Originially, we had planned on doing only one room for our Shiny, Happy Room Makeover contest with Emily Henderson. Once we met the family and saw the curtains over the bay windows in the boys’ bedroom, we decided we needed to give the boys’ windows a little bit of help, too.
Ian’s room before
The room itself is actually really cute. There’s good use of a repeating color pallette, a nice mix of solids and patterns, some pops of color. It’s got a great whimsical charm – but those window treatments are doing nothing for the room. The blinds on the transom above the bed were difficult to get to, and the long cord was definitely not child-safe. The curtain on the bay window is just in the way, and isn’t effective with either light control or energy efficiency. LA doesn’t have the problem of needing to prevent heat loss through the windows, but the sun coming in those windows bakes the kids’ room. Plus, the window treatments just aren’t attractive.
For this room, we were really considering three very important things:
Safety – the parents needed to be able to easily adjust the shades, but they needed to be safe for the kids. This means no dangling cords.
Light control – the parents didn’t want the sun waking the boys up early in the morning, so room darkening shades were a must. This also helps save on energy costs of the home.
Style – of course, we wanted the shades to be attractive and make the room feel cohesive and put together. We also wanted the shades to be very sturdy – children are not always the most gentle with their décor.
The solution: Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella® honeycomb shades in Smoke Blue. Duette® shades are one of my all-time favorite products because they are one of the most energy efficient shades on the market. Plus, they’re versatile – there’s a color and style for almost any window.
Ian’s room after
For the bay window, we installed the Duette® honeycomb shades with the LiteRise® lift system, which means there are no cords to worry about – they literally adjust by pushing on the little handle at the bottom. We fit the honeycomb shades close to the window so there was minimal light gap between the shades. For the cornice, we selected a fabric with a nice geometric pattern that echoed the colors around the boys’ room.
The best part – for the hard-to-reach window over the bed, we used the same cornice pattern and Duette® Architella® shades, but we installed them with the automated lift system PowerRise® – this means the shades can be adjusted with a remote, wall switch, or with the Hunter Douglas Platinum app for iPhone and iPad. The parents can adjust the shades from the other room with a touch of a button, or create settings to adjust them automatically at certain times without having to do anything. Completely safe for the boys, and convenient for the parents. (Also, it’s downright fun to adjust your windows with your phone.)
The room turned out great, and the boys’ face absolutely lit up when they walked in. Don’t take my word for it, though – we’ve got the whole makeover for you to watch! Thanks to SharkPig for putting this video together:
If you’re looking for a window makeover of your own, you can get the same star treatment from Décorview by requesting your very own free design consultation.
All before photos by Tessa Neustadt and all after photos by Zeke Ruelas.
