Blog Post

Videoconferencing From Home? What to Look for in Window Treatments

  • By Admin
  • 03 Jul, 2020
Laptop Sitting on the Desk  — Salt Lake County, UT — House Of Drapery & Blinds

With more people using videoconferencing from their homes and home offices, the appearance and functionality of the room's setup is more important than ever. A bad setup can make you look washed-out, overly dark, messy, unprofessional, or just difficult to see. A good setup, though, can elevate your meeting and avoid unnecessary distractions.

One of the biggest elements in your videoconferencing setup involves the windows and window treatments. These will either add or take away from the image you want to project. So, when choosing window treatments, every videoconference user should look for these four key features.

1. Control of Light

Natural lighting, when used properly, is usually the best lighting option for a videoconference call. Ideally, you should face the window at no more than a 45-degree angle. But if calls happen at different times of the day, you may need to adjust the source of light itself.

Blinds are a good choice because of their versatility both in raising and lowering but also with individual louvers. If meetings tend to go on a while, you can use a remote to adjust motorized blinds without interrupting your call. Alternatively, you could make use of both heavy drapes and a lighter set of sheer fabric for more flexibility as light changes.

2. Professionalism

Don't forget the windows that will be in others' fields of view on a conference call. Windows can provide some warmth and professionalism to a video meeting background. But a bare window or inappropriate window treatment may backfire and make the space look cold, industrial, or just too boring.

The right treatment style for a visible window depends on the look and feel you want to convey. Thick, lush, dark drapes are professional and luxurious. Lighter sheer fabrics or fun patterns add fun and casualness to the room. Shutters can make things feel homey and charming. The best way to decide on treatments is to know what you want to say with your backdrop first.  

3. Privacy

If you carry on video meetings that involve customers or sensitive company decision-making, you want the best privacy. Others should not be able to see inside your room — either from the home's interior or its exterior. Blinds are a good choice to provide this level of privacy. Solid drapes can also work well, particularly if there are interior doors or open areas you want to close off only when attending a meeting.  

Your need for privacy extends to protecting your home as well. You may not want your co-workers or clients looking through your window to see your kids playing in the yard, your dirt bike collection, or your unfinished landscape projects. Sufficient window treatments allow you to inexpensively hide what you don't want to include in the meeting.

4. Energy Efficiency

How comfortable is the room where you conduct calls? Large or inefficient windows can render a home office needlessly hot in the summer or cause it to be cold in the winter. When you're by yourself, being too warm may not be a big deal. But if you're on a conference call or meeting with your boss, co-workers, or clients, you don't want to sit there sweating or freezing.

Depending on your particular windows and specific energy loss issues, you might be able to make a marked improvement with just treatments. Cellular shades, for instance, help insulate a window with their 'air pocket' design. Thick draperies and properly-installed shutters may also add a needed layer of insulation.

Want help finding the right way to decorate and protect the windows in your videoconference space? No matter what your challenges, a professional can help. Start by visiting the window pros at House of Drapery & Blinds today.
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When you're about to become a new parent, the décor of your nursery often becomes a big focus. Many new parents choose themes, such as circus or nature, while others employ a color scheme. As with any other room in the home, the window treatments help finish the look. However, you also need certain functionality in the nursery.

Keep reading for tips to help you choose window treatments for your baby's nursery.

Keep Safety in Mind

Your first priority when choosing anything for the nursery is safety. Granted, newborns don't interact much with their surroundings, but you'll probably keep your nursery décor even once your baby reaches the crawling stage. With that in mind, you want to choose window treatments that are safe for your baby.

For one, avoid drapes that reach to the floor — you don't want your baby to become entangled in them or to pull them down. For the same reason, consider cordless blinds. You can even choose motorized blinds, which operate with a switch or an app. Finally, avoid any trim or accessories small enough to become a choking hazard.

Look for Ease of Operation

Your next focus should be window treatments that are easy to operate. Once you become a parent, ease of operation will become paramount. You will often have a baby cradled in one arm, so you want items that are easy to operate with the other hand.

So, when looking at window treatments, avoid any that require both hands to operate, such as corded shades or heavy drapes. Pay attention to the overall function, too. For instance, if you choose shutters, make sure they operate smoothly.

Look Into Blackout Blinds

Another practical focus is the level of light control. In many rooms, you may favor a filtered light. Design-wise, you may like this level of light for your nursery, too. However, keep in mind you'll eventually be putting your baby down while it's still light out — you don't want the sunlight to keep your baby awake.

To that end, look into blackout blinds. They affix to the window frame snugly, and they completely block the sunlight from coming in. If you want the option of the filtered light, look into layered window treatments. You could hang semi-transparent curtain panels for when your baby is awake.

Opt for a Neutral Background

You may want window treatments that provide a neutral backdrop. So, you might start with the blackout shades as your base layer and add sheer curtains in a neutral color. White is popular, but you could also opt for a beige or greige neutral.

This approach works for a couple different situations. For one, a current trend is to move toward natural materials and décor. So, you may choose a lot of neutral colors and soft materials anyway. The approach also works in the opposite circumstance. If you already have a lot of bold colors in your décor, you may not want to add to it with your window treatments.

Stick to Your Décor Vision

Your décor vision will help you make most of the design choices. For example, you may choose the material based on a theme or general target ambiance. If you like the idea of an all-natural nursery, you may look into bamboo shades or linen curtains. If you want structure in your treatments, you might look into wood blinds or even shutters.

A décor theme will definitely drive your choice in nursery window treatments. Besides thematic curtain panels, Roman shades are one of the easiest ways to inject pattern into your window treatments. You can also find roller shades with designs on them.

The other design driving force is your color palette. Many parents adhere to the traditional gender-based palettes, but many opt for bright, gender-neutral palettes. Either way, window treatments in your target color palette can serve as the centering force of your entire nursery décor. You could even start with a pattern in your draperies and carry the palette through the rest of the room.

Try some of the above tips to help you choose window treatments for your nursery. When you're ready to explore your options, consult with House of Drapery & Blinds.
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