We’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: if you really want your home to look grown-up, thought-through, like something you see in a magazine, you must dress your windows.

Think about it – the windows are probably a big reason you bought or rented your home. Windows let light in, provide and frame scenes to look out onto, offer ventilation and contribute mightily to the general vibe of a place. They’re such a huge part of your home that they should be considered on a room-by-room basis, with just as much intention as you put into choosing furniture, rugs and lighting.

We find that people are intimidated by window treatments. This primer is intended to Home Remedy that. Remember, home decor is just as much about fashion as apparel, and it changes as quickly. It’s perfectly acceptable to feel “scarred” by your mother’s swoopy, Gone With the Wind drapes. They’re not in fashion anymore and you won’t be caught dead with them in your house, just as you no longer wear leotards and leg warmers. You still need to dress your windows. We’ll help you do it stylishly!

Window treatments are all around you. Start paying attention to them and you’ll quickly learn what you like and don’t like. Remember that you may not be able to get everything you want, but hopefully most.

We always instruct people to think about what they need from their window dressing – light control, privacy, or just need softening with some fabric. Ask yourself:

Is the sun in your eyes when you’re trying to sleep in? Do you feel like people outside see everything you are doing, including whatever you are watching on TV? Does the sun set directly in the family room windows and make summer afternoons unbearable? Are your windows old and drafty and you need them insulated from both the heat and the cold?

Then get even more specific with yourself: Do you want your bedroom to have daylight during the day, or are you just as likely to keep windows entirely covered all the time? Is there only part of your window where you feel exposed to the outside, or is it the whole thing? Does your room feel less inviting because the glass turns into an unflattering mirror in the long dark winter hours?

On top of all this, consider what your room really needs. If you’re like us, you’ll take any opportunity to add fabric anywhere. It adds texture, color, pattern and coziness.

Inside mount treatments are mounted inside the window trim. Inside mounts are often the least-fussy choice and reveal all your window trim. However, they do cover up at least some of the glass.

Outside mount is outside the window trim. Outside mounts can draw the eye up, making the window and thus the room feel much bigger. Outside mounts over multiple windows makes for easy operation — raise one large treatment rather than 2+ singles.

Cellular or Honeycomb shades

-Very insulating – keep the cold, the heat, and the sound out.

-Small, sleek stack at top or bottom of window

-Most likely to black out a room - especially if a second treatment (drapes or Roman shade) is added

-Wide selection of opacities

-Inside or Outside mount

-Top Down/Bottom Up available

-Corded, cordless, motorizable

-Fabric-y look and feeling from many of the styles

Roller Shades

-Inexpensive

-Nostalgic?

-Everyone knows how they work

-Good as inside mount in double treatment

-Corded, cordless, motorizable

-Opacities are generally just light filtering and blackout (no sheers or semi-sheers)

Woven Woods

-Wide selection of grasses, woods, and reeds, in all kinds of colors.

-Adds a texture that you really cannot get in any other way

-Wide selection of opacities

-Inside or Outside mount

-Top Down/Bottom Up available

-Corded, cordless, motorizable

Shutters

-Impressive – they’re like a piece of furniture for your window

-Easily adjusted manually to filter or block whatever portion of the window you wish

-Many different wood finishes, though almost everyone gets white

-These are not fabric in any way – they don’t “soften” a room, or add much pattern or color (although shadows can be kinda cool)