Window Architecture Design 1.1

Hanging drapery fabric to your living or dining room windows will add style, control
light, and enhance or obscure a view. Drapery panels are usually more formal in
appearance, and are mostly heaver than curtain fabric. Typically lined, pleated, and
floor-length, drapery curtains are attach by hooks to a decorative rod, and some
sort of cord device that hangs behind either the left or right of the drapery panel.
Choose complementary treatments in rooms that open to one anther or that share
the same style furniture.

If your window styles and sizes vary within a room, use the same fabric but in
different fabrications, such as classic swags and draperies. The styles and colors
you wear may reveal the color you're most comfortable living in. Whatever your style
preference, don't let your window treatment's form obstruct its function. In formal
room, choose full, flowing window treatments that complement the fabrics of the
furnishings. Use pattern or color to transform a window into a formal point.

For starters, window treatment doesn't have to be fabric. Either way, don't overfill
the room with fabrics; "less is more" in the design scheme. Choosing the right
drapery fabric can make all the difference in fashioning great treatments. There are
many ways of hanging sheer drapes, conventionally with a casing or eyelets, or you
can use a gathered heading tape with a track or pole. Tall windows in high-ceiling
room are perfect candidates for classic drapery and valance treatments.

So before you choose a window covering, consider the way your window open and
close. Whatever type of curtain or drapery you select, how you top it and tie it back
can have a major impact on your design schemes. Combination treatments give you
freedom to manipulate the apparent size and shape of your windows. For the most
pleasing look, choose drapery fabric that matches the degree of custom in each
room.

Architectural windows, those being reclaimed from houses and buildings of yesteryear, are available for today's homeowners to use in both modern and period homes. Salvage windows offer a distinctive look that is unobtainable with contemporary window styles, and they allow homeowners to keep their vintage homes looking historically accurate. Newer homes may also be made to look period with the addition of architectural windows as well.

If you have a vintage home that needs to be remodeled or otherwise refurbished, you may want to start by looking at the wide variety of window salvage available from architectural salvage merchants. Because it is very difficult to reshape the antique window once it has been constructed, often the homeowners will want to have the windows prior to remodeling construction, in order to ensure that all will fit together properly at the end of the project. The exterior may have to be built around the salvage windows in order for them to work, but it is well worth the effort for the stunning effect they provide to every room in the historic home.

Another style consideration is the number of architectural windows you will need for each room in the home. Many older homes suffer from a lack of natural daylight being able to get into the center of the home, and this is due in large part to not having enough windows in place, or windows that are too small. You will want to consider this as you work on your vintage home. Having a bright, light-filled home is crucial to the enjoyment of all the living spaces within the home, and so making changes to the numbers and types of salvage windows used in a reconstruction or remodel is a critical component of the finished style of the home.

Other window salvage that you will need for the antique window will include hinges and latches. These can add to the visual interest of the window and the vintage home, not to mention the functionality of the antique window itself, so you will want to invest in quality hardware for your antique window.