​Style • Comfort • Technology • Performance
In 2026, window treatments are doing much more than managing sunlight. They have become essential design elements that enhance comfort, improve energy efficiency, and reflect personal style. Today’s trends balance beauty and function, blending natural materials, thoughtful layering, and smart technology to create spaces that feel both polished and livable.

​Below are the key window treatment trends shaping residential interiors this year.

​Clean, Minimalist Designs
Minimalist window treatments remain popular, but with a more sophisticated and tailored approach. Clean lines, hidden hardware, and streamlined profiles allow the window itself to stand out while maintaining a polished look.
Roller shades, inside-mounted shades, and ripple-fold drapery are leading this trend. Cordless and low-profile systems provide a modern appearance while improving safety and ease of use.

​Layered Window Treatments
Layering window treatments continues to gain momentum as homeowners seek both flexibility and visual depth. Combining sheer panels with Roman shades, or light-filtering shades with decorative drapery, allows for greater control of light and privacy throughout the day.

​Layering also improves insulation, helping regulate indoor temperatures and reduce energy costs. This approach creates a custom, designer-finished appearance that works across both traditional and contemporary interiors.

​Smart and Motorized Solutions
Smart window treatments are now a mainstream feature in modern homes. Motorized shades and blinds can be controlled by remote, smartphone app, or voice command, offering convenience and consistency.
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Homeowners appreciate the ability to automate schedules for privacy, sunlight control, and energy efficiency. These systems also integrate seamlessly with broader smart-home platforms and are particularly popular in hard-to-reach windows and larger spaces.

Updated Traditional Details
Traditional window treatments are experiencing a revival, updated with modern proportions and cleaner lines. Valances, café curtains, and decorative trims are being reintroduced in a more subtle and contemporary way.

These details add character and architectural interest without overwhelming the space, making them ideal for transitional interiors that blend classic and modern design elements.

Warm Color Palettes and Personal Expression
Window treatments are increasingly being used as a design statement rather than a neutral backdrop. Warm, inviting colors such as terracotta, camel, soft browns, and muted pastels are growing in popularity.
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​This shift reflects a broader movement toward personalization and comfort-driven interiors, where color plays a key role in creating welcoming, lived-in spaces.

Exterior Screens and Outdoor Living
As outdoor living areas become extensions of the home, exterior shades and screens are becoming more common. These treatments help control sun exposure, heat, glare, and insects while maintaining views and airflow.
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Motorized exterior solutions allow patios, porches, and sunrooms to be used more comfortably throughout the year.

Conclusion
The latest trends in residential window treatments emphasize balance — between form and function, technology and warmth, simplicity and character. Whether incorporating natural textures, layered designs, smart automation, or modernized traditional details, today’s window treatments enhance both the look and performance of the home.
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Windows are no longer just functional openings; they are integral design features that contribute to comfort, efficiency, and personal style.

Summer is in full swing, but that doesn’t mean you have to let the summer heat get you down. Window treatments for your home allow you to have complete control over how much sunlight enters your home and, therefore, how much heat.

What window treatments are available to keep you cool this summer? Here we review some of the most popular options, features, and benefits of investing in window treatments for a more energy-efficient property and a more enjoyable summer!

Hunter Douglas Designer Solar Shades
These designer shades stop harsh ultraviolet (UV) rays from entering your home, keeping your indoors cooler without straining your HVAC system.

In addition, these treatments come with sustainable fabrics, including Hunter Douglas’s exclusive GreenScreen® Sea-Tex™ fabric collection. This unique, sustainable, and gorgeous fabric is made from recovered shoreline plastic and is the perfect choice for eco-conscious homeowners.

Hunter Douglas solar shades also come in your choice of fabric opacity to control the amount of sunlight that enters your home. Choose from five different options to customize your level of sun and maintain your view.

With elegant window treatments, you don’t have to worry about untangling cords, Designer Solar Shades move smoothly and evenly with a continuous beaded loop.

