Ten Ways Window Treatments Help Sell Your Home

Admit it, your house has problems. Every house does. Even if you love your home, buyers will find things to criticize.

As a seller, you want that list of problems to be very short. Like, no-deal-breakers short.

Here's where window treatments can  be your ally. Draperies, curtains, shades, blinds and shutters are some of a home stager's most dependable problem solvers.

I'm counting ten different ways they can remedy a look or situation that most buyers don't like.

1. Make Windows Look Larger. Buyers love big windows. Big windows admit more light, look modern, make the rooms fell more spacious, and create views.    

The way windows get dressed makes them look big and important, or not.
These windows look terrific because the draperies don't cover any of
the window opening. They are hung high and wide. Take note.   

2. Make Rooms Look Larger. Dressing a window in materials that don't interrupt the movement of the eye around the room will create the illusion of a bigger, seamless space.

When curtains and drapes like these creamy white ones are a color similar
to the wall color, they help the room read big. The horizontal lines of the 
blinds, the rug and the drapery rod also widen the space.  

3. Soften Hard Edges. While rooms like kitchen, baths and laundry areas have little in the way of upholstered pieces, that softness of window treatment fabrics will make the room feel friendlier and more approachable

. 

The fabric of this roman shade softens the look of the kitchen, and does so
without using much material, a money saver. Notice that the shade is hung almost 
completely above the window frame, suggesting a larger opening.

4. Emphasize a Color Scheme. Color choices are important to successful home staging. Any interior decorator will confirm that draperies are one of the most important color elements in a room.

Here's a bedroom that's managed to combine both rustic and refined vibes. 

The warm brown tones create a soothing palette echoed by the window shade.

5. Screen a View. Almost any kind of window treatment can be used to hide a less than prefect view, depending on the view and the opening. Shielding a view won't eliminate it, but can still reassure buyers that it's a manageable situation. 

Curtains like these are perfect solutions to a problem view. A roll-up shade or 
shutters would also work on a porch or balcony that overlooks ugliness.

Sheer panels are an easy way to minimize the impact of a view you'd
 rather forget. These are dressed with ribbon to make them look 
custom. I like that the drapery rods repeat the gold ribbon color. 

6. Give Privacy. A bath is one place we all prefer privacy, yet we want good lighting as well.The right window treatment will deliver both.

Choose adjustable blinds when privacy and light control are an issue. 

Wide ones like these deliver some upscale style, 

but don't shy away from ordinary mini blinds either.

7. Match Two Mismatched Windows. The right treatments can coordinate design elements that lack the symmetry or orderliness that smart home stagers strive for. 

 The windows in this bedroom resemble the sliding glass door because

 they are all dressed with white sheers on black rods. To echo to the motif, 

the bed canopy has similar black rods.

8. Emphasize an Architectural Feature. Just the way window dressings can disguise a home's flaws, they can call attention to what you want to show off. 

 Lilac drapes frame this large multi-paned window that could be 

the room's focal point and a selling feature. It even appears that the 
fabric color matches the flowers blooming outside!

9. Set the Mood of the Room. Lined draperies of luxurious fabrics beneath upholstered cornices say, "I'm formal and fancy," but gingham cafe curtains announce a casual, laid-back tone. When you stage your home, it's best to adhere to a style throughout that expresses the home's architecture and setting. 

The valance of shirred natural burlap adds a little color and some 

texture, and supports the informality of this dining nook. 

10. Make an Ordinary Room Special. Some stylish curtains or drapes could be the wow factor every home needs. If you are staging a vacant property, full window treatments with some personality can carry a room that's sparsely or economically furnished. Imagine what the room that Tobi Fairley designed, shown in the top photo, would be without the standout green and white toile textile. 

Contemporary and industrial spaces can often get away with no window treatments. 
This is especially true when the view is important. 
Leaving the windows unadorned makes a statement. 
All photos Better Homes and Gardens except where noted. 

If You Are Staging Your Home you'll want window treatments that show your home in its best light. My $5 eBook, No-Sew Curtains and Draperies to Stage Your Home can be your new best friend. It will show you how to dress your windows DIY style even if you have no sewing skills or equipment. There are 15 illustrated tutorials for unique treatments, each with variations and each one designed especially for home staging. Whether you are leaving your window treatments behind when you move, or taking them with you, this book is a must.