How Custom Window Treatments Make Your Home Office or Craft Room a Better Place to Work
Our clients are often surprised to learn how functional custom window treatments are, especially in workspaces in the home. Most homeowners think of window coverings like curtains, blinds, drapes, and shades as enhancements to the overall aesthetic and beauty of a space, but in truth, they help maintain your productivity and focus in your home office, craft room, or gentleman’s den.
This has never been more important than in the last few years. Everything has changed about how we use our homes with the rise of remote work and digital entrepreneurs building businesses (and products) in their own residence. So many people who used to jump in their car every day and fight traffic now spend more time in the comfort of their home.
However, as simple as that transition might sound, most of the rooms in our homes weren’t designed to be workspace for the digital age. Quality window treatments are crucial in this transformation, providing a comfortable and productive workspace by meeting goals like:
Controlling glare on computer screens
Regulating temperature and discomfort from sunlight pouring into the room
Creating a window treatment design that helps maintain focus throughout the day.
Providing sound absorption so noises in the rest of the house will not be audible during phone conversations.
Creating a handsome backdrop for conference calls.
All of these things add up to big wins in the long term. The simple truth is, when you feel more comfortable and confident in your workspace, you do better work. Window treatments are a key tool for controlling your environment, and below are a few success stories of Adrette Window Covering’s clients who made the most of the opportunity. After more than 30 years in the industry as a leading custom window treatment design firm in the Portland region, these have become some of our favorite projects.
Examples of Office Custom Window Treatments
Joanna's Home Office – Assaulted by Sunlight on All Sides!
Who doesn’t love a sunny day? In the Pacific Northwest they come at a premium, but it can be a bit much when you’re getting hit with it throughout the day from every direction.
Joanna and her husband have a business with employees a few miles away from their house. Joanna especially needs a space where she can spend the day supporting the business from the quiet of her home. So, as part of a larger design project, we took a look at their home office space.
Since the office has windows facing north, west, and east, she wanted motorized Roman Shades that would cut the heat from the sun and cut the glare on her computer screen as the sun moved throughout the day. Without this protection, it would simply be hard to focus or even see the screen from the intensity of the light pouring into the room.
The motorized feature allows her to adjust the shades without leaving her desk, enhancing her productivity. As the day moves along, she can make adjustments with the touch of a button that make the room comfortable and functional to work in. The shades move individually or as a group, allowing her to control the amount of light and privacy in the room.
But let's not forget about the visual appeal of the design! Finding a visual balance in a workspace is important. She wanted a translucent fabric that would add interest to the room without overpowering. Together, we selected a subtle vine pattern that perfectly complements the decorative pillow and cushion fabrics we made for her built-in seating area.
Now, Joanna has the ideal workspace that provides both inspiration and comfort throughout the day.
Rob's Home Office - Maintaining Privacy and Quiet for a Focused Workday
When Rob and Shelly moved into their new, custom home, they selected light-filtering shades for all of their windows. They also added custom draperies over the shades to soften the look of the design in each room.
However, Rob’s office was different. He needed privacy because the office was in the front of the house and faced the street. He also wanted the clean, sleek look of the shades without the added draperies.
So, they decided on Hunter Douglas Nantucket shades with manual lift systems. Rob can tilt the louvers to control light, and when he wants the windows uncovered, the shades roll up into a cassette.
After a few months in the home, Rob changed his mind about the draperies. He decided that he liked how the draperies completed each of their other rooms, and he also wanted that look in his office. His one stipulation was that the draperies stack back off the windows on the wall, not blocking any natural light, so our search began for the perfect fabric.
The office has hardwood floors, a rug with a large textured boucle weave, wallpaper with a large but subtle herringbone pattern in light gray, and a swivel chair in front of the window in a cream linen fabric with marine blue stripes. However, the search for a fabric that could harmonize this design took little time. We started by looking at neutral tones and then quickly went to blue-grey tones and found the perfect faux linen fabric. Rob decided on a simple black rod for hardware. The draperies hung underneath with no rings, and the pleating style was a two-fold pleat tacked at the top.
