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Curtains: dress your windows without making mistakes

Not sure how to choose your window treatment? Here are some tips to guide you.

Posted on Jan. 18, 2018Christiane Desjardins LA PRESSE

In “real life”, certain constraints must be taken into account when choosing window coverings. They can take the form of an electric heater under the window, a lack of space to fix the rod, an unsuitable window shape. On this subject, beware of swinging windows that open inwards, warns Michelle Levasseur.

Curtains: dressing your windows without making mistakes

When making your choice, you also have to think about maintenance. The curtain may be light, but if it covers an entire wall without interruption, it will never enter a washing machine, or even the bath. This is why Mme Levasseur prefers to make widths, by making the connection arrive in front of a mullion, and not in the middle of a window. Usually made of synthetic fabric, sheers are washable. We take them out of the washer as soon as the cycle is finished, and we hang them in their place to dry them. No dryer, advises Mme Levasseur.

Remember vertical blinds? They were popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. Their degree of opening could be adjusted at will, they were extremely easy to maintain and spare parts were readily available. They've gone out of fashion, but for practicality they're hard to beat.

Horizontal blinds: we liked them, some still like them, but we like washing them less. What a chore, especially when the blades are narrow! They are like dust magnets, and it shows, especially for darker ones.

We love them for filtering out the sun, and they come in different levels of opacity: 1% means they only let in 1% of the light. The 5% is good for a slight sun problem. The 10% is even more transparent. Please note: the dark shades are even more transparent than the pale ones.