Your home is more than just a means to protect you from the elements. It is also a means of expressing yourself and your individual tastes in décor. When you are looking to decorate your home, there are several different areas to focus on. Windows can be a beautiful way to brighten up your home, but also a difficult area of the house to try to decorate.

So, this month, let’s look at six ways that you can improve your home’ style that focus on your windows and window treatments.

1. Alleviate sun damage

If your home has hardwood floors, then you may like let the sun shine in to really show them off, especially after you have recently had them cleaned. But the sun can actually damage your investment, not just with your floors but also with other things such as your furniture and artwork. So one way to allow the sun in without damaging your investments are to use “solar shades.” According to Ginny Taylor, “solar screens or energy efficient glass coating (window tinting) can help tremendously.” These screens have filters that will block the harmful ultraviolet rays as well as reduce the heat and glare from too much sun.

2. Covering Window Walls

A beautiful feature for many homes, particularly those with gorgeous outdoor views, is a wall of windows. But this is difficult to decorate around, especially when you consider the width of coverage. Ginny’s suggestion for this is to use motorized shades on big windows. “You can opt for solar shades or sheer shading systems that let you see through them and offer daytime privacy.” These types of shades are also a good option because they will reduce the heat level from the sun and make your home cooler and more energy efficient.

3. Two-Story and Palladian Windows

Palladian windows are generally left uncovered because the homeowners want their distinctive shape to remain visible. But you can still cut down on heat and also cover up the windows for privacy at night by using cellular shades. These are honeycomb shades that are “almost like pleated paper, so they can curve along with the window lines.” You can also make shutters to fit these types of windows so that they can be left open to let the sun shine in.

4. Sliding Glass Doors

Sliding glass doors are a great means of letting people come in and out of your house while also giving views to the majestic outdoors. But, at nighttime, you are going to want to switch over and have more privacy. Traditional vertical blinds can rattle and aren’t aesthetically pleasing. Instead, you can use the Vertiglide cellular shades that are silent or you can also switch to natural fiber materials such as woven wood that can be made into sliding panel tracks. Additionally, if you have enough wall space on either side of the door, then you can add traditional draperies and window treatments to block out the sun and keep your privacy as well.

5. French Doors and Sidelights

Since these options often do not have a great deal of wall space to allow for window treatments, you can opt instead for Horizontal Sheer Shading products. You can also consider using roller shades or a Roman shade which come in a variety of materials.

6. Bedroom Windows

There are a lot of different options when trying to keep your privacy at home. Ripple-fold draperies are an attractive way to cover up the uglier, traditional black-out shades. Many newer window covering treatments, regardless of the location, use motorization to help make them quieter, smoother, and safer.

A home with lots of windows can feel airy and bright and open to the world, letting in plenty of natural light. However, it can also let in too much heat and damaging sunlight. Additionally, you might sometimes like bright vistas, but at other times you will want more privacy and security. So that means that you will need some kind of window treatments to provide this.