Wall Artwork: Window Treatment Ideas for a Finished Basement

Are you treating your finished basement’s windows with the right treatments? Although basement windows are small, they can have a huge impact on your basement’s aura. Quite frankly, basements oftentimes have the look and feel of a cave. Thus, it is important to use the right window treatments to open up your basement and give it a cozier feel. Here are some simple yet effective window treatment ideas for your finished basement:

Avoid Overkill and Choose the Right Treatments

One of your objectives when adding window treatments to a window should certainly be to create the appearance that the windows are larger than they actually are. However, it is important to avoid overkill. When window treatments are too huge or heavy for tiny basement windows, the windows will seem weighed down. Rather, make sure to pick window treatments that will give the basement windows a light and spacious aura. Doing more with less will help to lighten up your basement, on different levels.

We know from personal experience that bright colors tend to cheer us up. Seeing bright umbrellas and bright clothing on rainy days can quickly turn our frowns upside-down. Likewise, using bright colors can help to lighten up the atmosphere in a finished basement. By selecting light hues, you can boost people’s moods whenever they pay a visit to your home’s basement, as wall artwork also can.

Regardless of which color and design you pick for your basement window treatments, it is important that they do not stick out like a sore thumb. Instead, choose colors and designs that complement the rest of the room. That includes the ceiling, the walls, the carpet or tiles, and the furniture. You have several options from which to choose. For instance, you can use window treatments with the same color as other items in the room. Another method is to complement other décor in the room, by using contrasts. For instance, you could use a light-colored window treatment to contrast a darker piece of furniture.

The valance functions in hiding the curtain rod. Experiment with its placement to make the window look larger. To increase the appearance of window’s height, put the valance above the frame of the window. Meanwhile, to boost the appearance of the window’s width, extend the valence beyond the sides of the window’s frame. Meanwhile, you can use a valance to cover the top of the window frame, and curtain panels to conceal the sides of the window frame.

In the case of basement windows, the conservation of light is particularly important, considering how tiny basement windows are. When basement windows fail to let in a moderate amount of light, your basement can take on the air of a medieval prison.

Thus, you should avoid window treatments that are heavy. Instead, select those whose weights are light. This will literally lighten up the atmosphere of your basement, making it a cheery place in which you will not hesitate to spend your time for rest and relaxation.

Get Light in and Keep Busybodies’ Eyeballs Out

While you certainly want to get as much sunlight in as possible, it is important to maintain your privacy. This is particularly true if your next-door neighbors are extremely close. If you want to let in light while maintaining enough privacy, then consider bright and light curtains. On the other hand, if you want window treatments that provide you with more flexibility, then consider installing mini blinds. You can open or close them as necessary.

Create your own basement window treatments

In these challenging economic times, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) tasks have become particularly popular. When adding window treatments to your basement windows, you can also take a DIY approach. Whether you want to create shades, blinds, or a box valance, you can complete the project with the right tools, equipment, and instructions. Why spend a fortune when adding treatments to your windows?

Installing blinds can provide your windows with several benefits. Closed blinds can keep out the piercing sunshine in the morning. When you need privacy in your basement, blinds can also keep out meddling eyes.

Furthermore, blinds can create the appearance that your small basement windows are larger. Choose white or light blinds to create an optical illusion of a larger window. Select horizontal blinds if you want the blinds to seem wider and vertical blinds if you want to cause the blinds to boost the appearance of the blinds’ height.

Keep in mind that when selecting treatments for your basement windows, you have a variety of options, as you do with wooden wall sculptures. For instance, if you want to add shades, there are many options here including balloon shades, cascading fan shades, fabric shades, roll-up shades, and Roman shades. Each type of sub-class within a particular class of window treatments has its own pros and cons. Thus, the most important factor when selecting window treatments is to select the right one for your particular basement’s decor. This criteria is more important than the latest trend or which ones your Aunt Bertha uses in her home.

A variety of shades, such as Roman shades, are one option for basement windows. You can use shades alone, or to complement drapes and valences. The main benefit of shades is that they are an effective type of window treatment if you want to block out all light from your basement, or need total privacy. On the other hand, the drawback of shades is that they can completely conceal your windows. Since we usually want to increase the appearance of basement windows, it is somewhat counterproductive when shades make them “invisible.”

When selecting window treatments for your finished basement’s windows, you have many options. Consider each available option as a window of opportunity!

All text copyright Shanel. Photo from Flikr - "The Church Basement" courtesy of Ted Percival.