I met with a prospective client who recently moved into a large townhouse. As he took me on a tour of his home he mentioned that he had a window treatment person come out to give him an estimate on doing all his windows.
The kitchen of this townhouse was located on the second floor and overlooked the parking lot of the complex. Additionally, the kitchen had tall windows. The owner mentioned in passing that the treatment the window person had recommended for his kitchen was a shade and side panels. I asked the prospective client if he enjoyed lingering over coffee and the newspaper or his computer in the mornings. He said that he did. I pointed out to him that people walking through the parking lot could actually look up and see him sitting at his breakfast table. I recommended either a bottom up shade or shutters on the lower half of the windows in addition to a decorative rod and side panels. This way he would still get plenty of natural light from the top of the windows and have privacy while sitting at his table. Also he would be seeing sky and not the parking lot.
This is just one example of the value that an interior designer brings to the process. It’s important to consider not only the aesthetics of the window treatment, but also the client’s lifestyle, conditions and potential problems at each window.
– Alexander Interiors, McLean, VA
