Welcome back to our Hospitality Design Trends & Tips! The Hotel Drapery & Bedding team wants to help you with tips on the two subjects that we are considered experts: Window Treatments and Bedding.
Our perspective and experience in the field can help you navigate through all the options out there. Drapery, Roman Shades and Roller Shades in the guest room have one of the most essential roles in the space; it must provide 100% blackout for the guest and because it is at plain eyesight, and a lot of times a focal point when coming into the room, it must complement or accentuate the space.
Selecting the window treatment that will communicate the functionality that you need, and the style that you want to portray is an important task. If possible, try to do this with a Hospitality Designer to guide you within the ADA and Fire-Retardant requirements.
But what to select? To help with your selection, along with our descriptions, we are providing an image of the three types of window treatments with the same wallpaper, flooring, and material color for the window treatment.
This article should help you identify your favorite style for your next project.
1. Drapery:
Drapery is an excellent option for traditional and transitional spaces. Since drapery has been in the market for a while, generally, they provide a peaceful design to the room. However, since drapery tends to take over visually do its fullness (the amount of extra fabric we are adding to be able to extend to cover the window) and height, this can also be an essential focal point with color, texture, and pattern. Drapes are available as blackout to hide the light 100% and as sheers to give the guest privacy without blocking the sun.
Options to versify your curtains:
(1) Having a sheer on the front of the blackout, it allows the sheer to be more decorative and your blackout a simple option.
(2) Have the blackout drape in the front.
(3)Have both sheer and blackout on the same rail. This last one is great when space towards the room is limited, but the horizontal space is more accessible for stacking.
2. Roller Shades:
They are the most modern and clean look available in shades. As well as drapes, it can be mounted on the wall or on the ceiling. Mounting on the ceiling of the highest point of the wall gives you the feeling that the walls are taller than what they really are. Roller Shades are available in sheers and blackouts too. Sheers are called solar and they come in different openness factor, which each percentage is the amount of light that it goes through. Solars come commonly in 1%, 3%, 5%, and 10%, which they have to be paired with a blackout drape (knows as a duo shade) with a blackout. Roller Shades have come a long way since they started in the commercial sector, we now see fun digital prints, textures, and mix of materials. The room can be as minimalistic or artistic as you want with the right material in your roller shades.
3. Roman Shades:
One of the most versatile window treatment options due to its clean modern look (like roller shades) and its soft look and feel (like drapes). Roman shades are the perfect mix of roller shades and drapes. Before selecting a Roman Shade, it is important to see that the stacking will on the top of the window, so consider mounting the Roman Shade higher than where your window starts. The longer the roman shade is, the bigger the stack. Likewise, to the roller shades, roman shades can be inside or outside mounted. This depends on the windowsill and other factors to make sure we don’t have any light leakage.
*The image above shows an outside mount roman shade with an 8” flat fold. This means that we are mounting in front of the window: higher and wider than where the window ends. The 8” flat fold that stands on the way of each fold that stacks to the top is a more modern look than a traditional full fold where they are usually more rounded and smaller.*
Now compare all 3 images and check on which one you like the best.
On the image below, you can see the room with a Roman Shade which keeps the minimalistic/contemporary feel by adding some softness that is very similar to the beds.
Hotel Drapery & Bedding is here to help you, no project is too big or too small. We can assist with your questions, measures, and design advise.
We know that the process can be overwhelming sometimes since we have a lot of options, but our expertise will guide you to your best decision. We hope that this has helped you in selecting your new favorite window treatment for your next remodel and remember to consider professional help before purchasing this can save you a lot of money in the long run.
And stay tuned for more!