let us help you make that choice. With free in-home consultation and lots of custom window valances available, we’re here to help you select the ideal valance. Give us a call today. 

The man cave – the center of masculinity in your home. In more and more homes, the man cave is moving out of the unfinished basement or dark, dank garage and into a fantastic room and the house. That doesn’t mean it needs to look unfinished, though. The right man cave window treatments can help enhance the man cave vibe and still provide the privacy and light control you want most. What are your options? 

Blackout Shades and Blinds: A lot happens in the man cave, and if you want to be able to clear your streaming list, play your favorite new game or catch that game the way it should be seen even during the day, blackout shades are an absolute must. Man cave window blinds are the perfect way to give you the utter privacy and light control you need in a space as sacred as the man cave. Like most theater room window treatments, they can wholly block the light from ever entering the room, so you can watch the next episode in complete movie-theater darkness. Video game window blinds like these will put an end to the light leakage many other options just can’t stop.

Custom Draperies: Custom draperies are also an excellent option, and not only will they be designed specifically for your windows, but you’ll also have complete control over the fabrics involved. Whether you choose to go with a heavy, masculine choice like herringbone or you select something a bit lighter like a fabric that incorporates your favorite team colors, custom draperies can be the ideal way to complete the look of the room. 

Plantation Shutters: Few window treatment options add value to a home the way plantation shutters do, and they’re actually the ideal window covering for your man cave. You get complete light control and energy efficiency in one package, and thanks to today’s wood-alternative options, you get to select colors, textures, and more. 

Not sure what might look great in your man cave? Give us a call today. We offer free in-home consultations and an extensive showroom full of Scottsdale window coverings for every room in your house, even the man cave. 

The look you create in your home often means ensuring each part works well together. Often that means taking simple steps like coordinating window coverings with everything else in the room, even your flooring. After all, when you have clashing elements, it may make your home seem a bit disjointed. How do you ensure your window coverings coordinate with everything, even the floor? These tips can help. 

• Think About Colors: You don’t want your window treatment to match your flooring. That would create an overwhelming feeling in the room that would make almost anyone uncomfortable. Instead, you want to use a mix of warm and cool colors as well as colors and shades in the same family to create some balance. For example, if you have a light hardwood floor, you may want to go with cool, bright colors to play with that feel a bit.  
• Match the Design Feel: If you’re going for a bold daring look, so you have bold patterned tile on the floor, you’ll want your window treatment choice to match that carefully. If, instead, you have soft, neutral carpeting in space, the window treatment should be similarly soft like roman shades with a cozy valance. 
• Use a Single Statement Piece: While you should certainly match the feel of a given space, almost every room needs one big statement. Your flooring or your window treatments could be that statement. If you have fairly neutral flooring choices, you may want to go with bright, eye-catching window treatments. If, on the other hand, you’ve made a bold flooring choice, it may be better to go with something a bit quieter for your window treatments. 

Not sure where to begin? We can help. We offer in-home design consultations as well as a variety of coordinating window coverings to meet your needs. From layered window coverings, you’ll love to single-window treatments that will look great in any room, we can handle custom options and more. 

The best window coverings to coordinate your floor and window treatments are a phone call away when you reach out to us at Gallery of Shades today! Schedule your free in-home design consultation today.

Window treatments are absolutely a necessity, but they can also provide the beautiful finishes you’re looking for in your home. They can create an accent piece or finish the cozy look you were hoping for. Often people choose a single-window treatment for a room, but something very special happens when you decide layering window treatments is the right way to go. You get depth and dimension in a space you simply can’t achieve with a single-window treatment, and you also get better light and privacy control. 

Wondering if layered window coverings might be the right option for you? Use these questions to help guide you forward. 

