Holmen Move-Up Homes, Room by Room: What Does Each Window Need?

Start with the rooms you use most. In a bigger Holmen home, the great room usually needs glare control. It also needs one look across a run of windows. The kitchen needs something easy to wipe clean. The primary bedroom needs real darkness. A lower level or bonus room often needs light more than privacy. Plan the look for the whole house first. Then do it in stages.

Here's how that plays out, one room at a time. Fall and winter are a good time to plan. You'll see the low sun, the long evenings and the cold glass the house lives with for half the year.

Why are so many families moving up in Holmen?

Holmen has been growing fast. The village had 6,200 people in 2000. By 2020 it had 10,661. That's a 72% jump, per the Village of Holmen's comprehensive plan. The same plan says about 56% of the village's homes were built from 2000 to 2025.

The building hasn't slowed down. Holmen had the top net new construction rate in La Crosse County in the state's 2025 report. It came in at 6.39%, says the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. In spring 2025, News 8 reported plans for about 270 single-family lots south of Prairie View Elementary. About 90 more are planned north of Holmen High School. The station said homes like these are usually bought by people on their second or third house.

That fits what a move-up home usually means. More rooms. Bigger windows. And a family that already knows what it didn't like about the last place.

It's a long way from the village's start. Norwegian immigrants first settled Holmen in 1862, the Village's plan notes. The new streets tell a different story: open lots, young trees and lots of sky.

What does the great room need?

Glare control and a consistent look.

Great rooms in newer homes often have a row of large windows. Sometimes there's a smaller window or two above. Young lots don't have big shade trees yet. So low winter sun can cross the whole room in the afternoon and land right on the TV.

What tends to work:

• Light-filtering roller or fabric shades across the main windows. They soften glare and keep the room bright.
• One style and color across the whole wall, even if the window sizes differ. That's what makes a big room look finished.
• A plan for any high windows. If you can't reach them easily, ask about motorized options. Or leave them bare if they only show sky.

Think about evenings, too. In December, La Crosse-area sunsets come as early as 4:27 p.m. So the great room spends a lot of winter hours lit up. If it faces the street or a neighbor, you'll want a covering that closes fully at dusk.

What about the kitchen and eating area?

Kitchens are all about practical choices. The window over the sink sees steam, splashes and hands reaching past it every day.

• Pick fabrics or materials that wipe clean. Smooth roller shade fabric and faux wood both handle kitchen life well.
• Keep the sink window simple. A shade that raises fully off the glass makes it easy to open the window in summer.
• Watch the patio door by the table. Lots of move-up plans put a sliding door right there. Whatever you pick should clear the door completely when it's open. On cold nights it should close edge to edge.

Morning light matters here too. An east-facing breakfast nook can be lovely in January and blinding by June. A light-filtering layer you can lower partway is a good middle ground.

How dark should the primary bedroom be?

Darker than you think, for most people.

The primary bedroom is often on the quiet side of the house. But new neighborhoods bring new streetlights, porch lights and headlights. And come summer, the sun is up early.

• Room-darkening fabric blocks most light. A good fit at the edges is what makes it work.
• Layering a room-darkening shade with drapery panels adds softness. It also covers the light gaps at the sides.
• Matching the rest of the house is easy. Pick a fabric color that looks the same from the street.

Does anyone in your house sleep in, work nights or nap during the day? Then the bedroom is worth getting right first.

A note on winter nights: the average January low in La Crosse is about 10.5°F, per the state climatology office. A bedroom shade that closes snugly keeps some of that window chill out of the room. Add lined drapery for even more. Call it a comfort bonus on top of the dark.

What do kids' rooms and guest rooms need?

Kids' rooms usually need two things. Darkness for naps and early bedtimes. And a cordless lift. A cordless lift keeps the window clean-lined with no cords hanging down. That suits a room shared with little ones or pets.

Guest rooms can often wait. If family visits for the holidays, a simple room-darkening shade gives guests privacy and a good night's sleep. Beyond that, it's the room to finish last.

What does a lower level or bonus room need?

Usually more light, not less.

Finished lower levels in move-up homes often have a few small windows. Or one walkout wall with a patio door. Bonus rooms over the garage may have windows on just one side. In both, daylight is precious.

• Pick light-filtering or sheer fabrics so the room stays bright.
• Choose coverings that tuck up tight when raised. Every inch of glass stays open on gray days.
• Make an exception for a media room. If the bonus room is for movies or games, room-darkening fabric is the better pick.

How do the rooms compare?

How do you keep one look across a bigger house?

A bigger house can start to feel like a patchwork if each room is done on its own. A few simple rules help.

1. Pick a street-side color. Choose one neutral for everything that faces the front. The house looks pulled together from outside.
2. Repeat a material. Use the same fabric family in the great room, kitchen and hallways. It ties the main floor together.
3. Let bedrooms be different inside. Private rooms can have their own colors and textures. Just keep the side facing out consistent.
4. Do it in stages. Do the great room and primary bedroom first. The kitchen comes next. Then the rest. You spread out the work without losing the plan.

Does your new home back up to a hillside or a wooded slope? Privacy can change a lot once the leaves fall. Our guide to the La Crosse-area rooms that feel most exposed when the bluff trees go bare covers that. Did you move up from an older house with tall, drafty windows? Our post on lined drapes and drafty old windows may answer a few questions about the place you left behind.

You can browse roller shade styles and fabrics to start narrowing things down.

What's the best first step?

Walk the new house on a sunny afternoon. Then do it again after dark. Note the rooms where light bothers you and the ones where you feel on display. That list is your plan.

When you're ready, Budget Blinds of La Crosse can measure the whole house in one visit. We'll bring samples for each room. Then we'll help you decide what to do now and what can wait. Book your free consultation.

Kevin Sill is CFO and co-owner of the family-owned Budget Blinds franchises serving La Crosse, Winona and the Coulee Region.