Window Treatments: Folk-artsy Fun With Painted Glass Panes

Window Treatments: Folk-artsy Fun With Painted Glass Panes
Scrape it off if you don’t like it. Sounds like mayo on a sandwich. If it’s not all about privacy… and if it is, use more paint…as shown here with a classic white French door with a few panes painted for fun! If you call in a window fashion consultant do you really think that there might be an occasion when they would say “you don’t need anything on these windows!?” I don’t think so.
I always ask, “Do you want window dressings for privacy, light control or decorative purposes?” And I usually ask each one independently waiting for an answer to each stage of that question. It makes people think. It gives me more information.
The La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe presents an historic example of the decorative painting on French door glass panes. Folk-artsy and colorful they draw a lot of attention and spark a lot of creative juices. Often mimicked as we did here, this treatment is not intended for privacy and rather than light control, it plays off of the light passing through the translucence of the paints for a luminous effect. Not unlike stained glass.
But from those hideous vertical blinds to the myriad variations on mini and maxi blinds, wood or aluminum, pleated shades, up down and all around, open cell, honey-combed, plantation shutters, – there are many treatments that have come on the scene after conventional curtains or the more formal draperies.
I like perforated shades. They are less obtrusive and the degree of privacy can be achieved with percentages of “perf” and color used. Day versus night paired with color and perf offer different degrees of effectiveness too.
Formal draperies still rule and the lesser, shorter curtains have their place. Valances, cornice boards, swags and bishops sleeves…the treatments are many. Do you puddle or hold short? Wood or iron? Sheers or not?
Let the light in and consider this translucent paint on glass – it can be formal or whimsical – try it – you can always scrape it off!!!