If you are like me you love big beautiful windows. Not only is it nice to have natural light but I really love sitting in my home and seeing our beautiful outdoor space.
I’m going to admit something about myself. Design that involves fabrics are not my strength. If it’s wood and paint I feel confident in my design decisions but fabric is a different story.
I’ve been in homes with beautiful window treatments that I admire but for some reason I can’t pull that off. Part of it might be the cost. You usually have to spend a lot to get stunning window treatments. Or since it’s not my strength I don’t know how to create beautiful window treatments on a budget.
What I Know
Since I’m not great at fabrics I decided to stick with what I know. Making and creating beautiful windows by trimming and adding frames to the windows.
It was an inexpensive way to elevate the window without adding window treatments like curtains.
The front portion of our home faces south and looks out to the street. There is a beautiful view from our guest bedroom and sons bedroom of the San Tan Mountains in the distance. Our windows are Argon gas filled so they do keep out some of the heat but the rooms are very bright and privacy is an issue because they face the street.
I love plantation shutters. I love the look they create in a room but also their function and sleekness. We decided early on to purchase plantation shutters for the front bedrooms and our office window that opens into our courtyard. We decided on faux wood shutters from blinds.com.
Those were purchased and installed shortly after we moved into our home. I was able to find beautiful shutters for a great price at blinds.com. Their customer service was exceptional and the quality is amazing. I love the way they look in each of the spaces.
They were also very easy to install. They look beautiful open or closed and add so much beauty to the room as well as give privacy. These shutters are a little more expensive but they have sales all the time. You can usually get them 40% off if you are willing to wait for the sale.
What to do with the rest of the windows
The other large windows in our home face mostly north and look out on our beautiful back yard. Because we have a 6 foot cinder block fence around our yard and all the homes surrounding us are single level privacy wasn’t an issue.
I also like to see out. We don’t have a lot of issues with sun shining in other then a few moments in the morning. One of my favorite things to do is lay in bed and see the sky turning pink as the sun rises.
I woke up to this beautiful sunrise not long ago. I quickly jumped out of bed and snaped a picture before it was gone. If my windows were covered I would have missed this beauty.
Because I love the openness I didn’t want to cover these windows with shutters or curtains. But they definitely needed something to make them look more intentional.
Framing the Windows
We decided to build custom frames for the windows. Trimming the inside of the windows as well as building a beautiful frame on the outside.
I wanted them to flow throughout the home so we created the similar frames on each window.
The windows at the front of the house with shutters didn’t need frames because the shutters created their own.
Deciding what to do
It’s always hard deciding what you want. At least it is for me. I usually have a vague idea but struggle coming up with the final decision. This was true with the windows. Some of the decisions were how wide, do we create a ledge on the window sill, should we add decorative blocks in the corners.
I always have budget in mind and like to create something beautiful that is also a great value. I really wanted simplistic beauty.
Our Design
My final decision was to keep it elegant and classy. Nothing too fancy but would still make a beautiful statement.
Our favorite store to shop for renovation products is Home Depot. They have a wide selection and helpful staff.
We made or list of what we would need then made our way to the nearest Home Depot. We settled on 3 1/2 inch primed board to trim the whole window. For the inside we used 2 1/2 inch on the top and sides and a wider board that was 4 inches on the sill so we could create a ledge.
Painting and cutting
The boards we purchased are primed which is a great help but I still like to give it a single coat of paint before we get going. I set up a painting station in our garage and get rolling.
The usual steps is paint one day then get installing the next. Monte was the chief installer on this project. I helped him get going then I went off to work and left him on his own.
One key to this project was this tool Monte created. He nailed a couple pieces of trim together so it wasn’t anything fancy. After he had decided on depth of the reveal (distance from the windows edge to the trim boards) he was able to use this tool to run along the window and help him set the next piece. This little creation saved a lot of time and keeps the reveal consistent giving it a professional finish.
The Finished Product
Having these windows framed makes a beautiful statement in our home. When you walk into our front door you see directly into our great room that looks into the back yard. The windows are open and beautiful.
Keeping our windows open so you can enjoy the beautiful back yard we’ve worked so hard on is something I love.
If privacy was an issue we would have still framed the windows but found a way to solve the privacy problem. Being woken up by the sun doesn’t bother me no matter what time of year.
We did add venetian blinds to the bathroom windows because privacy was an issue. The trimmed window looks great with the blinds.
Framing our windows added a beautiful design element to our space. We love the finished look. We were able to create something beautiful without spend a lot. It cost about $300 to frame all of our large and beautiful windows.
