Deciding on Window Treatments in Philadelphia for a Contemporary Room

When your home’s style is contemporary, your window treatments should reflect that style too. We sat down with Jane Cunningham, principal designer at Room Resolutions, to better understand how customers should select the right window treatments for contemporary rooms in Philadelphia.

Contemporary design includes a range of styles influenced by the last half of the 20th century. It’s built on softer, cleaner lines. According to Jane, how people define contemporary differs from person to person. Most of the time, homeowners want to open the room up. Her clients have said things like, “I don’t need an ottoman by every chair.” Or “I don’t have to have 15 items on the counter of my house.”

Contemporary rooms “give you the freedom to move.” Even in a small condo situation, you can bring the outside inby expanding your view of the sun, the sky, and the rain in Philadelphia.

The first step is to unclutter your windows. The windows in your grandparents’ house had multiple layers. There were shades on top of draperies, shutters, valances, and sheers. It can be claustrophobic. Get rid of the layers. Pick window treatments that offer clean lines. And get the contemporary look you want.

Options For Contemporary Window Treatments In Philadelphia:

Shutters For Contemporary Homes

Plantation shutters are great for contemporary spaces in Philadelphia. Their wide 4.5” louvers complement a contemporary style. When you combine these wide louvers with a rear mount tilt rod, your windows have clean lines across them from the shutters.

Shutters provide you with light control. You can swing open the panels to the side and have an open view of your entire window. Another option is to mount divided shutters. These shutters have the light coming in through the top.

It’s easy to clean them, which is something to consider if the space quickly gets dusty. Contemporary décor looks its best when every surface is clean and polished.

Cunningham recommends Polywood shutters to clients who are searching for window treatments for contemporary rooms. They’re her preferred shutter because they don’t get dingy and they don’t warp over the years.

According to Cunningham, more contemporary rooms feature reclaimed wood shutters. They give a bit of nostalgia. They bring back the industrial look of hardware. They go well with hardwood flooring to bring together the entire décor of the room. Reclaimed wood shutters let you take something from the past, revisit and reuse it. The idea of using reclaimed wood as shutters goes right along with the contemporary style.

Modern Barn Doors

Barn doors are a full scale piece of artwork on the wall. Choose as funky of a color as you want. You can go with the restorative look. Or you can make it look like a traditional barn door. And you can give it a contemporary feel that matches the hotel you recently visited.

Modern barn doors can be used as room separators in spaces that often don’t have full doors. For example, when you want to close off your kitchen part of the time.

Barn doors as window treatments work well on large windows with big enough wall space. Shaker doors have an open feel that matches a more contemporary style. The hardware makes a difference. Pick stainless steel to get that contemporary look you want. Or choose a bold color of paint. If you had a room that was decorated primarily in varying shades of white, a red barn door stands out against the wall and contributes to the space.

“Barn doors add a conversation piece. The next gathering you have, I guarantee someone is going to have a comment. That’s because people aren’t expecting a barn door on a window.” - Jane Cunningham

Cunningham has learned from experience that our homes are part of who we are as well as an experience we’re sharing with our guests. And a barn door is included in that experience - and something your guests will be talking about.

Roller Shades

Roller shades are a wonderful solution for contemporary rooms with large scale windows and doors which fold into themselves. They’re discretely tucked away and let you bring the outside view in.

If you prefer sleeping with complete room darkness so you can get a restful night’s sleep, roller shades can be ordered with room darkening add-ons. If you need acoustical help to dampen unwanted noise, combine them with draperies that can be hidden from sight on the sides of the windows.

Window Film

A lot of contemporary rooms we’ve seen in the Philadelphia area contain large windows that can be 25-30 feet tall. And when they face towards the west, the sun wear down the room’s items.

Jane suggests window film to homeowners with large windows. It allows you a wide view of your outside surroundings, which is exactly what you want for a contemporary room.

The film also blocks UV rays, and helps your carpeting and furniture hold true to their color longer. Window film also helps your home save energy.

Find Contemporary Window Treatments For Your Philadelphia Home

Give us a ring at 215-874-4897 to set up your free in-home design consultation. Our window treatment experts come to your home and show you samples of the contemporary window treatment options we carry and that you’re looking for. Then you’re ready to decide on the window treatment that’s perfect for your rooms!

To find out more about Jane Cunningham and Room Resolutions, browse through RoomResolutions.com today.