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| June'99
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CHALLENGE:
My client has picked out a door for her new home and above it is a window with a rounded top. What should I suggest for a window treatment?
SOLUTION: The window you have described is an arched window. This type of door and window combination is designed to let additional light into the entry area or room. Depending on whether privacy is a factor, there are several solutions for treating this combination. One solution would be a sunburst window treatment. This treatment is designed only around the arched part of the window. The selected fabric is shirred onto a custom rod and gathered to form a sunburst. The fabric selected may be either a lightweight sheer or a medium-weight fabric that would provide privacy. The selection of fabric would depend on the statement you would like your design to make. If you choose to blend the color of the fabric with the door color, it would create a subtle overall appearance in the space. By choosing a fabric with a contrasting color, pattern or print, you could tie in the arched window with the theme created by the existing fabrics in the space. Deciding between these two choices is a personal preference, so you must ask your client which he or she would prefer. Another solution for the arched window would be a custom-made pleated shade. Many companies offer these shades in perfect arches (half circles) and in eyebrow arches. Some companies will custom make an arched pleated shade to the exact fit of the window if you can provide a template (after all, no two windows are ever exactly alike). An arched pleated shade will provide a wide range of colors and textures to fit any interior decor. It is possible to order an operable pleated shade that can be raised or lowered depending on how much privacy or light control is needed. Yet another suggestion is an arched wood treatment that can be stained or painted to match existing wood blinds or shutters in the room. Many wood sunbursts are manufactured with stationary vanes, but others can be made to open and close. Check with your supplier. Finally, the arched window can be treated with a film. In many instances the glass area is simply tinted to block the sun's ultraviolet rays and the window is left alone. Some of these films, however, provide little or no privacy. If privacy is a factor, there are window films that are patterned to look like etched glass. Again, this is personal preference, so you much check with your client before ordering. As a final note, in choosing any of the above suggestions you should keep in mind whether the window/door combination faces the front of the home. The back side of any treatment you chose will be seen from the outside. Good luck!
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Sharon L. Anderson has more than 20 years
experience as a professional interior designer in both commercial and residential design. She has taught at numerous colleges throughout California and currently is an educator
at Moorpark college in southern California.
She is a published author and frequent public speaker. 
More Articles by Sharon L. Anderson More Design Solutions  Editor's note: This is a continuing series of articles written by Sharon L. Anderson that will answer some of the many questions we receive at Draperies & Window Coverings as well as questions Anderson has encountered in her own business. If you have a question you would like Anderson to address, please send it to: Design Solutions
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