The decision to use curtains or blinds is not merely an aesthetic decision also known as personal taste in the world of decorating. A person’s personal taste might not really fit the room. It is one of the hardest lessons to learn that a decorator’s point of view might be totally different from the desires of the client who, after all, has to live in the room. A person who is faced with the decision of choosing curtains or blinds should consider the amount of light of each room that will have its windows dressed with either curtains or blinds. In addition, the style of furniture in the room has a part to play in the decision but, more than just the style of furniture, the period of style in each room needs to be considered. Choose curtains for ornate rooms that have an old world air in furnishings and basic architecture. Choose blinds for rooms that are traditional to modern.

For kitchens, curtains are the most widely accepted type of window treatment. The reason is simply because curtains can be laundered easily while blinds need special attention and considerably more elbow work in keeping clean. There are few kitchens in designer books that use blinds as window covers. Perhaps, it is merely based on the tradition that kitchens should look proper. For some reason, many people think that blinds are not as proper as curtains. That reasoning could be part of the media depiction of blinds being drawn down in bedrooms. Of course, the proper connotation is added when curtains are added to blinds. In some older homes, both curtains and blinds were a necessity. All windows had their brackets to hold blinds. And, those same windows had their brackets to hold rods to hold curtains.

In formal homes, living room windows use only curtains. In those same homes, blinds are used in bedrooms to improve privacy. In dining rooms, formal curtains are expected. In family rooms or dens, curtains are almost necessary to keep the rooms from looking bare. The decision to use curtains or blinds is not up to the individual but up to the room and accepted manner of window treatment.