23/05/2025
Designers' Guide to Types of Window Treatments - TheHues

Windows are the focal point of any room, providing natural light, airflow, and a connection to the outdoors. However, a bare window often leaves a room feeling cold and unfinished. The right window treatments do more than just look good—they insulate your home, protect your privacy, and define your interior design style.

With countless options on the market, choosing between drapes, shades, and blinds can feel overwhelming. We have broken down the most popular window treatment styles to help you find the perfect balance of function and fashion for your home.

What Are Window Treatments?

types of window treatments

Window treatments, or window coverings, serve three primary purposes: light control, privacy, and insulation. Beyond utility, they are a critical design element that adds texture, height, and color to a space.

TheHues offers a wide range of options, from structured blinds to flowing drapery. While big-box stores offer "one-size-fits-all" solutions, investing in custom window treatments ensures a perfect fit, superior fabric quality, and a polished, high-end look that elevates your home's value.

Curtains And Drapes

Curtains and drapes are the classic choice for a reason. They add softness to a room that hard blinds simply cannot replicate. Whether you choose a casual linen or a formal velvet, curtains draw the eye upward, making ceilings appear higher and rooms feel larger. At TheHues, you can customize everything from the fabric type to the pleat style.

Blackout Curtains

Blackout curtains are engineered to block 100% of incoming light. They are essential for bedrooms, nurseries, and media rooms where total darkness is required. Beyond sleep quality, custom blackout curtains offer excellent insulation, trapping heat during winter and blocking the sun's scorching rays in summer, which helps lower your energy bills.

Room Darkening Curtains

Often confused with blackout curtains, room darkening curtains block roughly 95% to 99% of light. They significantly dim the room but do not create a "pitch black" environment. These are ideal for living rooms or dining areas where you want to reduce glare on TV screens without losing the ambiance of daylight entirely.

Light-Filtering Curtains

If you love natural light but want to soften the harsh glare and protect your furniture from UV fading, light-filtering curtains are the answer. These fabrics provide moderate privacy while allowing a soft, diffused glow to permeate the room. They eliminate the "fishbowl" effect during the day without making your home feel cave-like.

Sheer Curtains

light filtering sheer curtains

Sheer curtains are lightweight fabrics that maximize natural light. Pro Tip: Sheers offer daytime privacy (you can see out, but others can't see in), but once interior lights go on at night, they become transparent. For this reason, sheers are best used in living areas or layered under heavier drapes to give you flexible control over both light and privacy day and night.

Sound-Reducing Curtains

What are sound-reducing curtains?

Sound-reducing curtains are crafted from thick, dense, multi-layered fabrics designed to dampen sound waves.

Why should you choose them?

While no fabric can completely "soundproof" a room against heavy construction, these curtains significantly reduce echoes and muffle street noise, creating a quieter, more serene environment. They are perfect for home offices, bedrooms facing busy streets, or urban apartments.

Outdoor Curtains

Outdoor curtains turn your patio, pergola, or gazebo into an extension of your living room. specifically designed to withstand the elements, outdoor curtains provide shade, wind protection, and privacy from neighbors.

pergola outdoor curtains

Window Shades

Shades are a modern, streamlined alternative to drapes, offering a clean look that fits inside the window frame.

Cellular (Honeycomb) Shades

Known for their superior energy efficiency, cellular shades feature a unique honeycomb structure that traps air, creating a barrier between your room and the window glass. They are the top choice for homeowners looking to reduce heating and cooling costs.

Roman Shades

Roman shades combine the softness of drapery with the functionality of a shade. When raised, the fabric stacks in elegant folds; when lowered, it lays flat. They are perfect for adding a touch of classic elegance to kitchens and bathrooms.

Roller Shades

Roller shades are the epitome of minimalist design. They roll up neatly into a tube, virtually disappearing to preserve your view. They are durable, easy to clean, and available in various opacities. For households with children or pets, we strongly recommend choosing cordless or motorized options to ensure safety.

