Designers often recognize window treatments as a high-margin business. Here’s a checklist of things to remember during your drapery selection process for your client. Most of the tips that are discussed should be nothing new to you, but will hopefully help you get more organized and make your selections faster, thereby saving time and money.

1. Room StyleThe #1 thing to remember while designing drapes is to remember the style of the room. Office/Den: For a room with a modern look such as an office or a den, you might want to choose from a vertical fabric, cellular linen or woven fabric shades. Some choose vinyl blinds or wood blinds as well.

·         Bedroom, Kitchen or family room: Cellular or woven fabric shades work the best for these rooms, giving a private feel. Wood blinds or shutters are used by some as well. Silk drapes are always a favorite in the bedroom and combined with a beautiful trim, can make a bedroom look beautiful and inviting.

·         Living/Dining room: Draperies or curtains with valences add richness and a formal look to these rooms, which works on almost all such rooms. Vertical sheer blinds can be used at times as well, elegantly emulating the flow of drapes.

·         Of course, these are only some ideas. Try to coordinate the window decoration with the furnishings, colors and textures in the room. For instance, an office with antique-looking furniture in dark oak wood would make a great complement to a beautiful synthetic fabric with an inner lining, combined with some flat, formal-looking trim.

2. Window Size: Of course, the thumb rule – the smaller the window, the simpler and lighter the window treatment should usually be. Very simple, free-flowing shades or light-weight blinds may be used. The bigger the size of the window and the room, the more choices you have. You can use thick, heavy curtains with plenty of trimmings and also use a variety of drapery styles, based on the furnishings and the décor in the room.

3. The control options and child safety: Simth+Noble president John Hoven pointed out earlier this month - “Since 1991, more than 175 infants and children have died from accidentally strangling in window cords. Pet owners should also be aware of this problem, since a frolicsome pup or inquisitive cat can also be easily entrapped by a stray cord.” There are safe options that you can choose from. Some window treatments offer cord/chain combination that users a cord tensioning device. The cord is attached to the wall and does not hand, which makes it safe as well as easy to operate. You may also choose shades or vertical blings that that need no cord. Use of remote control for shades is another in-fashion window-covering style that is safe. For instance, the system timer will allow you to set for specific times of the day when the shades will be lowered or raised – a great option to keep the home lit while you are vacationing.

4. The insulation: Window treatments can provide insulation to keep a room cool in the summer and warm during the winter. Proper selection of energy efficient window treatments will reduce heating and air conditioning costs. You can use this as a great selling point when negotiating with your customers. Mentioning a 5% cut in energy costs as a result of smart selection of window coverings will be hard to refuse. All traditional lined drapes have good insulation against heat and cold. Most vertical blinds have a fabric insert in the ‘groovers’ which increases energy efficiency.

5. The privacy, light control, and color: During customer interaction, it is important to note the amount of lighting and privacy that the customer is looking for. Several options are available ranging from open/no-privacy to fully private selections. Find out the personality of your customer. Do they love the view? How much noise-insulation does the customer need? Is it an office room where a lot of reading and writing is going to be done? All these factors will influence your selection. Most shades offer the darkening option. Another option is to use light filtering to avoid damage to furniture or accessories. Light-filtering effect is available in lightweight drapes and most sheers.When choosing the color of your window blinds or curtains, think about what light is the room getting from outside. The light in apartments changes throughout the day and through seasons as well. Rooms that receive light early in the day, or not at all, usually need some warming up with color. Rooms that benefit from the afternoon or sunset sun will receive reddish light and therefore need less artificial warmth. The new finishes on blinds, such as brushed aluminum, produce a nice cool effect on windows that need cool light from the outside.Finally, of course, do not forget to measure and test your measurement well. I have known designers that relied on measurements provided by their customers and suffered as a result. Fabric cannot be altered after the shading is fabricated. This is also one of the things that most customers feel afraid of doing on their own. Offering and publicizing a “Free Measurement” service can often be a gret method for acquiring new customers.

Happy Decorating!