In my experience, the right window shades can make the difference between a peaceful oasis and a place that never feels quite comfortable.

I recently installed a Conrad woven shade for a client whose living room window looks directly out at another building (see above.) This sheer ivory shade allows the light to filter into the room, while completely blocking the view of her living room from nosey neighbors. The heavy drape allows for full privacy, but she says she rarely needs it.

A new client of mine has had trouble sleeping, and once I saw their bedroom it was clear that part of the issue is the view. A huge building juts out directly towards their bedroom window. To make matters worse, the wall they have been sleeping on forces them to stare directly at that huge building all night long. No wonder sleeping has been difficult. (See below.)

Those neighbors are a little too close for comfort.

To remedy the problem, the first thing I did was change the placement of their bed to the opposite wall. Now instead of looking at the building, they see the Hudson River…better!

Next, I am going to add a woven window shade, along with a solid roman shade with blackout liner, to give layers of privacy and protection. The sheer woven shade can diffuse the view while allowing the sunlight in. At night, dropping the roman shade will make the neighbors ~ and the city ~ completely disappear. (Stay tuned for before and after pics.)

The bedroom design includes a silk roman shade (fabric at center top of picutre) and woven shade (sample in upper left corner).

A top-down shade allows for blue sky views.

Or you can combine the two, to create a woven window shade with a top-down option. One client of mine is a chiropractor with a lovely office on Central Park West. As part of his office renovation, we changed all the window treatments to top down woven shades. It maintains the clients’ privacy, while allowing them to gaze at the tree tops during their treatment. Here is the before and after of one window.

I used a top-down woven shade for this doctor's office.

I welcome your thoughts and tips on window treatments that have worked for you…

Photo by Conrad