Window Treatments: Possibly The Most Overlooked Design Decision When Building a New Home

While it’s an exciting time when you are able to build and design a new home, it can also be extremely daunting; everyone trying to upsell finishes and luxurious add-ons, but what about the discussion around window treatments?

Often times window treatments are not planned for or thought of during the architectural phases (because some don’t view them as a necessity) which often leaves homeowners puzzled when it’s time to select window solutions and they can’t install the motorized blinds or draperies they had envisioned. Why not? Simply put, if the groundwork for the design of window treatments is not thought of during the blueprint process, then design elements will be overlooked, pre-wiring won’t be done accordingly, and there will be a whole lot of time spent, money lost (perhaps ripping out and rebuilding), and aggravation to be had.

Why You Need To Plan Your Window Treatments Within Your Design

If you are designing the blueprint of your home why wouldn’t you think about your window treatments? It’s the first step we take here at Rosenberg Interior Technologists when working with our clients; it’s also one huge element that sets our team apart from others, being able to “speak the lingo” in a way that the architects and contractors will understand. When you plan your home layout and include your window treatments while your house is being built, you will be able to:

•      Have more options when it comes to motorized window treatments, such as multiple layers of automated shades and draperies hidden in cleanly designed pockets and recesses, smart home applications from your mobile or tablet device, automatic timers, or a hidden (in plain sight) wall control that is neatly tucked away into the design.
•      Choose how you would like to wire your motorized shades – instead of being left with just one option. (we’ll further delve into that in the next section.)
•      Strategically plan where electrical power outlets and recessed hardware will fall in the layout and give you the opportunity to completely hide things within your design if you desire.

Why You Need To Care About Wiring For Your Motorized Window Treatments

Further delving into the topic of prewiring as promised, let’s think about it logically for a second; wires can tend to be an eyesore and there is only one chance to get it right – when the blueprints are being drafted up so the contractors can neatly run them inside the walls of your home. Besides being un-aesthetic, prewiring goes hand-in-hand with your design elements.

Let’s say you wanted recessed modern window treatments after your home was completed and furnished, well the contractor on the job might have to put holes in your walls or ceilings in order to achieve your goal. Now that there is a big hole in your wall, you will need to patch that area up as well as repaint it…now your luxury window treatments have almost doubled in price because there is all this additional work that needs to be done instead of pre-planning for the window treatments you envisioned for the space.

How Planning For Your Window Treatments During The Blueprint Process Saves You Time, Money, & Aggravation

     As we mentioned in our prior paragraph, thinking about your window coverings during the planning process makes it easier to wire your home and allows you not to have massive holes in your walls – aka saving you time, money, and aggravation!

•      Time – the saying goes, time is money and your time is valuable. Take the extra step at the beginning phases of your building process and think about your window treatments now.
•      Money – it’s straightforward, by failing to prepare for your window treatments with your designer and architect, it can (and will) end up costing you significantly more money in the long run to achieve the design of your choice, if your design is even possible then.
•      Aggravation – if spending additional time and money wasn’t enough, now you have to deal with all the extra mess of coordinating times between installers and having to physically be there while all the work is being done… again.

Here at Rosenberg Interior Technologists we can jump into a project at any phase of the design process, but we do truly hope that you think about your window treatments when the blueprints are on the drawing board. Properly designed and planned window coverings are much more than beautiful draperies with vibrant accents – they are truly architectural masterpieces.

Rosenberg Interior Technologists specializes in high-end motorized window treatments, custom drapery design, and automated lighting control systems.  Schedule a consultation with Norman to see if we are a good fit with you and your project.