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5 Thrifty Ways to Dress your Windows

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One of the issues with living in a brand new house is that you have to start from scratch, there are no toilet roll holders, no towel rails and no curtain poles. The problem is that all these things add up and before you know it you could be spending out more than you budgeted for on what I would class as the basics of home decor.

The main thing that I have been putting off in our home is dressing the windows. We’ve put up curtains in all of the rooms that needed them such as the bedrooms and the living room but all of the other rooms still have windows with nothing on them, which by the way drives me insane. They just don’t look right bare!

thrifty-window-dressing

Recently I have been researching thrifty ways to dress your windows in the hope that I might get inspired. I thought I would share some of my findings with you today.

5 Thrifty Ways to Dress Windows

Make Your Own Curtains or Blinds

If you are handy with a sewing machine then why not get down to your local charity shop and dig through their material box. Find something you like and create your own bespoke curtains. I recently saw a tutorial of how to use hessian coffee sack to make blinds. It was simple but very effective, it just shows what you can do with a little imagination.

wooden-windows

Use Branches for Curtain Poles

Go on a walk and find a branch you like. Then attach it above your window and hang some material off of it. It creates a lovely rustic feel to the room and it’s free!

Coloured Bottles

If your window is too small to have anything heavy on it like curtains or a blind then why not just add some coloured bottles to the window shelf instead. You can often find coloured bottles in charity shops at a very low price. To be even more thrifty make your own coloured bottles from bottles or jars that you already have in the house. Best get drinking that wine!

The Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill
Image Credit: Carl Wycoff

Create Privacy Using Contact Paper

Contact paper is a cheap material that has some form of decoration on one side and a sticky adhesive side on the back. Simply cut out your contact paper to the right side and apply to the part of the window that you want to create privacy. There are hundreds of different styles and design to choose from online or alternatively buy frosted effect contact paper and cut out your own design using a scalpel.

Decorate with an Old Beaded Curtain

For a slightly unusual look why not source an old beaded curtain; you know the ones that every teenager in the 90’s had hanging from their bedroom doors that used to strangle you every time you walk through. You should be able to find one on second hand sites online. You could either just hang it as it is or cut some of the length to add a flowing shape to it. The coloured plastic ones are the best for windows as the light shines through them creating a lovely colourful light in the room.

luxurious bead curtains
Image Credit: waferboard

 

Post in collaboration with Wood Window Alliance

 

Wood Window Alliance

 

4 thoughts on “5 Thrifty Ways to Dress your Windows”

  1. I make my own curtains and roman blinds. I have had lots of compliments about my Orla Keily Stem Roman Blinds in my bathroom which were made from a single Orla Keily duvet cover that was on sale in Homesense and using the parts from an old set of roman blinds. Result!

    1. That’s a great way of making blinds Jane! I wish I could make my own curtains, think it’s beyond my sewing capabilities though 🙁 I am however attempting to make my own blind for the kitchen, we’ll see how that goes!

  2. All really good ideas! I have been making my own curtains since I first moved out at 18 but I have never attempted to make blinds. I love the idea of putting coloured bottles in the windows and I’m going to get contact parper for my the panels in my front door.

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