The sliding glass doors to the patio almost erase the boundaries between indoors and out — but the dated vertical blinds covering the doors are too ugly and clumsy to live with. Vertical blinds can be tough to wash, clattering and noisy, and prone to popping out or twisting when you are in a hurry. So replace them. Take inspiration from the decor in your room when deciding between formal and informal ceiling-to-floor patio door window treatments.
Luxurious in Layers
Hang double curtain poles above sliding glass patio doors and utilize two rows of curtains in a formal room. The curtains closest to the glass ought to be semi-opaque mild material, sufficient for privacy during the day. The second layer of curtains picks up the decor color, such as ripped aluminum silk taffeta pinch pleats in a gray room, which is gathered just like columns with braided tiebacks about 1/3 of this curtain height from the floor. The lighter curtains frame the doors when open. The richer drapes are purely ornamental when gathered into tiebacks, and they prevent views and light to the room when they’re pulled above the semi-opaque curtains and the doors.
Split the Difference
You’ll have pullup shades on sliding glass patio doors: Roman shades and bamboo shades work just fine. Buy or custom-order matching shades, one for each glass door. Hang the shades high enough so they completely clear the doorway when they’re in the “up” position. You can now fix the light and access by raising one shade and departing another down to cut an heavenly day glare. Pull the shade above the open door used for traffic in and out to its highest point once the door is open and the patio is in use. Stagger the height of the shades to control the amount of light coming to the home.
Sheer Weaves and Shoji Screens
Sliding panels of semi-translucent material are minimalist and simple approaches to block harmful UV rays, cut glare and adjust to get a view or privacy. A sheer-woven solar textile handles sunlight but allows light. The textile is custom-sized in sliding panels that pull across to cover the entire glass door system or slide over each other for various levels of accessibility. Wood-framed rice paper shoji screens on a track slide open and near cover glass patio doors. Install the track widely enough on either side of the glass doors in order that the displays slide completely clear of the doors when you need maximum light and entree to the patio.
Stained Glass Sliders
Replace plain clear glass with panels of stained glass or coloured, patterned semi-opaque stick-on picture. The therapy is extremely ornamental but slick and neat — there are no blinds or drapes to clean. The sliding doors have a streamlined “footprint” that takes away nothing form available space in the room. When concerns of privacy and light are dealt with in the shade and opacity of the windows themselves, you avert curtains blowing messily inside and out on windy days, and material that fades in the sunlight and finally needs replacing. A few clear panels on the doors let in more light once the doors are shut, without compromising privacy.