I'm soooo helping you smart, creative people can help me with my home office window. It is small and uninteresting. I'm going to be producing some instructional videos from my computer. Because the window and that wall will be my backdrop, I want to do something dramatic and interesting with it. One thing, the office space itself is really small (about 10.5 x 11.5 ft). I've tried curtains and they really overpowered the room. Of course, I think the ones I chose were too heavy and the wrong color. So curtains aren't out of the question per se, especially if there's something interesting that could be done with them. I'm guessing that color and fabric will be really important. I just need good ideas from far more creative people than myself. Another idea I had was to get some kind of white roller shades, the kind that let natural light still come through, and somehow "decoupage" (for lack of a better word) a really neat print onto it--you know, like that block print of an ocean wave by that famous Japanese artist. Wouldn't that be really cool and interesting? Of course, I have no idea how to do that since I am not crafty in any way, LOL. So any and all ideas would be so very much appreciated. Thank you all in advance! My boring office window ( photo / image / picture from DIYer's Garden )
You can buy some lovely patterned roller blinds these days with pictures pre-printed on them. Simply Google and you'll find lots to choose from that would cheer up your window area.
Funny you should mention that. I actually am keeping that idea in mind as I found some nice ones. But I'm still trying to explore other ideas as I'm not sure that will be as dramatic and creative as I'm trying to get it. Please do keep those ideas coming! Thank you so much!
I once saw the coooooolest window treatment ever. They took a peice of plywood and cut it to fit the whole window. Then they did a buddha-shaped cutout in the middle, and then they covered the whole thing with a cream colored sheet and put it in the window. So it looked like a large peice of artwork with a lit sillouette in the center.
A friend of mine did a neat thing with a window. She cut lengths of different kinds of pretty ribbons and hung them from a simple rod with those curtain rings that have a little clamp on the bottom. It was interesting as the ribbons fluttered in the breeze. Not good for privacy of course, but infront of a simple blind, might be fun.
Oh, that IS cool indeed! Definitely going to remember that one for future reference. Unfortunately, I need as much light as I can get in this dingy, tiny little room. But who knows... maybe if I keep thinking on it, an offshoot of that idea might occur to me. Thank you!
This may come a little late, but if you are planning to use this wall and/or this window as a backdrop for training videos, I would caution against installing a roller shade that has a lot of pattern on it. You don't want to distract from yourself or the subject you are training on. I would go with your original idea to do stationary draperies on both sides. Make them a little lighter or darker than your walls. That will help your small room appear larger. Also, to maximize your light, only allow about 4" of the curtains to cover the window on both sides. Install them just a few inches from the ceiling add height to the room. I would then remove the mini blinds and install woven woods, you know, the natural shades with a liner that allows light to filter in. When you are filming you can raise or lower them as needed. Because that window is so high from the floor I would find a credenza, sofa table or a wide narrow bookcase to place along the length of the window either overlapping the curtains or just within. Either will be fine. Any of these can drop a foot or less from the bottom of the window so you could add two tall lamps on both side to address your lighting issues. You may even get more storage out of it. To do this you may have to consider selling the tall narrow bookcase in the corner since the curtain panel will fall very close to it. Now you have a nice, symmetrical design that will show in the frame of your camera for your video.
Window Design Solution Hoping that my reply did not come too late, here is what I think it might work. Considering the color of the walls remains the same, for window treatment solution, I would use a light gray roller blinds, with a darker gray window curtains. I would not make them very wide as there is not enough wall space. Removing the corner bookcase sounds good, as it does not seem to be very functional either. Instead, placing a cabinet, in a dark wood, or even black, under the window would balance the tall window. For accent details, the use of a either stainless steel, or black metal modern curtain rod would bring colors together. This is an office space, therefore needs to be professional, clean design, the use of Buddha design in window would take that feel away, even though this idea sounds quite appealing for another space. In the corner, where the bookcase is now, I would use a metal finish or black metal floor lamp, to bring more light into the room. The cabinet under the window can be decorated for a more personal touch with black and white photos, in black frames. Depending on your budget you can add few little more details, like chrome/any metal books holders, or other decorative accents. To blend the design with the rest of the room for a flow in the space, I would use the bin and pencils holder in the same chrome finish. Good luck. Regards, Bianca
That's so funny that two people mention getting rid of the corner cabinet, LOL. I actually bought that specifically for the purpose of adding some style and visual interest to my backdrop. The corner piece is integral to my vision so it's definitely staying. Just trying to do something interesting with the window now. Since posting this, what I discovered is that I have to cut off all light from the window as I sit at my desk and record the videos because it creates direct glared right into the webcam (didn't think about that before!). So now I'm thinking about going with simple roller shades in a blackout fabric in an unexpected color. I found some plum colored ones that would go great with the brown/tan wall color. What do you think about that? PS: Also can't have anything under the windows because there is a baseboard heater right there. I'm not concerned with that space or decorating the rest of the room. That's already done. I'm just trying to do something interesting with the window. Thanks all for your great ideas! Keep'em coming.
Window Design Solution Hmmm. From this picture the color of the wall seemed more of a rosy pink. If it is indeed a brown tan than yes plum shades would go just fine. It is important though what are the exact colors. Since it is such a narrow view of the room, I can't really tell how it is decorated or what is the furniture placement. Just an idea, do you think that furniture rearrangement would be possible and would it solve the glare on your computer screen? Since it's an office and you use a lot your sight, you definitely need natural light. Reducing it, and replacing it with artificial could be detrimental for your eyes in time. If you deal with glare issue each time you use your computer, you will end up having the (darker) blinds always down, giving the room a "cave" feeling. Maybe using the plum colored blinds and rotating the desk in an angle that will not allow any glare on the screen might be an answer.
Thanks, but I'm not looking for redecorating advice. That's already been handled and everything is laid out exactly the way I want it already. Just looking for interesting window treatment ideas.
There's too much empty space below. Spice up the window by adding a narrow table, and decor of your choosing. Picture frames, large art books, or candles will work. Then add some drapes or maybe bamboo shades.
