Arts and Crafts Style Window Treatments

[MAK]

Hello, As a new member of this group, I'm looking forward to the threads here. We have our master bedroom decorated in Mission Oak and are looking to add some window treatments. Our primary considerations are light (only 2 windows, but they both face East - not *our* idea!), style (want to stay as close to traditional as possible), and functionality (ease of use and maintenance, etc.)

So here are my questions:

1. What suggestions does anyone have on appropriate window treatments, given these criteria? We're looking at both venetian wood blinds and roman shades.

1. Does the slat width (wood blinds) or # folds (roman shades) have a bearing on the Arts & Crafts or Mission style?

2. What about inside the frame vs. outside mounting of either? Which would be more in keeping with the style? Which would eliminate the most light? We have cranks on the windows - does that make a difference? What affect would outside mounting have on how far out curtains would go (I'd like to make some tab curtains). There's a narrow aisle in front of one of the windows.

1. If we go with the wood blinds, would you recommend wide or narrow slats? Light is the biggest consideration here, but also aesthetics.

Thanks in advance for your opinions on these!

[Penny S]

<snip>

There are many beautiful books on Craftsman homes, I knowmy library carries some, yours might too. I'd think you could get lots of ideas from looking at the photos.

penny s

[Allen Epps]

You might want to subscribe to

It's kind of pricy but my couple year subscription has led to lots of home and WW'ing ideas. Allen Catonsville, MD

[RLK" dashes_]

We live in a Victorian hybrid (has some colonial elements) built in 1907 - the previous owner left behind wood blinds and wooden half-shutters. She was very keen on keeping the period aspects of the house including historical colors so I have to believe it is in keeping. The wooden blinds and shutters are both inside mount, with 1" slats.

I can see tab-top curtains, especially if you chose beige or ivory linen with a natural slub so it complements the simplicity of the Mission elements in the room.

I guess it is quite a matter of personal preference.... all the original hardware -- the hardware for flat roller blinds mount outside and beyond that hardware for double rods. I'm limited slightly by what I can do for the windows as each window is topped by a cornice. They look lovely but too much dark wood, it is hard to decide whether to hang window treatments with the cornice above or behind them.

For curtains, I tend to favor heavier drapery to keep out drafts in an older house (I'm still working on this). Our bedroom has drapes with attached valances done in florals. Ideally, I would chose a vintage floral print on a tan or beige background heavy enough to need tiebacks. Waverly fabrics has an excellent assortment in their Vintage Collection. All the fabrics in this line have a faded vintage look and one fern pattern I know of is slightly reminiscent of Wm Morris. Bullion fringe would add a bit of Victorian splendour if that look is preferred. Right now I have large key tassels suspended from behind the valances. Our bedroom faces east as well, and in the summer the room is sweltering from the sun! I'm hoping to line the curtains for this or next summer to keep the room cooler.

[Dezignaré]

It seems you are set on blinds or shades, but you might consider sheer drapery panels for the actual window area to let in lots of light, with heavier side panels hanging off rings from a decorative iron rod. Fabrics, especially those with the beautiful patterns so indicative of the period, add much warmth and interest to the very straight lines of Arts and Crafts furnishings.

Hanging decorative arts and crafts stained glass panels over the existing windows is another option that will allow plenty of light and create a beautiful focal point. But, this may depend on whether or not you have a view you wish to obscure or enhance.

We also suggest you visit

where you will find, in some instances, virtual tours of historical structures built during the time, which will help you find the appropriate solution.

[Lowell Holmes]

That is a fantastic link! :-)

[buymyartwork.com]

interesting artist I have ever have ever known. In his web sight

art work is very abstract it is simply awesome. I have spent hours with people talking about what we saw in the art work. It seems every time we go back to look we all see another series of formations that make new creatures. enjoy the rek art.. the world needs to see this eye candy

[J. Clarke]

You might want to research Frank Lloyd Wright a bit if you haven't already. Windows were one of his great talents--see what he did and you won't be far wrong.

While he wasn't precisely part of the Arts and Crafts movement, his work was influenced by Arts and Crafts and later Arts and Crafts was influenced by Wright, and it would not be unusual to find Arts and Crafts furnishings in a Wright-designed house (while he designed the furnishings for most of the houses he designed he himself admitted that his furniture designs, visually impressive though they were, were often not very comfortable, so retrofits were not uncommon).

I just took a quick look through one of my references and in the photos there I find that he tended to use rather ordinary looking curtains, color coordinated to something or other--sometimes the woodwork or some other structural element, sometimes the window pattern (he was big on stained glass), sometimes something else, when he used anything at all--generally if it wasn't _necessary_ to cover the window for some reason he didn't provide any means to do so. He tended to hang curtains from overhead tracks that allowed the curtains to be moved completely out of the way when not in use rather than from the modern tracks that cover a single window. Also he occasionally used plain ordinary window shades.