Bay and Bow Window Treatment Ideas

To keep the look neat and clean, simply use a roman or roll-up shade on each window. This lively green pattern creates a valance that nicely ties together the sofa upholstery and painted cornice work.

For complete privacy, a bay window area can be shuttered with either floor length shutters (as shown here), or smaller cut-to-fit window shutters. Either way, you'll get a more tailored look than is afforded by draperies.

The window treatments in the window seat area don't match the adjoining window, yet the valances fully coordinate the look. Notice that the valances begin at the very top of the wall -- just at the ceiling line -- to let in as much light as possible.

Dress a bay window niche with two layers of fabric for the most flexibility. Sheers pull across to cut the glare and increase privacy, while patterned velvet panels add the color, softness, and style the room demands.

This window treatment is really a wall-and-rod treatment; the snappy red borders define the edges of the curtains and pucker up along the curtain rods. The curtains themselves are used to cover the walls -- not the windows. When the view is grand and the windows are in good shape, this is an excellent choice.

Sometimes the best option is to keep the fabric in the room when a window seat fills the bay window. These draperies draw closed over the bay, bracketing the space in soft color.

Like the previous slide, this bay window features a built-in seat with storage. Yet here the homeowners opted for fabric shades rather than full draperies. This treatment may be more expensive than full draperies, yet are an attractive alternative to control light and privacy at the window level.

A colorful fabric valance is the only treatment needed for a window that looks out on a pretty yard. Yet even if this were not the case, the valances might conceal other window treatment options such as miniblinds, cellular shades, or roller shades.

Wood shutters are, thankfully, regaining a place of honor among window treatments. A flexible choice, they let in light and views, completely block both, and allow for every nuance of both. And they have unmatched country charm, especially in bay windows.

Of course, shutters in bay windows aren't restricted to country decorating. Pair them with drapes and swags of elegant fabric to get all the charm and function with soft city sophistication. Note, too, that by bracketing this window with long drapes, the width of the bay is enhanced.

Big bay or bow windows create a room within a room, so make it a special habitat. A bevy of curtain panels and swags festoon this garden-style space. The overabundance creates a free-spirited splendor that could overwhelm a regular room.