Add-Ons to Customize and Enhance Your Window Treatments
Designer Solar Shades, Dual Roller design which offers both light control and privacy in one window treatment.

With a Dual Roller design, two shades are overlapped. When both are down, you get privacy and light control, but if one is up, more light comes in. The Dual Roller design is perfect for homeowners that want light filtering or room darkening at a moment’s notice.
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You can also opt for decorative accents on your solar shades on the top or bottom for a truly customized look that allows your solar shades to blend seamlessly with your décor.

Benefits of Investing in Solar Shades
Window treatments that help filter light don’t just look nice in a home. They have important energy and protective benefits, such as:

• Energy efficiency. Solar shades are designed to block harmful UV rays from entering your indoor space, which reduces the need for air conditioning in the warmer months and lowers your energy costs while keeping your home naturally cooler.
• Glare reduction. Window treatments such as solar shades reduce glare from the sun, which allows for more visibility and less eye strain, which can be especially beneficial in office spaces or rooms with large windows.
• Privacy. Dual Roller solar shades from Hunter Douglas, you can still let natural light into your home while enjoying privacy.
• UV ray protection. Solar shades block the sun’s rays and keep your paint, flooring, cabinets, furniture, and décor safe from fading or sun damage, which can protect your most-loved items and prevent the need to refinish floors or paint your home frequently.
• Sustainability. Window treatments help reduce reliance on home cooling and help conserve energy, allowing homeowners to enjoy an eco-friendly home and workspace in addition to lower energy bills.

In addition, window treatments for sun and heat control are simple to maintain and durable, allowing you to reap the benefits of window treatments for many seasons.

Schedule a Design Consultation
Are you ready to experience the benefits of window treatments to help improve your home's energy efficiency and make your indoor spaces cooler and more comfortable? If so, schedule a design consultation with our experienced team at Color Wheel today to get started!

Blinds and other window treatments with cords pose a serious risk to children and even pets to strangle themselves.

Although window treatments are often necessary to filter light, provide privacy, and prevent fading of flooring and furniture, it’s imperative to ensure your home has safe window treatments if you have children and pets afoot.

Whether you have blinds you want to replace or are shopping for brand-new window treatments for your home, here’s what you need to know about window treatments and child safety to protect your family.

Statistics About Children and Window Treatments
It can take less than a minute for a child to become unconscious after becoming tangled in a cord from blinds. As they can’t breathe, they can’t make noise to alert their caregivers when this happens. Even parents who diligently watch their pets or children should not assume their little ones are safe from strangulation.

Each year, nine children under the age of five die from strangulation in window blind cords. However, there are hundreds more incidents of children under the age of eight getting trapped in window blind cords and sustaining life-threatening and even permanent injuries.

Children or pets who get their heads stuck in the loop and pull the string in an effort to get out can quickly get stuck. Most often, these incidents occur when children are supposed to be napping or waking up from a nap.

How to Shop for Cordless Window Treatments
You can replace your corded blinds or shades with cordless window treatments to eliminate the risk that your child or pet would be hurt or killed in an accident involving the cords.

A good rule of thumb is that if you have window treatments manufactured before 2000, they should be replaced if you have children or pets in your home. Some cordless window treatments to consider include:

• Cellular shades. Also called honeycomb shades, these blinds help provide better sound and energy insulation without cords.
• Drapes. Drapes can be designed to pull back without a cord, allowing you to have cordless window treatments that are safer for kids and pets.
• Motorized shades. Many shades can be motorized, meaning they don’t need a cord and you can control them with a remote or even your smartphone.
• Roller shades. Roller shades provide a minimalistic design and can be adjusted simply by pulling or pushing the bottom of the shade, no cord needed.
• Shutters. Shutters are a stylish way to control the light in your home and provide privacy without cords. Shutters come in many different styles and finishes.

You can also look for the Best for Kids™ Certified label when shopping for window treatments. With this label, the manufacturer must have met specific criteria for child safety and have their products third-party tested before they can be approved. These products have no cords or accessible inner cords that create hazards, especially a loop.

