When you’re renting you overlook a lot of things…countertops, windows, bathroom finishes, etc. The list goes on. It’s something we didn’t realize until we were in our home. When we were renting we thought, okay how can we make this place feel more like us and do it in an affordable and simple way? Window treatments are definitely something that can get expensive when designing a room. In our previous three apartments, we had vertical blinds. We didn’t love them, but we just tried to make it work….we put long curtains in front of them, plants in front of them…I’m sure you’re starting to see a pattern here. We basically just tried to hide them. 😉

In addition to narrow, yet charming doorways and hallways, we also have some charming windows that are pretty interestingly sized. By interestingly sized, I mean no two rooms in our house have the same size windows. Not a single window in this house is considered to be a standard size either, so ditching the plastic blinds and finding something that was more us that didn’t break the bank was definitely difficult. The idea of custom shades initially seemed a bit overwhelming.

We decided to go with classic roman shades from Q Design Centre. The company reached out to us via instagram and after we checked out their custom shades and curtains, the choice was easy. They have blinds, shutters, drapery panels, roman shades, sheer panels, and valences, all in various patterns, materials, and colors…and that’s only talking about what they have to offer for your windows. Sooo many options! Our favorite were the simple flat panels in their house linen material.

We ordered three different fabric swatches: Fog, Winter, and Cotton. Ultimately we wanted something that would complete each room in the house, but not overwhelm the space. We love curtains, but after looking at how many windows we had and how close they were to each other, we thought it would just feel too heavy. So, Roman shades in their Winter colorway was the way to go.

Each shade came with two brackets that the top of the shade just snapped into. When thinking about custom shades, I definitely thought we needed someone to come to the house to measure and install, but the whole process from measuring to ordering to install was surprisingly super simple and fast. It took about four weeks for all the shades to come in.

The shades are clean and classic looking and really add a finished look to the room, while not being too distracting. The inside mount option keeps everything super sleek too. (You do have the option for an outside mount as well.) They also come in a blackout option, which is nice if you prefer not to be awakened by the sunshine each morning (hello fellow Arizonans!), or want to make sure your kiddos go down for their naps during the day.

As a little reminder, here’s a peek at the windows when we first moved in (via this post). We updated the window treatments in every room of the house for a uniform look and painted the window frames white.

Here’s another look at them in the kitchen (via this post). They fold and stack on eachother very smoothly. We can’t wait to share the full living room and dining room makeovers with the new shades as well! Keep your eyes peeled!

What do you guys think…curtains or shades? What’s your go-to?
Do you switch it up for different rooms in your home?

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Thank you to Q Design Centre for patterning together on this post.

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