Choosing Window Treatments in Fort Lauderdale for a Contemporary Room

When your home’s style is contemporary, you need your window treatments to reflect that style too. So we sat down with Jane Cunningham, Room Resolutions' principal designer, to help our customers understand how to choose window treatments for contemporary rooms in Fort Lauderdale.

Contemporary design covers a range of styles influenced by the later portion of the 20th century. It’s built on softer, cleaner lines. In Jane’s experience, contemporary doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. Most of the time, homeowners want to open the space up. She’s heard statements like, “I don’t need an ottoman by every chair.” Or “I don’t have to have 15 items on the counter of my house.”

Contemporary rooms “give you the freedom to move.” You can bring the outside in - even if you live in a small condo - by widening your view of the sky, the rain, and the sun in Fort Lauderdale.

The first step is to unclutter the windows. The windows in your grandparents’ house had multiple layers: shades on top of draperies, shutters, valances, and sheers. It feels claustrophobic. Let go of layers. By going with window treatments that are built with clean lines, you can get the contemporary look you’ve always wanted.

Contemporary Window Treatment Options In Fort Lauderdale:

Shutters For Contemporary Spaces

Plantation shutters are great for contemporary spaces in Fort Lauderdale. They have wide 4.5” louvers which go with a contemporary style. And when you pair their wide louvers with a rear mount tilt rod, your shutters create clean lines across the window.

Shutters give you light control. You can open the panels to the side and have an open view of your entire window. Another option is to install divided shutters where the light comes in through the top.

Shutters are also easy to clean, which is handy if the windows are usually dusty. Contemporary décor looks its best when every surface is clean and polished.

Cunningham recommends Polywood shutters to clients who are searching for window treatments for contemporary rooms. She recommends them because they don’t change color and they don’t warp over time.

According to Cunningham, more contemporary rooms feature reclaimed wood shutters. They offer a bit of nostalgia. They show off the rustic look of hardware. They accentuate hardwood flooring to pull in the entire room. With reclaimed wood shutters, you can find a new way to incorporate an element from the past. And the new application of reclaimed wood as shutters goes right along with the contemporary style.

Modern Barn Doors

Barn doors are a full scale piece of artwork on the wall. Pick as funky of a color as you desire. You can have the restorative look. Or design it to look just like a traditional barn door. And you can make it look contemporary similar to the hotel you recently went to.

Modern barn doors act as room separators where you that often don’t have full doors. An example would be when you want to block off your kitchen part of the time.

Barn doors as window coverings look amazing on large windows with enough wall space. Shaker doors display an openness that matches a more contemporary style. The hardware makes a big difference. Choose stainless steel to make it look more contemporary. Or paint a barn door a bold color. For example, if the entire room is differing shades of white, a bold red barn door pops on the wall and enhances the space.

“Barn doors add a conversation piece. The next gathering you have, I guarantee someone is going to have a comment. That’s because people aren’t expecting a barn door on a window.” - Jane Cunningham

Cunningham has learned from experience that our homes are part of who we are as well as an experience we can share with our guests. And a barn door is going to be part of that experience. Your guests likely will be talking about them.

Roller Shades

Roller shades are a great solution for contemporary rooms with big windows and doors that can fold into themselves. They’re neatly tucked away, yet help you bring the outside view in.

If you prefer to sleep in complete darkness in order to get a peaceful night’s sleep, roller shades can be ordered with room darkening add-ons. If you want to reduce unwanted noise, pair them with draperies which you can hide by tying on the sides of the windows.

Window Film

A lot of contemporary rooms that are in the Fort Lauderdale area contain large windows that are 25-30 feet tall. And when they face towards the west, the sun wear down the items inside.

Jane suggests window film to homeowners with rooms that have large windows. It allows you an unhampered view of your outside surroundings, which is just what you want for a contemporary room.

The film also blocks the sun’s UV rays, which means your carpeting and furniture hold true to their color longer. It also helps your home be more energy efficient.

Find Contemporary Window Treatments For Your Fort Lauderdale Home

Contact us at 561-440-8535 to arrange your free in-home design consultation. Our window treatment experts will show you samples of the contemporary window treatment options we carry and that you’re looking for. Then you’re ready to pick the window treatment that goes with your rooms!

To find out more about Jane Cunningham and Room Resolutions, visit RoomResolutions.com.