Bathroom window - Dress up or leave bare
By treating a bathroom with a beautiful valance, wood blinds or a colourful Roman shade, you can enrich and soften the room, even as you keep the busy world at bay.
A bathroom should equal privacy in the same way a kitchen should equal conversation. It's a simple equation whose foundation comes in part from the way a bathroom window is dressed. By treating it with a beautiful valance, wood blinds or a colourful Roman shade, you can enrich and soften the room, even as you keep the busy world at bay.
If you're looking for something that stands out, don't worry. Window treatments are as diverse as the sizes of windows they cover, and a unique look can be achieved for as little as R30!
Designer looks on a budget
In the bathroom, designers often pair mini-blinds with valances. The blind offers the utmost in privacy while the valance brings warmth to the room. You can make your own stylish valance and splurge on an elegant rod and a store-bought mini-blind.
The easiest way to make a valance is to purchase a dowel rod or piece of pine and cut to the width of the window, and the hardware needed to fasten to the wall at the top of the window. You will find plenty of options for these at your local Builders Warehouse. Glue or use panel pins to attach the fabric to the rod. To make the mini-blind you don't even need a sewing machine! Purchase iron-on webbing at your local fabric store to use an iron to hem and edge the blind material.
If you want something even simpler than a shade or valance, you can use Contact self-adhesive vinyl to create faux sandblasted or etched effects on windows. Contact offer a range of Stained Glass or Frosted Glass self-adhesive vinyl that can be applied to windows and shower doors. Quick and easy to apply; cut out the shape, peel off the backing and apply to the glass.
Make window louvres
If you're on a tight budget, but want something with a cottage feel, attach hinges onto beautiful picture frames (or building your own frames) and using a staple gun to attach lace or a synthetic fabric to them. Voila, you've got shutters.
Window louvres are a classic yet versatile window treatment that works for both traditional and contemporary decor. To make your own mock shutters, you will find most of the supplies that you need at your local Builders Warehouse store.
Choose your fabric
Once again, you can easily make a mini-blind and valance, but if you prefer to have something custom fitted, you can choose your fabric and have the valance custom-made. Costs vary depending on the fabric and style that you select.
One-of-a-kind windows
If you've got a bigger budget to spend, then many designers suggest you invest in a custom-made window treatment. A custom-made Roman shade will cost around R800 for the fabric and labour. Alternatively, consider custom-made, built-in shutters, which are easy to maintain, provide full coverage and you can let light in by opening the louvers. Ventilation, sunlight and artificial lighting can all be adjusted to create a certain mood. Shutters also go well with many bathroom styles from traditional to casual.
Glass paint allows you to be creative with windows. Bear in mind that glass paint needs to be applied when the glass is horizontal, so you may have to remove window glass to apply the paint. Alternatively, paint onto 3mm glass panels and glue these over the top of the existing glass.