When we installed his new drapery panels, he was amazed by how the acoustics changed. The draperies add ambiance and quieten the room, and Rob is very pleased with how they stack off the glass. His home office now has the warm look and feel he was hoping for while making it easier for him to focus on work throughout the day.
Susan's Craft Room - Ensuring Uninterrupted Creativity Throughout the Day
Susan and her husband Mike built their new dream home in the rolling hills of wine country in Newberg. At the top of Susan's bucket list was an office area that would also serve as a craft room where she could work alone or with her grandchildren.
The craft room faces West and receives intense, late afternoon sun. Their home had stained knotty pine woodwork, and Susan wanted wood shutters in this area. Since these large, beautiful windows had arched tops, we selected arched shutters with moveable louvers, except the very top one. The shutter's wide louvers in a custom stain matching the woodwork were the perfect design decision for this room. This choice not only met Susan's practical needs but also complemented the aesthetic of the room and her love for crafting.
When at her desk, Susan can easily adjust the louvers of her shutters, depending on the time of year and the sun's angle, without interrupting her work. This adaptability ensures that she can continue her tasks without being blinded by the sunlight.
It's worth noting that much of the success of this project was due to the fact that we were invited to begin the design process during their building process, not after. Integrating window treatment design into the home remodeling or building process is essential.
John's Gentleman's Den - Creating a Comfortable Refuge by Controlling the Environment
John and his wife Gerri are retired, and when they built their new custom home in West Linn, they designed John’s den in an old-world theme. It features beautiful wood paneling with an aged patina, a simple carved wood fireplace, and detailed woodwork, including a cathedral ceiling with exposed wood beams.
In short, it is a dream space, a luxurious retreat that has been earned by a lifetime of work. Gentleman's dens are storytelling spaces. They reveal much about the man who enjoys them and are meant to be enjoyed. The only thing standing between John and this enjoyment was the sun, so as part of a larger home design project, we took a look at this beautiful space.
Grand, dramatic windows are both beautiful architectural features and functional issues to be addressed. John needed his window treatments to filter the sun that hit his desk from windows facing three different directions: the morning sun from the East, the afternoon sun from the South, and the late afternoon sun from the West. Without this intervention, it was uncomfortable to sit at his desk because of the heat and glare.
Meanwhile, the overall aesthetic of the room needed to be considered. A stately mahogany kidney desk and a sky-blue leather high-back swivel office chair, along with an oriental rug, were elements that we needed to work with. Aspects of his fly-fishing hobby were subtly decorated throughout the room, including an antique brass lamp with a sculptured swimming trout in the base. We carefully considered these elements and John's specific needs when selecting the perfect window treatments for his gentleman's den.
Both John and Gerri are in favor of draperies because they like the idea of adding fabric to the room and softening all the hard surfaces. We found the perfect fabric in a tone-on-tone floral damask in shades of blue-gray that beautifully complemented the wood paneling in the room. With traditional pleating and iron hardware, the draperies finish the room, making this beautiful space a classic gentleman’s den.
John can now close off the French door that opens to the rest of the house and settle in to read a good book or do research on his computer without distraction. It is a true escape and source of inspiration in his life.
Adrette Transforms Home Workspaces in Portland and Beyond
Whether your home workspace is a long sought-after dream or a necessity, custom window treatments ensure your ability to enjoy them.
Window fashion design specialists come with a wide range of knowledge and skill in both the function and form of window treatments, and a good designer should be with you on the journey from start to finish to ensure a wonderful end result.
From the moment you schedule a consultation with Adrette, we walk with you every step of the way. We strive to ensure the entire process is as seamless as possible, letting you enjoy the most joyful parts of the process while we handle the details.
During the last 25 years, Adrette Window Coverings has guided the owners of Portland’s finest homes in unlocking the vision and momentum for their custom, luxury window treatment projects.
And our capacity is finite. That’s what makes us Portland’s best kept secret. Our schedule fills up quickly for the personalized, boutique services we offer.
Schedule a design consultation with us here to find the personal attention and care you need to bring your workspace vision to life.