No matter your style for home décor, window treatments are often overlooked, yet they can make an enormous impact and give any room a finished look that just can't be achieved with bare windows.

You plan your space based on the needs of the room. The furniture and its placement should encourage a warm and welcoming vibe in addition to meeting the needs of the space. Personality is added by incorporating artwork or personal items such as pictures or accent pieces and you strive to coordinate all of these items into a look that is both functional and aesthetically pleasing.

All of these things come together to make your space uniquely your own. But a lot of folks don’t give adequate consideration to the window treatments.

When choosing how you will cover your windows, remember to consider the following, and to make it easy to remember, the acronym is LIPS:

L – Light

What are your needs for light filtering? If any type of media is used in the room, you may want the option to black out all lighting to see your screens optimally.

I – Insulation

Insulation qualities are not just for the windows themselves, if you have a room in which full sun is an issue, you can get shades that reflect the sunlight from the back side. This can actually make an enormous difference in a room that seems several degrees warmer than the other rooms in your house due to the sun hitting fully in a particular area.

P – Privacy

What are the privacy needs for the room? Depending on what room it is, you may not want others to be able to see inside, particularly for a bedroom or bathroom, this is an important consideration.

S – Style

What look do you want? This is the option that a lot of folks make the mistake of starting with. Sometimes the style can also meet your other needs, but if you think about the style in addition to the other considerations, you will be a lot happier with your choice long term.

In addition to addressing the concerns listed above, there is nothing that will make your room look as finished, and complete as window treatments. Here are some before and after photos that are great examples of how much of a difference window treatments will make in your home:

This is a very large room and the addition of drapery not only addresses lighting issues but it adds an incredible amount of warmth to the overall space.

Drapery can also address a lack of symmetry in a room. For example, the room above has windows that are actually different shapes, and yet by placing the drapery as shown above you can alter the perception of the size and shape of the windows. This is a very cost effective way to address this issue.

This is an excellent example of the personality and character that can be added to a space with drapery. The only thing that has changed from the image on the left to the image on the right is the actual addition of the drapery and yet it results in a significant change in the overall appearance of this space.

By placing the rods close to the top of the wall you make the entire room feel higher and the window appears much larger.