Summer is here, and that means longer daylight hours. While we love the sun, there are times when we need a little extra protection from those powerful rays. Window treatments for sliding glass doors and French doors are vital in providing light control for these beautiful windows without inhibiting the operation of the doors or obstructing the walkways.
If you have a large patio door, you have various window treatment options, including blinds, curtains, and other styles for both regular and sliding doors. Depending on the function and style you need, we can help you determine the right patio door window treatment for your home.
In this article, we will look at some of the best window treatments for patio doors and talk about what makes them effective.
Honeycomb or Cellular Shades
If you have or looking to install French doors in San Diego, consider the honeycomb or cellular shades. A honeycomb style is a popular option. Honeycomb shades provide excellent insulation and are available in light filtering or room darkening materials. These shades, which are best-known for their trademark honeycomb shape, are a great option if you are interested in boosting heat retention in your home, as they provide excellent insulation.
Honeycomb shades offer an amazing boost to your window insulation. Even with highly economically-friendly windows, it's nearly impossible to keep the cold out during the winter and the heat out during the summer. Because of their intelligent cellular design, honeycomb shades offer an extra buffer or layer of insulation to help control the temperature in your home.
While many of us are attuned to inner-city living or even suburban living, it doesn't mean we don't still want privacy. People walking or driving in the neighborhood can make things awkward when they peer into your windows. Honeycomb blinds, when pulled down to the window sill, offer 100 percent privacy from top to bottom – no cracks or breaks in the blinds for prying eyes.
Another amazing benefit to the cellular design of honeycomb blinds is its inherent ability to block out noise. While these blinds are not soundproof, they add an extra layer of tranquility to your home by dampening the various noises from outside.
Often, when you look at products that offer sound reduction and extra insulation, you find bulky, heavy items. In the case of honeycomb blinds, the opposite is true. Honeycomb blinds are thin and stack compactly when raised. They are slim and sleek, giving them a very clean and crisp look, whether drawn or raised.
To summarize, here are the benefits of cellular shades for your patio door:
- Cordless – adds an element of safety for homes with young children or pets and can also be an aesthetic choice.
- Motorization options – great for hard-to-reach windows or rooms where you may want to open and close them frequently, such as media rooms or bedrooms.
- Specialty shapes – ideal for archway or entryway windows with unusual shapes, such as octagons, circles, half-circles, triangles, and more.
- Slim profile – these preserve and optimize views by taking up minimal window space when stacked.
- Light blocking - multiple layers make these cellular blackout shades perfect for room darkening opacity.
- Energy efficient - the air pocket created by their cellular construction creates an insulating effect that can save you money on your energy bills
Roman or Roller Shades
Between hard window treatments like blinds or shutters and soft windows like curtains or drapes, Roman shades combine the best of both into a unique solution for almost any window! With a variety of lift options and a virtually unlimited line of fabrics to choose from, we can help you find the right Roman shades that perfectly accentuate your living space and reflect your personal style. Whether your personal style leans more toward casual, classic, or elegant, there's a Roman shade style that's perfect for your home.
Roman shades are a popular choice for San Diego french doors because they can be raised and lowered to see when a view is desired and closed when privacy is needed. They can be lined with a light filtering or a room darkening lining.
This type of window treatment can be custom-fit to your door, and you can choose from a variety of different opacity levels — meaning you can decide how much light you want to let in. If light control is what you're after, a custom roller shade is a great choice. You can pick from many fabrics and designs, so you can keep light out and match the decor in your home. A good custom roller shade is customized to the exact size you need and will filter out just the right amount of light.
Because roman shades come in a number of styles, roman shades can be hung in different ways to add flair and character. For example, roman shades can be attached to a track along the top of your window or hung from a decorative valance or roman rod. With roman shades, you can pick any style you like to match your home's decor!
Because roman shades are more attractive than roller shades, roman shades are a much better-looking window treatment option. Roman shades look best when hung over roman rods that allow them to fold and ruffle when raised or lowered. However, roman shades can also be hung with a valance when you want to add color to the window without all the ruffles.
Lastly, roman shades fit well on any window size because they are available in many sizes! Roller shades fit best on narrower windows, but roman shades can be made of any size to fit your window perfectly. Roman shades are the perfect option for larger windows.
Wood Shutters or Shades
Window shutters are perhaps one of the most timeless types of window treatments. Shutters began to gain popularity after being brought over from Spain. They became a sought-after window covering for homes, thanks to their unique ability to keep out sunlight and heat. Now, shutters are one of the most popular window treatment options throughout the United States and Canada. Shutters add an element of timelessness, not to mention aesthetic beauty and incredible functionality. Many people even refer to shutters as "furniture" for your windows.
