Window treatments for ancestral and heritage homes are an essential item of decor. They also have a major influence on the overall style and ambiance of the rooms in your historical residence. Especially in ground-floor rooms of these often large homes, the windows are usually very tall. The solid wood window frames may be hand-carved with ornate designs, inviting the addition of decorative furnishings for the windows. Whether your preference is for handsome timbre lattice shutters or graceful lace curtains, you will find an appropriate design to dress your windows with stylish and functional treatments.
Ideas for Fashionable Window Treatments for Ancestral and Heritage Homes
When looking for the ideal selections in window furnishings for the large, elegant windows of your historical home, the following suggestions may be good choices:
• Shutters. The original window furnishings for many ancestral and heritage homes were interior shutters. In popular use as long ago as the days of ancient Greek society, these decorative and practical shutters help to block glaring sunlight and protect fabric room furnishings from fading. When closed, these shutters shield room interiors from cold winter drafts and steaming hot temperatures in summer. Solid panel shutters and louvered models with wide, adjustable blades continue to be popular among consumers today. Raised panel shutters can be customised to fit your windows as either bi-fold or sliding models with built-in pockets called embrasures.
• Curtains. During the Georgian period in British architecture and design (1714-1830), British and European decor had strong influence on most of the world. Window curtains that had once been plain and practical became much more decorative and attractive. Ornate flowing curtains and drapery with valances and swags made of heavy patterned damask, velvet and brocade fabrics were frequently used as window dressings in stylish homes.
These opulent, floor-length window furnishings were replaced during the Victorian era with curtains and drapes of silk, velvet, chintz, rayon and lace, often swept back with fringed or braided tiebacks to admit daylight. Lace curtains of many different types have remained in style for dressing windows in elegant rooms throughout the history of interior decor. The popular Arts & Crafts mode of decor favours the use of sheer lace panels with geometric border designs (Madras lace) and sheer muslin curtains in colours and patterns. All of these curtain and drapery fashions are suitable for the windows in your historical home today.
• Blinds. Blinds were first used in ancient Egypt where they were made of reeds from the Nile river. Later, in the mid-18th century, Venetian blinds were discovered in Persia by Venetian traders and adapted for popular use. During the Georgian period, dark cherry and walnut stained blinds of this type became popular. More sedate interiors were usually decorated with white or gray Venetian blinds to blend with window casings. Wooden and woven fabric blinds are often used as window treatments in ancestral and heritage homes today.
• Shades. In the 18th century, the festoon, a homemade pull-up shade, was in popular use as a window dressing. During the early 19th century, semi-translucent fabric roller shades were painted with elaborate pastoral scenes for window treatments. Roller shades with stencilled designs and ornate pull-tassels were also used under curtains and lace panels to cover windows. Some ancestral and heritage homes still feature these fascinating styles in historical window treatments.
When you contact our window treatment experts at I Love Blinds in conjunction with Eyecon Interior Solutions located in Nunawading, Victoria, and serving all of Melbourne and surrounding regions, you will receive comprehensive information, advice and designs in historical window treatments. Our experienced professionals will assist you in selecting the ideal styles and materials to adorn and enhance the windows in your ancestral or heritage home today.