Window treatments are like the bathing suits of the home decor world - I can never quite comprehend how simple little slivers of fabric can cost so much money. Couple that with temporarily renting a home (i.e. not wanting to spend big bucks on something we may not have long term) and windows can be especially daunting.
The windows in our master bedroom were hung with no blinds and extremely heavy, extra long dark navy drapes and large black curtain rods with decorative finials. I first challenged myself to make them work but at the end of the day, I need a lot of light, so they all had to go. I plan to repurpose the curtain rods in the other two bedrooms.
I really didn't want to spend more than $200 on window treatments (total) so I started my search in the one place I've found good, quality window treatments reasonably priced - the kids section of my favorite decor stores! I highly recommend this approach if you are looking for simple curtains. The ones we landed on are from Pottery Barn Teen and I'm really impressed with the quality. They are super thick and have a blackout panel in them so that the white fabric doesn't look cheap. I also love these and hope to use them in another room!
Next I searched for blinds - and discovered that blinds are seriously hundreds of dollars per window. We ended up at Home Depot where I scoured the aisles to find some plain white mini blinds for about $18/ea. They aren't my beautiful dream blinds but they look clean and simple and were super easy to install.
Next I was on the hunt for hardware. The cheapest basic rod + bracket I found at Pottery Barn and similar stores was about $80/window and I couldn't find the brass tone I wanted. I stopped by Wal-Mart on a whim and found brass cafe rods including hardware for under $5 each! Perfect for a rental home.
- Curtains: $29.50 + 15% off when you sign up for email
- Cafe Rod: $4.87 (in-store only)
- Blinds (similar): $16-18 depending on window size
- Total: Approx $48.50 per window
We then stared at our pile of tiny screws and brackets and immediately called a few of our friends to come over on Sunday and help us install everything. A few IPA's and goblets of rose later and we were done. Full master bedroom reveal coming soon but thought this might be helpful!