We added woven shades to the picture window in the living room. They are the same bamboo shades we have throughout the house and after linking to them in a post about our bedroom they were out of stock on Overstock for months. They finally became available again so I snatched up two in order to fill the gap between the curtain rod hung at ceiling height and the top of the window. The trick of installing woven blinds high above a window to make the window look larger is nothing new – to the design world or me – but I’m still amazed every time I witness the difference. Instantly, the picture window looked taller and another texture was introduced to the room.

In a perfect world {is there such a thing?}, I would have one continuous shade spanning the width of the window. But those things are expensive and the budget-friendly Overstock version we have throughout our house isn’t even available in that width. So to keep things cost-efficient and consistent, I ordered two shades and HH hung them side by side. For us, they are purely aesthetic. We don’t raise or lower them but we could if we wanted.

A post about two window shades is short and a little boring so let’s discuss pillows, too. Because pillow talk is never boring. It’s taken me a while to find the right pillows for our sofa. I’ve come to the conclusion that a mix of pillows in lighter, earthier colors and varied textures works best against the saddle leather.

All of the pillows hail from HomeGoods except for the kilim which was an etsy find. None of the pillows cost more than $20. I kept the two outermost pillows the same and sandwiched three non-matching pillows in between. The arrangement feels balanced but not rigid.

There’s a variation of texture amongst the pillows – smooth, embroidered, woven, etc. My favorite is this one with a random pattern of raised squiggly lines. Yes, “squiggly lines” is a technical pillow talk term.

All of the pillows have down-filled inserts which is my preference. They hold their shape better and longer and look plusher than polyfill inserts.

These two new layers – woven shades + pillows – give the room a cozier, homier look and feel. This is probably my favorite part of decorating – layering. Rugs, lighting, window treatments, pillows, blankets, greenery, furniture, accessories…they all contribute to that cozy lived-in vibe that well-layered, inviting rooms put off.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Since posting updates of the bedroom, I’ve fielded many questions about our window treatments. Many of you have questions! I thought it might help to turn my answers into a bona fide post. But first up…

…I finally got a chance to hem the curtains on the window…

…and on the closet. They are the RITVA 118″ panels. If you look closely, you’ll notice I hemmed the four closet curtains {94″} a few inches shorter than the window curtains {96″}. At the closet, we open and close the curtains daily to gain access to our clothing so it helps that the curtains graze the floor instead of pool onto it. At the window, we never close the curtains so a little pooling action gives a luxe, relaxed look. I prefer to sew my curtain hems versus using the popular hem tape. Sewing is cheaper and I think the curtains fall better with a sewn hem. But that’s just my personal preference.

Our ceiling in the bedroom is 8′. In a room with 8′ ceilings, you might be inclined to buy the 98″ version of the RITVA. However, if your plan is to hang the curtains floor-to-ceiling, once they are pre-washed there’s a good chance you could end up with flood water curtains. In my experience with IKEA curtains {and I’ve had quite a bit}, you lose about 4″-6″ of length after pre-washing and drying. Of course, it depends on the material you choose but either way you are going to lose some length and that needs to be considered – especially when you account for 2″ for your actual hem. I know it sucks to spend more on the longer version but, trust me, buy the longer version if you’re in doubt.

So the curtains are hemmed. Now to address the popular window treatment questions.

Source list: RITVA curtains // black cafe curtain rod // petite rustique bamboo shade // Levolor room darkening shade

The bamboo shades are functional but we don’t close them. Our windows are wide but relatively short so the 54″W x 74″H stock size woven blinds are a bit heavy and cumbersome to raise and lower daily. If we don’t close the curtains or the bamboo blinds, how do we maintain privacy at night? On all bedroom windows in our house, we use Levolor room darkening shades. Anything to catch a few more zzzz’s!

We bought the inexpensive Levolor shades at Lowe’s right after we moved in last summer. They can be cut in-store to your desired width. Just be sure to measure each individual window opening precisely. Even if all of your bedroom windows are 52″ wide, you need to measure the exact opening where each shade will be installed. The smallest of measurements can throw off the fit and function of the blinds. This is coming from someone who measured one window then had all the bedroom shades cut to the same width. Guess what? They didn’t fit. Luckily, we were able to recoup our cost by selling them on craigslist and then re-measure EACH WINDOW for a proper fit. Now you know.

When closed, they do a great job of blocking light and providing privacy although they aren’t much to look at. The tension needs to be readjusted sometimes, too. When a shade loses its ability to recoil completely, I just roll the shade all the way up and reset it into the metal holders within the window frame. It’s not difficult but it’s something I thought you should know. If you’re thinking of trying these shades out, expect a good price and great room darkening capabilities but also expect loss of tension over time.

To disguise the roller shades, I don’t pull the bamboo blinds all the way up. The blinds are installed outside of the window frame and close to the curtain rod to make the window look taller than it really is. Lots of window trickery happening in this little brick ranch! When adding woven blinds, typically, I like to see them mounted outside the frame of windows without molding and inside the frame of windows with molding. There are always exceptions though.

I’m still hunting for trim to add to the curtains. I’ve checked out every possible option near me but nothing has really caught my eye. I’m happy to wait it out until I find “the one.”

I think that covers everything pertaining to our bedroom window treatments. If there are still questions, post them in the comments below and I’ll try my best to answer them.

Check back later today for five things I’m doing next week. It’s going to be a fun one!

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking