2023 Window Treatment Trends in Review
A project collaboration with Field Work Design Craft and interior designer Leslie Michelle included a dual ripple fold drapery
With 2023 just about in the rear view, we take a look back at what were some of the most common window treatments we built throughout the year and some of our predictions for what we might see more of in 2024.
Some of our most common window treatment requests from customers
Blackout window treatments reign supreme. In well over 80% of the window treatments we installed in bedrooms this year, customers opted for “blackout.” This was a pretty even mix of draperies, roman shades, and roller shades, depending on the client and overall set up. The availability of easy to work with, high quality blackout materials has made blackout window shades much more design-friendly and cost effective. Supple, soft liners can be applied to just about any face fabric for draperies and sewn onto nearly any roman shade. The utter abundance of blackout roller shade materials has made finding a product for any aesthetic and need achievable. If you’d like to read more about blackout shades, take a look at our previous post and deep dive into blackout shades.
Top-down-bottom-up woven wood roman shades make this office work space comfortable and enjoyable to use.
Woven wood roman shades. When it comes to roman shades in the greater Los Angeles area, many, many customers continue to opt for woven wood shades made from natural materials. Again, an abundance of shade materials has made finding the right woven wood roman shade for your aesthetic possible, from delicate and refined to chunky and natural; snow white to coal black; there is a roman shade for every aesthetic and application. Generally speaking, woven wood roman shades tend to be a bit more cost effective that fabric roman shades, and work great in our coastal aesthetic.
A sheer ripple fold drapery on a primary bedroom slider in Pacific Palisades.
Ripple fold draperies. People can’t get enough of them, and for good reason, too. They are stylish, functional, and lend themselves to so many different design styles. What we love about ripple fold draperies is what a statement they make. The aesthetic of the drapery itself offers so much more than the color and texture of the fabric used. Ripple fold draperies have a sense of movement, a flow to them that can either energize or calm a given room. From sheer fabrics to blackout, they all look great.
One of our favorite places to do a ripple fold drapery is in a mid-century modern (MCM) home. The flow of the ripple folds (hence the name) looks right at home with the round edges found on MCM furniture and decor. But ripple fold draperies also work great in a true modern aesthetic, as well as in transitional spaces that want to lean a bit more modern.
The clean lines of a French return drapery rod with a blackout canvas weave hemp fabric and a crown pleat.
Clean, Decorative hardware. Dovetailing onto the ripple fold discussion above, most of the draperies we installed this year included decorative hardware vs. things like ceiling tracks and cornice boxes. When a job called for a ceiling track or cornice box, this was usually due to physical limitations and not necessarily driven by aesthetics. For example a floor to ceiling window with no mounting space above, or a sloped ceiling where the client wanted blackout, requiring a cornice box flush-mounted to block out light gaps. Most of the ripple fold draperies we installed were on decorative round traversing rods, either wall mounted or ceiling mounted with drop brackets.
When it came to traditional rod-and-ring drapery hardware, the simple elegance of an iron French return rod won out hands down. A personal bias as this is what is throughout my house…perhaps? But the clean lines and simple minimalism just looks good in the design aesthetic we currently exist in. Most clients opted for simple, minimal rectangular wall plates and mounting brackets, but we also did other shapes as well, like round mounting plates. All of our iron drapery hardware is made by hand, here in Los Angeles.
The natural beauty of an unlined ramie fabric roman shade
Our most popular fabric this year? Our most popular fabric this year was a 100% ramie in an Oyster (off white) color. Ramie is very similar to linen, a plant based fiber that is considered better suited for window coverings due to its durability, resistance to stretching, and resilience to UV (we still do LOTS of linen and linen blends, too). This ramie in oyster is elegant, classy, and incredibly versatile. We installed it this year in settings from Palm Springs, ocean front in Long Beach, to historic Spanish revival homes.
Window Treatment and General Design Predictions for 2024?
Perhaps these are not so much predictions as much as they are things we’d personally like to see and do, and what is currently motivating me.
A continued, conscious move towards more sustainable materials. I am always on the hunt for new and different materials that will not only offer something unique and valuable to customers, but will hopefully move the design world into a more natural and sustainable direction. Late this year I began experimenting with 100% hemp fabrics for both roman shades and draperies and have absolutely loved what I’ve seen. I’m excited to install a 100% hemp roman shade for a client next week. Hemp is inherently more sustainable than linen, yet has a very similar look and feel. It is extremely durable, making it great for window treatments. Is grown without the use of pesticides and chemicals, and is soil regenerative…so why don’t we see more of it…honestly I have no idea?
Less farmhouse, more…designing to the space? This may be mostly me just thinking wishfully and imposing my personal design philosophies onto what I’d like to see more, and I hope that means moving away from categorically chasing an aesthetic and instead designing to what feels “right” for a given environment. I believe there is a “right” design for every situation (or really, a right ecosystem for a design aesthetic to express itself, allowing for certain “logical” options to be brought into consideration based on lifestyle, geography, history, and a number of other factors.). I hope that as we move into 2024 and beyond, place more of a priority on sustainable materials, we progress certain design aesthetics in a modern way that just feels right. This is not easy to verbalize and can be harder to achieve, but you know it when it’s done well.
Our single favorite roman shade of the year…maybe. We love the way this woven wood brought the sophisticated class of a high end patterned fabric.
A Crossover of Materials in Product Categories. This is an extension of the above thought, but some of our favorite installations this year included things like woven woods that felt more like warm textiles and textiles that had more natural texture, making them feel more like woven woods. The surprise and delight that this creates is unique, and really allows the fine details of product and design to shine for those that appreciate these nuances.
Calm minimalism. If I had to see an aesthetic start to gain more traction and give it a name, it would be something like “calm minimalism with touches of elegance” (projecting much about how I try to live my life?). I’ve recently been involved in a personal project utilizing natural limestone plaster, handmade concrete tile, and will be topped off with a truly one-of-a-kind roman shade that combines fine art and functionality. Add to these some classy finishes and I’m very excited about what it’s turning into. It’s a long way from coastal farmhouse or cottagecore, but actually a pretty logical leap from MCM with a bit more of a handmade feel to it (making it both a bit more expensive and also much more time intensive). Keep an eye out and time will tell how this is adopted…or not!
Thank you to the support of our clients this year, and if you have followed along with our projects this year, thanks to you, too.
The Field Work Family (Casey, Mariel, Nolan, and Finnboy)