French doors make for a beautiful addition to any room, whether they lead from your living room into the backyard or they connect your bedroom to a balcony. This classic look featuring double doors, each with a grid of 15 glass panes (in 3×5 configuration), is a great way to add sophistication to your architectural design, while also allowing abundant natural light to shine in.
Of course, you may not want the glare of early sunlight blinding you as you try to sleep in or watch the morning news. Many people also prefer some measure of privacy, especially at night when the lights are on in the house, putting the family on full display through untreated windows.
The problem with French doors is that typical window coverings like drapes simply may not be practical or ideal. How can you pick the perfect window treatments for your French doors? Here are a few things to consider before you buy.
Treatments that Attach to Doors
There are two ways to go when it comes to adding window coverings to French doors, and each has its pros and cons. The first option is to add window treatments that attach directly to the doors. Generally speaking, your options include blinds, shades, or even drapes affixed to the top of the door, and in some cases, the bottom, as well, to keep them from swinging wildly whenever you open or close doors.
Roller shades are an easy and versatile option that tend to offer a great deal of functionality without a huge price tag, but if you want a more sophisticated look, both voluminous Roman shades and blinds are excellent choices. In many cases, you can affix brackets to the bottom of the door to keep shades or blinds from swinging when closed. However, you might also choose blinds that open from the top and/or the bottom for added versatility.
Treatments that Mount Outside the Door Frame
The second type of window treatment to consider when covering French doors is something that mounts outside the entire door frame, covering both doors. Since you’ll need floor-length options, your best choices are drapes or vertical blinds.
What is the benefit of going this route, as opposed to blinds, shades, or drapes attached to doors themselves? After all, it seems more practical and convenient to open and close doors if the window treatments are attached to them directly.
The major benefit of selecting treatments that mount outside the frame is light control. When you have a window treatment that covers the entire door frame and surrounding wall space, it effectively eliminates any exterior lighting that might leak in around the edges of coverings attached to the doors. To ensure complete light elimination, you can even add panels to cover hardware at the top of the window treatment.
Matching Nearby Windows
While you can certainly select one-off window treatments for your French doors, it’s also easy to match them to existing window coverings in the room so they blend seamlessly with your décor, especially if you get all of the window treatments for your home from the same place.
If you want to get the greatest joy from your French doors, contact the expert designers and installers at The Blinds Side today at 410-630-6940 or [email protected] to learn more about your options for suitable window treatments.