3 Timeless Window Covering Design Tips That Never Go Out of Style
Every week, I meet with homeowners who say some version of, "I want something beautiful, but I don’t know where to start." And I get it. There are so many choices in custom window coverings—from roller shades and Roman shades to shutters and custom drapery—that it can feel like a lot.
But in almost every in-home consultation, I end up sharing the same three basic design tips. They aren’t trends. They’re good, old-fashioned design principles that work in almost any room, and they’ll still work years from now.
1. Start With Function
Before we ever talk about color or style, I ask: What does this room need the window covering to do?
Does it need privacy? Better light control? Room darkening? Less glare on the TV? Heat control? Or is the window treatment mostly decorative?
Once we answer that question, the list of choices gets much simpler. Then we make it beautiful. A window covering can look wonderful, but it also needs to work for the way you actually live in the room.
DESIGN TIP: Solve the practical problem first. Then choose the style, fabric, color, and details that make it beautiful.
2. Don’t Try to Match—Create Contrast
This is probably one of the design tips I repeat most often during consultations.
When we’re choosing a color for a window covering, I usually recommend going about two shades lighter or two shades darker than what we’re putting it next to.
Why? Because you don’t want it to look like you tried to make it match and missed. When two colors are almost the same—but not quite—it can feel accidental. A small step of contrast makes the choice look intentional.
That doesn’t mean the colors shouldn’t relate to each other. They absolutely should. The goal is to complement the room rather than force an exact match. Whether we’re selecting a roller shade, Roman shade, shutter, or drapery fabric, that little bit of contrast can make the whole space feel more professionally designed.
DESIGN TIP: If you’re stuck between colors, try looking two shades lighter and two shades darker instead of searching for an exact match.
3. Look Down Before You Look Around
When homeowners are choosing colors, it’s easy to focus on the rug, throw pillows, artwork, or even the furniture. But I often tell clients to look down first.
Your flooring is probably going to stay. You may change your rug. You may change your pillows. You may even replace your furniture someday. But hardwood, tile, or carpet is usually one of the more permanent colors already in the room.
So I want the window coverings to work with the flooring, not against it. That doesn’t mean they need to be the same color. We’re looking at the undertones and the overall warmth or coolness of the space. If the flooring and window treatments relate to one another, you’ve anchored the design to something permanent.
Then, if you change accessories later, your window coverings can still feel completely at home in the room.
DESIGN TIP: Before choosing your window treatment color, compare the sample to the flooring as well as the wall color.
Good Design Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
That’s really the heart of good design: simple decisions, made thoughtfully.
If you remember just three things—start with function, use contrast on purpose, and let your flooring help guide your color choices—you’re already well on your way to choosing window treatments that feel intentional and pulled together.
Trends will come and go, but these are the kinds of design principles I’ve used with clients for years. They work because they aren’t about chasing a particular look. They’re about making the window coverings work with the room and with the people who live there.
Need Help Choosing the Right Window Coverings?
Sometimes a second set of eyes makes all the difference. During an in-home consultation, we can look at the room as a whole—your flooring, wall color, furnishings, natural light, privacy needs, and how you actually use the space—and narrow down the choices together.
The goal isn’t just to find a window covering that fits the window. It’s to find the one that feels right in your home.
About the Author
Mary Pokorny is a window coverings professional and the owner of Budget Blinds of Hays County and Southeast Austin. She works with homeowners through in-home consultations to select custom window coverings, including shades, shutters, blinds, and custom drapery, with a focus on practical function and thoughtful, timeless design. If you are in Kyle, Buda, San Marcos, Driftwood, Belterra, High Pointe, Onion Creek, or Easton Park, call Mary for an in-home consultation.