Wood shutters are mounted securely on the non-glass part of the door. They can have a cut out to provide full movement of the lever or door knob. Unlike blinds and shades, shutters won't rattle or sway when the door is opened and closed. They also provide excellent light control and energy efficiency.
Wood is perfect for homeowners who prefer an authentic, traditional look. Since natural wood allows for unique color variations, it creates a stunning appearance that complements the look of different home styles. Additionally, natural wood adds warmth to your home's exterior that other materials do not.
Wood shutters come in many different shades. Choose from a wide selection of colors to find the best match for your current exterior. Alternatively, you can also match your interior trim for a cohesive look. For a more rustic look, consider a stain that brings out the wood's natural grain.
They can provide protection from the sun and the cold, helping you save money on energy costs. Close the louvers to block the sunlight and shield you from ultraviolet (UV) rays. Instead of being absorbed into your home, our shutters can reflect the rays, keeping your interior cool. Wood is a natural insulator so you can expect excellent energy efficiency all year round.
Long, Grand Drapes
Because grand drapes block out a maximum amount of sunlight, they are an excellent choice for french doors in bedrooms where room darkening is desired. You can also choose a lighter, unlined fabric for an elegant, sheer, open look.
One of the biggest benefits of drapes and valances is that they keep the sun out of your home, lowering energy costs. On that same note, if your cooling or heating system runs on electricity, drapes will keep it from having to run as often. You can also open the drapes and allow the sun to pour in, allowing you to turn the lights off.
Drapes and valances are affordable, especially considering they can last a long time. Drapes can last many years if you maintain them and are less likely to break.
Window treatments keep prying eyes out of your home. You can block the view of passersby with drapes and valances.
Sheer Vertical Blinds
Sheer curtains provide a look that is gentle and breezy. Though they will block out some sunlight, they will still allow much light to filter in. While sheer curtains are usually light colors, they're also available in many other colors.
Vertical blinds feature a wide assortment of fabrics, colors, and textures that are ideal for patio doors and large windows. The distinguishing characteristics of our vertical blinds suggest low maintenance, cleanliness, and effortless functionality. Vertical blinds can add visual height to a room and allow light and privacy control of window blinds on hard-to-fit windows and sliding glass doors.
S-shaped vertical blinds are one option. This type stacks tightly off to the side, meaning you can maximize your view when the blinds are open. They never get in the way of the door when you don't want them to, but they do offer privacy when you want to close them. This is a good choice if you are looking to maximize your view because they can slide to the side of the door, giving you a clear, unobstructed view.
Like other styles of fabric verticals, sheer vertical blinds provide a characteristic mix of drape-like appearance and traditional vertical blinds performance. With the sophisticated appearance of sheer fabric ( and its privacy and light-filtering function ), this window treatment style supplies the simple operation and flexibleness of blinds. Ideal for formal spaces like living rooms and dining rooms, the total window coverage and material selection are better than other window coverings.
Benefits of Window Treatment for Patio Doors
While the beautiful light and openness of French patio doors can be very desirable, they will be the main areas that need to be addressed. Windows work both ways, so adding coverage is needed to maintain privacy, light control, and energy efficiency. Window treatments are the best way to add all three of these functionalities to the beautiful windows in French doors.
Large French doors on the ground level or looking into a bedroom or bathroom will want window treatments that provide privacy. Patio doors exposed to direct sunlight for long hours will want to incorporate functional window treatments to help with light and temperature control.
If energy efficiency is a concern, window treatments are one of the best ways to prevent energy loss.
Which Window Treatments Are Best For Your Patio Door?
Patio door window treatments come in various styles, types, and colors. Before you choose which will best complement your home, there are a few questions to ask yourself.
- How much light do you want to block? Some lighter window treatments are designed to let sunlight filter through, while others are designed to block out all light.
- Do you have pets or kids that might get tangled up in cords? Be careful with long cords, as they could harm pets and kids.
- What type of fabric are you looking for? If you are trying to match your home decor, you will want to select your fabric accordingly.
- Do you want blinds or wider, sliding panels? Decide how much of the door you want to see when the window coverings are opened.
Window treatments are a great addition to patio doors for light control, temperature control, and privacy. The key is ensuring the benefits of the window treatments are functional without obstructing the purpose of the doorway. Schedule a free in-home estimate* with our experts today, and get started on making your home-improvement dreams a reality.
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