Blinds

popular window shades and blinds

Blinds feature adjustable slats that allow you to tilt the light up or down, giving you precise control without lifting the entire treatment.

Wood & Faux Wood Blinds

Wood blinds add warmth and natural texture to a room. However, for high-humidity areas like bathrooms or kitchens, faux wood blinds are the superior choice. They offer the same aesthetic as real wood but are resistant to warping, cracking, and moisture damage.

Mini Blinds (Venetian)

Mini blinds feature narrower slats (typically 1 inch) and are a budget-friendly, functional choice for offices or guest rooms. They are durable and easy to maintain, though they offer a more utilitarian look compared to wood blinds.

Vertical Blinds

Vertical blinds are the go-to solution for sliding glass doors and large picture windows. Unlike horizontal blinds, they stack to the side, allowing easy pass-through for doors. Modern vertical blinds have come a long way, offering fabric vanes and sleek textures that move beyond the basic plastic look.

How To Choose The Right Window Treatment

1. Function First (Light & Privacy)

Start by asking what the room needs. Do you need total darkness for sleep? Choose blackout curtains or shades. Do you need daytime privacy but natural light? Layer sheer curtains with a heavier drape.

2. Energy Efficiency

Windows are a primary source of heat loss. If insulation is a priority, opt for cellular shades or heavy, thermal-lined drapes to keep your home comfortable year-round.

3. Style and Aesthetics

Your window treatments should complement your decor. For a modern, minimalist look, go with roller shades or grommet-top curtains. For a traditional or romantic feel, choose pinch-pleat drapes or Roman shades.

4. Custom vs. Ready-Made

While ready-made options are available, they rarely fit perfectly. TheHues specializes in custom measurements, ensuring your treatments hang perfectly—whether you want them to hover just above the floor or puddle elegantly. From custom sheer curtains to luxurious velvet drapes, we help you create a look that is uniquely yours.

TheHues From Real Life

Looking for a way to enhance your sleep and improve energy efficiency in your home.

Sahara

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Zoe

Blackout curtain = focus mode on 🧠🖤 close the blackout curtains and watch your brain quiet down

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Yarn

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Sunveil

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Laborien

Elevated elegance ✨ @decoratewithkatie just transformed her space with our laborien custom curtain in white

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Yuki

Sleep sanctuary achieved 🌙 @evokehome mastered darkness with our yuki linen custom woven shades in an outside mount

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Hana

Textural elegance, perfected 🌾 @my_eclectic_home_designs brought a rich, rustic elegance to her lounge with our hana bamboo shade in tan

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Embrace the sunshine☀️ dining room glow-up ✨ @livedincasita did a simple touch to her space with our sunveil linen sheer custom curtain in white

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Rustic kitchen charm ☀️ @maisonxblanche crafted the perfect blend of warmth and elegance in her kitchen with our yuki linen custom woven shades

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Ivy

Sweet dreams guaranteed ✨ @sweethouseliving just created the ultimate nursery sanctuary with our ivy linen blend blackout custom curtain in ivory

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Sally

Extra long curtains: custom-made for grand windows ✨ @home_is_calling searched everywhere for curtains for her 18-foot windows—and finally found her match

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Flow + function perfected ✨ @coosje_and_julius transformed their space into a serene retreat with our sally custom 100% blackout linen blend curtain in beige

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Kitchen's missing piece ✨ @juliaterpstra found the perfect finishing touch for her kitchen refresh with our hana bamboo woven shade in bark

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Dreamy curtain moment ✨ @jennyb

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FadeShield™

Breathtaking outdoors ☀️🌙 @__palko__ ’s patio glow-up is pure goals! our fadeshield™ canvas waterproof curtains in pure white (with easy-glide grommets) add instant elegance + battle sun, rain, and wind

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Café charm perfection ✨ @neutrals_n_colors proves timeless doesn’t mean dull with our sally linen blend custom café curtain in sage

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