Old House Windows & Window Treatments
Victorian windows and window treatments: Shutters, Wood Blinds, Curtains
When remodeling an old house it is important to maintain the integrity of the original architectural design, especially regarding the old house windows styles. Before proceeding with window repair or window replacement, the various types of windows commonly found in Victorian houses and other old houses should be considered. There are several styles of double hung windows found in old homes. Next to the double hung window, in regard to general use in period homes, comes the casement window or French window.
The casement window has the sashes divided vertically, each being hinged at the sides like a pair of doors. Well-planned bay windows will greatly enhance the architectural effect of a home. Window seats in bay windows in the living or bedroom can serve as a relaxing retreat for reading.
Create a beautiful original window treatment with designs from the past, featuring period pelmets and lambrequins with illustrations. Window treatments, together with walls, floor, and ceiling, form the background for the furniture of a room. Curtains may be used to exclude an unpleasant view, to soften and diffuse the light coming through the window, or to frame an attractive outlook. Through careful choice of colors and textures, draperies may also serve as a connecting link between the walls and other furnishings. Various styles of window treatments during the Victorian period included valances, cornices, draperies, and curtains. When designing a window treatment in an older home, sometimes less is more – you can try a simple stencil design for window curtains.
Wood Blinds & Wood Shutters
Wood blinds and wood shutters will always be popular as they serve a two-fold purpose of usefulness and ornamentation. Victorian windows were usually equipped with wood blinds or shutters of some kind, and in hot weather these were closed to keep out the burning sun, making the interior cool and pleasant. In cold or stormy weather they also served as excellent protection from the elements. When the house was vacated for any period the time, closed wood blinds made it more secure against intruders. Today’s homeowners appreciate these qualities, together with the artistic effects obtainable with various wood blind styles, and are using them on almost every type of home even though they are more characteristic of period architecture. See Victorian styles of indoor and outdoor wood blinds, featuring sliding wood blinds which can be readily attached to the ordinary window frame, and readily removed there from.
Window Styles
Create beautiful original Victorian window treatments with designs from a turn-of-the-century magazine, featuring period pelmets and lambrequins with illustrations. These designs are appropriate for a variety of old house window styles from French windows, double hung, bay windows and casement windows.
