Window Treatments for Swansea, MA Homes

Planning Window Treatments in Swansea, MA

Good window treatments in Swansea, MA start with the house, not the catalogue. We look at which way each room faces, how the frame is built, what the room is used for and what you want to see from it. Only then do we suggest a product, and often a house ends up with three or four different ones. Here is how we think through the choices.

Rooms that face Mount Hope Bay

Water-facing rooms in Ocean Grove and Gardners Neck get the low afternoon sun straight in, often with glare bouncing off the bay. You want to keep the view, cut the glare and stop the furniture fading. A solar screen roller shade softens the light while you still see out. A horizontal blind lets you tilt the light up to the ceiling. Shutters let you open the top louvres and close the lower ones.

Salt air settles on everything near the shore, so we also think about cleaning. Faux wood, aluminium, shutters and many shade fabrics wipe down easily. Drapes in these rooms can be lined to protect the face fabric from the sun.

Short, wide cottage windows

Many of the older cottages have windows set just under the ceiling, wide but not very tall. There is little space above the glass for a headrail, and a bulky treatment hangs down over the view when it is raised. Products that stack small, such as cellular shades, slim blinds and roller shades on a compact roll, suit these windows. Drapes mounted wide on either side frame them without blocking the glass.

Hortonville farmhouses

The inland farmhouses usually have taller, traditional windows with trim worth showing off. Inside-mount products that sit within the frame keep that trim in view. Wood blinds, plantation shutters and roman shades in a fabric that suits the age of the house all fit well. In a farmhouse we often plan the whole ground floor together, so the treatments look related from room to room even where they differ.

Route 6 ranches

The post-war ranches have their own pattern: a broad picture window at the front, standard bedroom windows and, often, a slider at the back. The picture window might take one wide shade or a pair, depending on how you want to use it. Bedrooms usually get a matching set. A slider suits a vertical blind or a panel track that draws clear of the door.

Choosing Between Blinds, Shades, Shutters and Drapes

Each product does a different job. Most homes end up with a mix, and the right choice depends on the window and the room behind it.

Blinds

Custom blinds control light by tilting. That makes them good for rooms where you want daylight without people seeing in, like a home office or a street-facing bedroom. Wood brings warmth; faux wood and aluminium cope with steam and damp in kitchens and bathrooms.

Shades

Shades are fabric, and they raise and lower rather than tilt. Cellular shades trap air in their honeycomb cells and help a cold room hold its heat. Roller shades are clean and simple, with solar screen and blackout fabrics. Roman shades fold softly and bring pattern and texture. Woven wood shades bring a natural weave, with a liner if you need privacy.

Shutters

Plantation shutters are fitted to the frame and become part of the room. The louvres tilt to steer light and the panels swing open to clear the window completely. They suit bedrooms, dining rooms and kitchens, and cafe-style panels cover only the lower half of a window when you want privacy at the sink.

Drapes and fabric

Custom drapes are what we are best known for. They add colour, softness and warmth, and they can be lined to darken a bedroom. Because we also make pillows and duvet covers through our custom fabric decor service, the fabric at the window can carry through to the sofa and the bed.

Layering

Some rooms work best with two treatments. A cellular shade for warmth behind side drapes for colour. A roller shade for glare inside a pair of sheer curtains. Shutters on the lower half with a valance above. We measure for both at the same visit, so the two are planned to sit together.

Room by room

A few patterns come up in almost every house we measure.

• Bedrooms usually need darkness for sleep and privacy from the street. A lined drape, a blackout roller shade or shutters with tight louvres all do this, and a shade behind a drape does it best of all.
• Kitchens and bathrooms take steam and splashes. Faux wood blinds, shutters and moisture-friendly shade fabrics stay looking right for longer than real wood or delicate fabric.
• Living rooms are where people want the view and the light most of the day, then privacy in the evening. A light-filtering shade, tilting blinds or sheers behind heavier drapes give you both.
• Sunrooms and porches have glass on three sides and can overheat. Solar screen roller shades cut the glare across a whole run of windows while the room stays bright.
• Home offices need steady light without glare on a screen. Blinds turned upward or a light-filtering shade work well behind a desk.

Looking after what you buy

Most of what we sell needs very little care. A soft duster or a vacuum brush keeps blinds, shutters and shades clean. Faux wood, aluminium and shutters take a damp cloth. Drapes can be vacuumed with a soft brush, and we will tell you how each fabric should be cleaned when you choose it. If something stops working later, ask us about repair before you replace it.

Norman, Motorisation and Repair

The showroom carries the Norman range of blinds, shades and shutters, so you can compare them in person alongside everything else we sell.

Motorised blinds and shades raise and lower with a remote or a wall switch. They make sense on tall windows, skylights and anywhere a cord would be hard to reach, such as above a tub or behind a sofa.

If you already own blinds or shades that have stopped working, we offer blind and shade repair for restringing, broken cords, loose wands and worn headrails.

How a Window Works Order Runs

We stay in contact with you from the first call until the last window is done. An order usually goes like this.

1. You call or send the form, tell us about the rooms, and book a free quote.
2. One of our specialists comes to the house and measures every window, noting frame depth, crank handles, sliders and anything else that affects the fit.
3. You choose the products, fabrics and colours, from samples at home or in the showroom.
4. You receive a quote, room by room.
5. Your window treatments are made to the measurements taken in your home.
6. Our team installs everything, checks each piece works properly and shows you how to use it.

Across the SouthCoast and the East Bay

Swansea is home, but we measure and install in 25 towns across the SouthCoast of Massachusetts and the Rhode Island East Bay. Each town has a page of its own, such as Somerset next door. Every town we serve is listed on this page, and the service areas page has them all.

Book Your Free Quote

The next step is simple. Use the call button to book a free quote for window treatments in Swansea, MA, arrange measuring in your home or ask about installation. You can also send the form and we will get back to you. To see the products first, come into the Swansea showroom; the contact page has directions. Window Works holds a 5.0 rating on Google.