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Choosing Window Treatments in Detroit for a Contemporary Room

May 02, 2016

When your home’s style is contemporary, your window treatments should reflect that style too. So we spoke with Jane Cunningham, principal designer at Room Resolutions, to better understand how customers should choose the right window treatments for contemporary rooms in Detroit.

Contemporary décor includes a range of styles influenced by the last half of the 20th century. It features softer, cleaner lines. According to Jane, contemporary doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. Usually, people are trying to open up the room. She’s heard her clients say 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 spaces “give you the freedom to move.” Even if you live in a small condo, you can bring the outdoors inby widening your view of the sky, the rain, and the sun in Detroit.

The first step is to unclutter the windows. If you think about your grandparents’ windows, they probably had a lot of layers: shades on top of draperies, shutters, valances, and sheers. It can be claustrophobic. Let go of layers. By choosing window treatments that offer clean lines, you can get the contemporary look you desire.

Your Contemporary Window Treatment Options In Detroit:

Shutters For Contemporary Rooms

 Plantation shutters in a gray contemporary room

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

Shutters offer you light control. You can open the panels to the side and see through your entire window. And you can choose to mount divided shutters where the light streams in through the top.

They’re easy to clean, which is important if the windows are usually dusty. Contemporary décor looks best when every surface is tidy and polished.

Cunningham recommends Polywood shutters to clients interested in window treatments for contemporary rooms. She prefers them because they don’t change color and they won’t warp over time.

A trend that Cunningham has noticed is that more contemporary rooms feature reclaimed wood shutters. They offer a little bit of nostalgia. They show off the rustic look of hardware. They complement hardwood flooring to tie in all the elements of the space. With reclaimed wood shutters, you can find a new way to incorporate an element from the past. The idea of using reclaimed wood as shutters goes right along with the contemporary style.

Modern Barn Doors

[White modern barn door|Modern barn door in bedroom|Bedroom with white modern barn door]466]

Barn doors are a full scale masterpiece on the wall. Go with as bold of a color as you desire. You can have the restorative look. Or design it to look exactly like a traditional barn door. And you can give it a contemporary feel like the hotel you just visited.

Modern barn doors become room separators where you that traditionally don’t have full doors. This is particularly the case when you want to block off your kitchen but not all the time.

Barn doors as window treatments are perfect for large windows with adequate wall space. Shaker doors exhibit an openness that matches a more contemporary style. The hardware makes a large difference. Select 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 pops on the wall and adds 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 knows from experience that our homes are part of who we are as well as an experience we can share with our guests. And a barn door is included in that experience. Your guests will definitely be talking about them.

Roller Shades

Contemporary room with patterned roller shades 

Roller shades are a great solution for contemporary rooms that have large windows and doors that can be folded into themselves. They’re tucked away and help you bring the outside view in.

If you prefer sleeping with total room darkness so you can have a full night’s sleep, roller shades can be ordered with room darkening add-ons. And if you need to block out sounds, combine them with draperies that can be hidden from sight by tying on the sides of the windows.

Window Film

 Window film in a contemporary home

A lot of contemporary rooms we’ve seen in the Detroit area feature large windows that can be 25-30 feet tall. And when they face towards the west, the sun can take a toll on the items inside.

Jane recommends window film to homeowners with homes that have large windows. It allows you a full view of outside, which is just what you want for a contemporary room.

The film also blocks the sun’s UV rays, and means your furnishings and carpet retain their color longer. It also helps your home save energy.

Find Contemporary Window Treatments For Your Detroit Home

Contact us at 248-429-9294 to schedule your free in-home design consultation. Our professionals come to your home and show you samples of the contemporary window treatment options you’re interested in. Then you’re ready to purchase the window treatment that’s perfect for your rooms!

To learn more about Jane Cunningham and Room Resolutions, go to RoomResolutions.com.