1. How Do Your Window Treatments Function In That Space? Think about the window you want to use. Do you need blackout options to help you sleep? Do you need natural light during the day but better privacy at night? Understanding your must-haves is key to deciding which window treatments you want to combine. 
2. How Is the Rest of the Room Decorated? If you already have a bright accent wall or a loud piece of furniture, you probably don’t want your drapes to be the single most important thing in the room. If you don’t yet have something that stands out, you may need to go bold with one of the two layers. 
3. What is Your Budget? The layered look is amazing, and it doesn’t have to be expensive, but the price is certainly something you’ll want to consider. If your budget is fairly large, you could go with two different custom living room window coverings. If, on the other hand, things are a bit tight for this unique feature, you could forego the custom window treatments and look at less expensive layered window coverings. 
4. Do You Need to Replace Your Hardware? Not everyone considers the hardware necessary to hang window coverings, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t. New hardware may be exactly what you need to complete the look, and in some cases, it may be an absolute must. You want to hang everything perfectly so the two options look great together, and that’s only going to happen with the right hardware. 
5. What Colors and Textures Match Your Space? The final question will help you actually choose the layers in that space. Think about everything you’re already using – fabrics, colors, patterns, and even the wood tones in the room – so you can get the coordinated look you want. 

Layered window coverings look great in almost any room, but don’t let the process of choosing what’s right for you be an overwhelming one! We can help. We offer in-home design consultations to help you get started. 

To learn more about how layered window coverings can work in your home, contact Gallery of Shades today to schedule your free in-home design consultation.

Now more than ever before, people are turning to cordless window shades as their window treatment of choice. There are a number of reasons for this move. They come in a wide range of both styles and colors, making them the perfect option to fit with any décor. More than that, though, they’re safe and easy to use throughout your home, so you get a pet and child-friendly window covering choice. If you’re considering cordless shades in your home, what should you look for? Use these tips to help guide your search. 

• Think Light and Privacy Control First: As you think about the best shades to meet your needs, consider the function of the room. Do you hope to keep it bright and airy or darker and a bit cozier? Cordless window shades come in a number of different fabric options to help give you complete control over both light and privacy, and while you may want something fairly sheer in your entryway and dining spaces, you’ll likely want something much darker in the bedroom. 
• Both Manual and Automatic Are an Option: With cordless systems, you can choose from a manual operating system that allows you to open or lower your shades with the push of a finger or an automatic system that has you install an app on your phone and control your new cordless shades from there. Both systems offer great advantages for your home. 
• Don’t Overlook Design Concerns: After you’ve considered the type of cordless window shades you want, the next step is to consider the room itself. You’ll want to think about the room’s design and colors you’ve already used to choose the right texture and material for the shades you’re going to have installed. 

Cordless window shades are one of the single best choices available today for your windows. If you’re ready to make a window treatment choice that will truly enhance your home, this is a great option, and we can help. With a wide variety of custom cordless shade options that are perfect for your home, we’re the one place to turn when you need the right window treatment. 

Learn more about how cordless window shades can work in your home. Contact us today at 480-643-0014 to schedule your free in-home design consultation. 

The best window coverings do three things for your home. They can enhance the style in any given room. They control the amount of natural light filtering into a space. Most importantly, though, they give you the privacy you need inside your home. As you shop for blinds to fit the needs of a certain space within your home, privacy may be on your mind more than anything else. How can you find blinds that meet your privacy needs? Here are three of your best options. 

Cellular Blinds

Cellular blinds, which are sometimes called cellular shades, are the perfect privacy blinds. They’re made with a honeycomb construction that helps to insulate your windows and keep things dim. Available in a wide variety of fabrics and colors, these are the ideal choice when you’re looking to completely block the view and ensure you’re the only one who can see your space. 

Blackout Blinds

Often privacy comes with a need for complete light control, and this is where blackout blinds succeed better than almost anything else. They offer a high level of privacy and the ability to completely close off your space from natural light, which is perfect for spaces where you’re trying to sleep or better see a screen. Most are completely customizable, and they typically come in a number of colors and options to help match your space. They’re even available with adjustable slats to help you add a bit of natural light when you need it the most. 

Wood Blinds

Wood blinds look absolutely elegant, and they also offer a high level of privacy. Because they tend to be thicker than blinds made from other materials and you can choose the slat size that best meets your needs, you’ll get the privacy you want most. Wood is also a natural insulator, so you’ll get a bit of temperature control with these as well. 

