Modern & Contemporary Window Treatments
Matching your window treatments to your home’s interior style can be easy if you know where to start. At Budget Blinds of Tempe and Central Phoenix, our design experts can point you in the right direction within minutes. For example, let’s take a look at modern and contemporary window treatments.
What is Modern Design?
Many people think modern is cold and bland, though it is actually quite the opposite. When done correctly, modern home designs incorporate clean lines, fun geometric patterns, natural light and minimalistic greenery, and simple color palettes that are not always black and white. It can be neutral, warm tones, with a balance that makes the home feel like it was built to flow into each room seamlessly.
It also usually means big windows — floor to ceiling in some homes!
What is Contemporary Design?
There’s a common misconception that modern and contemporary are the same. They’re not, but contemporary is extremely similar. Contemporary style embraces minimalistic elements and highlights grays, beiges and shades of white. Contemporary style offers an 'everything in its place' feeling that is low fuss and pleasing to look at.
The main difference between modern and contemporary is the use of texture — modern flows into each other — smooth surfaces and fine lines — while contemporary mixes and matches styles with dramatic accents and features, paired with simplistic colors and shapes. Think a plush patterned rug under a simple marble-surfaced coffee table, in front of a dark gray fabric couch.
Contemporary and Modern Window Treatments
Though the two styles are different, you can choose similar window treatments for each. One big thing to avoid for each is curtains/drapes. Instead, try simplistic window treatments that help blend your windows into the wall when they’re not open, instead of making a statement.
Wood Blinds
Wood blinds are timeless, bringing the beauty of the outdoors into your home. Because they blend with almost any décor, wood blinds have been popular for decades. We recommend going white or gray, so the wood tones don’t overpower the room. If you’re going for a more natural modern or contemporary look, then stained wood blinds are a must!
Roller and Roman Shades
Roller and Roman shades are brilliant when paired with modern and contemporary styles. Their seamless designs and simplicity really bring out the crisp clean lines of the windows without overshadowing your home.
Roller and Roman shades are both incredibly easy to clean as well. Just use a bristle attachment on your vacuum! Alternatively, you can wipe down the fabric using a slightly damp microfibre cloth. For delicate silk roller shades, you may need to remove the fabric and have them dry cleaned, though the experts will know when you have them installed.
You may need a liner if you want privacy or full light control, and you can make them cordless as well!
White Shutters or Café Shutters
Café shutters have the same slats as regular shutters, but fit snugly into your windows and doors and open and close via a rod in the middle. They are 100% cordless too, which makes them an ideal choice for homes with kids.
What makes café shutters unique is that they only cover the bottom half of a window. They let in natural light, while giving you and your home the privacy you deserve. Not too bulky and when done in white, can really complement modern and contemporary styles when used on smaller windows — they may be too bulky and heavy for floor to ceiling windows.
Café shutters are also a wonderful option if your desk is set up near a window — just like a coffee shop. While doing your work, the natural light can act as an extra influence to stay awake while closing the bottom portion of the window helps with glare control. The amount of outside light you allow in or keep out is in all your control.
Regular shutters are also the perfect option for most styles. They’re minimalistic (depending on the color), with sleek lines and are flush with the window, meaning they don’t obstruct anything in the home or make it look cluttered.
The one exception is that we don’t recommend using them to cover large windows, as they are extremely heavy. Stick with Roman or roller shades for those!
If you want to explore all of the options available to you when it comes to modern and contemporary window treatments, set up a free design consultation with Budget Blinds of Tempe and Central Phoenix. We’ll be happy to help and get you set up with the perfect window treatments for your home!
