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energy efficient window treatments

Ann Marie Spinner
10 years ago

We renovated the kitchen and have a bay window which needs window treatments. I used to have the double cell shades. My walls are 2x4 so I cannot put anything inside the window itself. In my old house I had a quilted shade that had to have side mounts. I do not want to add any hardware to the sides on my windows. Can anyone recommend a shade/blind that may have some energy efficiency?

Comments (6)

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    10 years ago

    Unless you seal the edges, it won't be completely insulating, but any window treatment that is solid, preferably of insulated fabric will help keep it warmer inside the house. The heavier, the better.

    I'm not sure what 2x4 construction has to do with window treatments, but you want to design the treatment so it is as flat as possible against the wall. If you do an inside mount, make sure it runs edge to edge in the window. If you have an outside mount then have the treatment drop to the sill. If it goes beyond then it will open up air leaks on the side as it goes around the sill.

    Probably your best bet would be a roman shade. You can also just have a valance over the windows just for looks and underneath hide a solid vinyl roller shade that will lay next to the window and help insulate it.

    This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Sat, Nov 23, 13 at 20:10

  • Ann Marie Spinner
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Annie- I just put up roller shades on my bay window in the kitchen. I want to put a valance up to soften the area. It is open to my great room so I want to do them in a coordinating fabric, or the same fabric but in a curtain. In looking at some past threads I saw you made a valance for your window seats. Your bay window is very similar to mine and I wonder if you have 3 separate rods or did you use a custom board? Also, is your window treatment a valance that looks similar to a roman shade that is rolled up, but of course is stationary? Thanks for your help.

    Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    10 years ago

    For my bay window, I mounted boards to the wall with L brackets and stapled velcro to the boards and attached the valances with velcro.

    They are what is called a mock hobbled roman shade. Mock in that they are just a valance and don't go up and down. Roman in that the fabric pleats up on itself. Hobbled in that it doesn't pleat up all the way but stops revealing the pleats below.

  • Ann Marie Spinner
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Annie-thanks so much for the info. I just need to decide what to do. I will start another thread to see if I can get some other bay window treatment suggestions since it will not be under the "energy efficient" title. Thanks for your help.

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    10 years ago

    You may want to get window treatment ideas from this thread....

    Here is a link that might be useful: window treatment ideas

  • graywings123
    10 years ago

    A photo of the window would help.

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