Choosing Window Treatments in Chicago for a Contemporary Room

When your home’s style is contemporary, you need your window treatments to be that same style as well. We talked to Room Resolutions’ principal designer, Jane Cunningham, to help our customers understand how to pick window treatments for contemporary rooms in Chicago.

Contemporary design covers a range of styles that are influenced by the second half of the 20th century. It’s built on softer, cleaner lines. According to Jane, contemporary means something different to everyone. Most of the time, homeowners are looking to open up the room. She’s heard statements like, “I don’t need an ottoman by every chair.” Or “I don’t have to have 15 items on the counter of my house.”

Contemporary rooms “give you the freedom to move.” Even if your living space is small, you can bring nature insideby opening up your view of the sky, the rain, and the sun in Chicago.

First, unclutter your windows. If you think about your grandparents’ windows, they probably had a lot of layers. There were shades on top of shutters, valances, and sheers. It feels claustrophobic. Remove the layers. By choosing window treatments that are built with clean lines, you can get the contemporary look you want.

Your Options For Contemporary Window Treatments In Chicago:

Shutters For Contemporary Homes

Plantation shutters work great with contemporary homes in Chicago. The 4.5” louvers complement a contemporary style. When you add a rear mount tilt rod to these wide louvers, your windows have clean lines across them from the shutters.

Shutters provide you with light control. You can open the panels to the side and see through your entire window. Another option is to mount divided shutters where the light streams in through the top.

They’re also easy to clean, which is something to consider if the space gets dusty easily. Contemporary décor looks best when all the items are clean and polished.

Cunningham recommends Polywood shutters to homeowners interested in window treatments for contemporary rooms. They’re her preference because they don’t change color and they don’t warp over the years.

According to Cunningham, reclaimed wood shutters are becoming popular in contemporary rooms. They have a touch of nostalgia. They bring back the industrial look of hardware. They go well with hardwood flooring to bring together the entire décor of the room. With reclaimed wood shutters, you can find a new way to incorporate an element from the past. The novel idea of using reclaimed wood as shutters is the epitome of the contemporary style.

Modern Barn Doors

Barn doors are a full scale masterpiece on the wall. Go with as funky of a color as you desire. You can get the restorative look. Or design it to look exactly like a traditional barn door. And you can give it a contemporary look like the hotel you recently stayed at.

Modern barn doors become room separators where you that often don’t have full doors. For example, when you want to block off your kitchen but not all the time.

Barn doors as window treatments are perfect for large windows with enough wall space. Shaker doors exhibit an openness that goes along with a more contemporary style. Hardware makes a large difference. Pick stainless steel to get that contemporary look you want. Or paint a barn door a bold color. For example, if the entire room is differing shades of white, a bold red barn door would pop against the wall and adds to the space.

“Barn doors add a conversation piece. The next gathering you have, I guarantee someone is going to have a comment. That’s because people aren’t expecting a barn door on a window.” - Jane Cunningham

Over the years, Cunningham has learned that our homes are part of who we are. They’re also an experience we can share with our guests. And a barn door is going to be part of that experience - and something your guests will be talking about.

Roller Shades

Roller shades are the perfect window treatment for contemporary rooms that have large scale windows and doors that can be folded into themselves. They’re discretely tucked away and let you bring in the outside view.

If you like to sleep in complete darkness so you can get a restful night’s sleep, roller shades can be ordered with room darkening add-ons. And if you want to block out noise, pair them with draperies that can be hidden on the sides of the windows.

Window Film

A lot of contemporary rooms in the Chicago area feature large windows that are often 25-30 feet tall. And when they face towards the west, the sun wear down the items inside.

Jane suggests window film to anyone with large windows. It gives you a full view of outside, which is exactly what you want for a contemporary room.

The film blocks UV rays, and means your carpeting and furniture retain their color longer. And it helps your home be more energy efficient.

Purchase Contemporary Window Treatments For Your Chicago Home

Give us a ring at 847-250-6544 to schedule your free in-home design consultation. Our experts come to your home and show you samples of the contemporary window treatments you’re interested in and their options. So you can decide on the window treatment that’s perfect for your home!

To learn more about Jane Cunningham and Room Resolutions, visit RoomResolutions.com today.