Need a bit more help? Give us a call. We’ll not only show you lots of choices within our showroom, but we can even create custom blinds for privacy to meet the needs of your space. Schedule a free in-home consultation to help you decide what might be best for your home. 

There are many options when it comes to beautiful patio doors, but more homeowners choose sliding glass doors over any other choice. They’re a great way to bring the outside in – allowing you to easily see your yard. They’re also easy to open and close, and they offer high levels of safety. The biggest issue, though, comes when it’s time to choose the right window treatments for these doors. What are your options? What’s going to look great? Here are a few choices you may want to consider.

Vertical Blinds and Shades

These are one of the best sliding door treatments today. They’re the ideal solution in terms of privacy and value. Vertical blinds are the most popular of these kinds of options, and they come in a number of different materials, including vinyl, faux wood, wood, and fabric. You can select not only the material but also the slat length. These days, you can even choose motorized options. This is a great choice when you want a high level of privacy and light control. It’s also an excellent choice if you want a convenient motorized option.

Vertical shades are also an option. These look a lot like the cellular shades you might have elsewhere in your home, and they’re a good way to create some added insulation from the Arizona heat. Available in motorized options as well, they’re an excellent, convenient choice for your patio doors.  

Curtains

Curtains are a fairly classic choice and for good reason. They look great with almost any décor, they’re easy to install, and they can help your home be a bit more energy efficient. When you select a light-blocking fabric, closing it against the sun’s hottest rays will help to keep your space cool in the summer months. Add that to the fact that you can choose the ideal fabric to meet your needs, and you have a window treatment option you certainly don’t want to overlook. 

Sliding Panels 

One of the newest choices in window treatments for sliding glass doors, sliding panels can really help create an upscale space you’ll love. They’re available in a number of different materials. Some resemble plantation shutters while others are created from fabric or natural materials. They work on a track system, and they, too, can be motorized for convenience. Ready to uncover your window? Just slide them back and watch them fold up under themselves. Need a bit of privacy? It takes just a few moments to unfold them across the window once more to give you complete privacy. 

Your sliding glass doors are a beautiful addition to your home, and finding the right window treatment to cover them can only enhance that. We offer many of these options as well as custom sliding door coverings. To learn more about your choices or for a free in-home consultation, contact us today. 

Are those big beautiful corner windows what encouraged you to buy the house? They’re beautiful for sure, and the natural light you get from them is probably phenomenal, but when it comes to choosing the right corner window treatments, you may be a little overwhelmed. Fortunately, there are several things you can do with corner windows to help enhance them and make the room look fantastic. 

Mirror the Space with Drapes

Custom drapes can be great window treatments for corner windows particularly when you use them to build a mirror image for each window. You’ll be adding the perfect element of symmetry, and you can decide which window treatment you want to leave open and when. 

Go Sheer

Sheer window treatments offer the perfect level of light diffusion and privacy, and with sheers, you’ll get the airy, unified feel you really want. Think sheers are too limiting? Think again. They’re completely customizable, and they’re available in a variety of different colors and textures, so they’ll look great in almost any space. 

Create a Continuous Window Treatment

You may have two separate windows in the corner, but one of the best ways to handle that situation is to use corner window coverings that span the two of them. Going with a single drapery rod and a corner connector, along with a window treatment like custom draperies or valances that are large enough to span the two together, can make it feel absolutely seamless, which will help to smooth the turn and create a new look in that space. 

Just Stick to the Top

Many people tackle the problem with a window valance and something simple like blinds. This creates an interesting addition, but more importantly, it can help to soften those rough corners a set of windows like this creates. You can even go with a single valance across the corners to help bring everything together. 

Stay Simple

If you have two smaller windows that meet each other in the corner, you may just want to stay with something simple like roman shades or even wood blinds. It will help to create a unified look in the space and still give you the light and privacy control you want most. 

Struggling with your corner windows? We can help. With a free in-home consultation and lots of custom window coverings, Gallery of Shades offers so much more than window treatments. We offer the perfect touch to help enhance the beauty of your home. Learn more when you contact us today.