Buy unique and affordable curtains, window panels and curtain rods that are perfect for your space. Elevate the look of your windows with our crinkle curtains, velvet drapes and natural fiber coverings. If you thought picking out white paint for your kitchen walls was a pursuit of patience only achieved by saints, dare to buy a shade for your living room. Choosing window treatments for your home can be a very angst-inducing pursuit. That shade or drape you choose for your windows will be in place far longer than the paint in your kitchen. In bygone years, our grandmothers as newlyweds trekked into Woolworth’s to shop for simple roller shades whose springs invariably sprung at some point whether pulled too far down or pulled too far up. What a hassle it was to properly rewind the spring. When Grandma had a bit more money, she shopped Macy’s or Bloomingdale’s curtain department, where the selection was better, but limited. Back then, every homeowner, it seemed, had the same shades on their windows.

With the Shade Store recently opening a showroom in Greenwich, a whole new world has been presented to us. Grandma won’t recognize the roller shade on display — it’s downright glamorous. There are 900 materials to choose from, four different styles, including waterfall and cascade, and different intensities of transparency that filter out UV rays so your carpets and upholstery won’t fade, but you still can see that glorious red maple in the front yard. There are bamboos, Belgian linens, grasses and jutes, blackouts with knockout floral, woven wood and fabric in solids or flush with prints. It’s an incredible trove. No need to fret, says Michael Crotty, chief marketing officer of the company, as he waltzes you to the windows festooned with four variations of the solar shade. We’re at the Port Chester, N.Y., locale, where six women, some with husbands in tow, have popped in during the last half hour, and it’s only 10:30 a.m. They scout the sections of blinds and drapery, and then stand as if mesmerized before a bank of shades hung on one wall, on the window on the opposite wall and a credenza-like piece of furniture harboring a slew of swatches.

“The process begins with the drawers,” Crotty says. The ones in the handsome wooden credenza include tonalities of white, of course. Bring in a pillow, a photo of the room, even bedsheets and a clever, trained professional will select samples to complement your home and colors. “It’s a fabulous idea,” says interior designer Katie Brown during the opening night festivities at the Greenwich locale. “You can take as many swatches as you want and tape them to your windows so you can see how the material works in your home.” gold curtains 90x54She pointed to the large windows overlooking the lot where savvy women park their cars and then peruse the racks of discounted design clothing at Roundabout. devaki curtains“I bought solar shades for my house,” she says, “and I love them.”owl shower curtain lakeside

Greenwich’s Shade Store anchors one corner of the stretch of West Putnam Avenue called “design central.” It is the latest showroom in the company’s portfolio of soon-to-be 50 stores nationwide, with headquarters and a much-larger showroom anchored in nearby Port Chester. All the showrooms are sleek and streamlined. Gone are the days of wading through fabric books that cram store shelves and counters of fabrics and sample shades pinned on every available wall space in a showroom. argos living blackout curtainsShade Store is as pristine as a lake shimmering at dawn.shower curtain periodic table ebay What a long way the company has come since founder Milton Goldstein opened a fabric store in Mt. Vernon, N.Y., in 1946. curtain draw rods 2m

The company quickly became a mecca for the design trade scouting luxe materials for its clients. While the pinch pleat drape still lures those who want a traditional, formal look, the aptly named ripple is the current favorite. With its incredible ease of movement from ceiling to floor, the fluidity of the ripple is a perfect choice for tall, statement windows, especially since fashion-inspired fabrics are wending their way into the Shade’s showrooms. The third generation of the family — brothers Adam, Ian and Zach Gibbs and their cousin, Greg Spatz — has taken a giant step forward by partnering with such leading designers as Diane von Furstenberg, Jeffrey Alan Marks, Jonathan Adler and Kate Spade.blackout curtains christchurch So if your head starts spinning with the rollers, the Romans, the draperies, the wood blinds (yes, you will find them here, as well) and the 14 different hardware collections vying for your love, sink into one of the couches as a design consultant steadies your nerves and narrows choices for you.

“We’re here to guide you,” says Adam Skalman, vice president of sales, as he points to a triple-layered window display: solar shade, topped by a Roman-tulip shade, topped by ripple draperies. Talk about drama at the window. “We are all about custom made simple,” he says, quoting the company’s mantra. “We are going to make the process as simple as possible for you.” With prices for a simple shade beginning at about $160, the company is obviously targeting the affluent consumer and the woman you overhear whispering to her balking husband, “Now honey, listen. Rosemarie T. Anner is a frequent contributor to Sunday Arts & Style.It can be tempting to purchase the first curtains that catch your eye, but before you buy, it’s important to consider where, why, and how you’re going to hang your draperies. Here, we offer curtains ideas for specific rooms in the house and demystify the many types of curtain headings and rods with illustrated guides. Blackout panels help block unwanted light—from a neighbor’s twinkling holiday display to natural sunlight that seeps in before the alarm clock sounds.

Look for panels that block a high percentage of light to ensure the most restful, uninterrupted night of sleep. Some products can block up to 99% of light, and these are ideal in kids’ rooms, home-theatre rooms, and dens. Decorative printed panels can up the style ante in any room. For a modern look, choose panels with a geometric, oversize floral, or animal print. If a pattern seems too bold, textured solid panels add subtle interest. Pleated-top curtains are more formal and traditional with eye-catching details built right in. There are multiple types of pleated-top curtains, including the double pinch pleat (shown above), pencil pleat, and goblet pleat. Sheer panels add a breezy, ethereal look to windows and don’t block much, if any, natural light. Display Tips for Sheer Panels Valances—decorative draperies that hang across the top of a window—can serve multiple purposes. They’re often displayed as an accompaniment to curtains, but they can also hang on their own to dress a window if privacy isn’t an issue or if you want to maximize natural light.

In areas where floor-length curtains aren’t practical, valances, shorter 63” panels, or café curtains are all good options. Café curtains are designed to cover the bottom half of a small window and are often hung inside the frame on a tension rod. Display Tip: To create a put-together look or more privacy, pair café curtains with a matching valance. A curtain’s heading not only dictates how to hang a particular set of curtains, but it also adds to curtains’ overall style, from modern and minimalist to traditional and tailored. Here, we cover eight of the most common curtain headings. Floor length is the most common look, but it’s not the only option. Panels are usually sold in three lengths—63”, 84”, and 94” (the most likely size for floor length)—so you should carefully measure from the top of the window to where you’d like the panels to fall before purchasing and again before hanging to get the look you want. A general rule is that the total width of curtains should be 2 to 2.5 times the total width of the window.