www.selifestyle.com · FeBURARY 2009 · soUTHeAsT Lifestyle - by Denise H. Osborne Sunshine on the Southside... is the most consistent. are a few tips for those who want to create their own window treatments. TIP #1. Measurements are critical. (So measure everything. Determine your short and long points in your calculations as well.) TIP #2. Know how you want the window treatment to function. (Privacy, light control, sound absorption, glare control, and comfort are all aspects that should be considered.) TIP #3. Window treatments play a key role in the design of a room. (Use design elements to help you decide which style of treatment you want. Sometimes the style will dictate your fabric choices and sometime your fabrics will dictate which style you choose.) TIP #4. Remember to purchase your hardware and decide how you are going to install them. (Sometimes your measurements need to be adjusted to fit your hardware. Length may need adjusting as well.) indow treatments can get complicated at times, even when you know interior design. I remember the first window treatment project that I designed and custom made. Before working with this particular client, I always said, "I don't do window treatments." This my client informed me that I had helped her select everything else, that I would be doing the window treatments as well. Standing in front of a twostory wall of windows, I was terrified. That was over twenty years ago. Today, I am still doing window treatments and every window presents a unique challenge. Here W I am constantly amazed how window treatments soften the elements and bring visual comfort to a room. TIP #5. Don't wait till the last minute or deadline to make your window treatment decisions. (Custommade window treatments take awhile to collect all the pieces together, and refrain from purchasing fabric until all your decisions are made.) Window treatments have been around for centuries. Ever since man made holes in the exteriors walls, decisions on how to cover them have had to be solved. Those solutions have evolved as the exterior openings have evolved. New window selections and how they are encased, continually create design challenges. But people need light, and we could not function without it. I am constantly amazed how window treatments soften the elements and bring visual comfort to a room. I'll never forget having to help bring in scaffolding to install my first window treatments. In looking back, it was that very project that jumpstarted my career in the window treatment business. I figured if I conquered those windows, I could "do windows" after all. u Denise H. Osborne, Professional Member of the Interior Design Society, owns Accessory Design Services, in Pleasant Garden, NC. For more information on window orientation and considerations, email: denise@AccessoryDesignServices.com or call 674-2150.