What to Do If You Cannot Replace Your Current Window Treatments​
If your existing window treatments or coverings have cords and you cannot replace them, it’s essential to take steps to minimize the risk of children or pets getting injured or killed.

First, keep blind cords as short as possible and out of reach of children. Remember that toddlers and older children can push furniture to climb up and reach cords even if you believe they can’t access them. Therefore, moving furniture such as beds, cribs, sofas, and even toy boxes away from windows containing corded blinds is important.

You can also ensure any cord stops on the blinds are installed correctly, which will help reduce the cords from moving, so children and pets can’t tighten the cords should they become trapped. Another option is to anchor cords to the floor or wall or to remove window treatments altogether until you can replace them with safer alternatives.


Learn More About Your Options With Color Wheel
Color Wheel offers a variety of cordless window treatments featuring Hunter Doulgas Window Fashions and Lafayette Interior Fashions .  Learn more about your cordless window treatment options from Color Wheel by contacting us today at (703) 356-8477 x3.

Window Treatments can deliver a new fresh look to your home, as well provide energy efficiency by containing warmth in the Winter and keeping heat from entering in the Summer. As every Window Treatment project is unique, our Color Wheel design team has prepared commonly asked questions from our customers. If your questions aren’t addressed here, or you’d like to discuss your specific design project, request a consult with one of our designers today.

What window covering products do you sell?
We are experts in Hard Window Treatments which include blinds, shades and shuttersmade from fabrics and Soft Window Treatments which include curtains, draperies, sheers, shades, and valances made from fabric.

Color Wheel offers the full line of Hunter Douglas Window Fashions and Lafayette Interior Fashions. In addition, we work with several professional workrooms to create the perfect treatment for your needs.

I'd like to meet with a designer. Will you come to my home?​
We’d like to meet with you, too! We’re eager to set up your appointment. Our designers often meet clients in our design studio first, so you can see our full range of window treatment, options. Then you and the designer will know which resources to bring for your in-home appointment.

Where are your window treatments made?
The majority of our treatments are manufactured in the United States with some Hunter Douglas products assembled in Mexico.

Are your window treatments child-safe?​
Yes, our window treatments are available with child-safe options.  There are some exceptions that we will discuss with you during the design process.

Do you offer “Smart” blinds, shades, drapes and automated shades?
Yes, many of our products coordinate with a variety of automation systems, such as Siri, Google Home, and Alexa and most window treatments can be automated.

I want energy-efficient window coverings to help keep the heat out/in. Do your products do this?
Color Wheel offers a wide range of window coverings that retain heat/ air conditioning. These also offer UV screening, which protects your furnishings from fading. In addition, we have room-darkening options.

Can I measure my own windows?
Yes, you may however we recommend having our designers measure for you. Each product requires particular specifications. Measurements for shades, blinds, and shutters can be quite different. In some cases, a site inspection by one of our professional installers is required.

Can Hunter Douglas & Lafayette window treatments be repaired? 
Most Hunter Douglas and Lafayette products can be repaired. Regrettably, we are unable to offer repair of any other brands.

Certain older designs are no longer made, so the parts to repair them aren’t available. Repairs are done by the manufacturer and are packaged and shipped from Color Wheel’s McLean location. Repair and shipping fees are determined by product size and type.

How long will it take to receive my window treatments?
Your Color Wheel designer will make every effort to accurately predict when your window treatments will be delivered.  Depending on the type of treatment, it ranges from a few weeks to a few months. You will be notified of any delays.  We are as eager for you to have them installed as you are!

How are window treatments priced?​
We offer a wide variety of window treatments to fit most budgets. Product type, size, lifting system, fabric selection, mounting specifications all influence prices. Your Color Wheel designer will guide you through the style, function, options and pricing.

Selecting the right window treatments with Color Wheel can give you the beautiful home design you envision while our premium fabrics and installation services will enable you to enjoy them for many years to come.
Have we sparked your creative ideas? We are here to help! Let’s continue the conversation and see how our Color Wheel designers can help you.