TL;DR
Get decor and gifts delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Interior designers Maci McGee and Kistna Conely describe how they used custom window treatments at the 2026 Whole Home in Charleston. Their advice covers balancing pattern and texture, layering for light and privacy, coordinating rooms without matching, and getting drapery proportions right.
Interior designers Maci McGee of Ellerslie Interiors and Kistna Conely of House Seven Design used custom window treatments at the 2026 Whole Home in Charleston to balance decoration with light control and privacy. In a House Beautiful report, they explain how layered shades and drapery, coordinated textures and correctly sized panels can help a room feel connected and complete.
In McGee’s bedroom, a cornflower-blue ceiling, mustard check wallpaper, velvet bed and antique furniture already created a richly patterned interior. She paired patterned drapes with handwoven bamboo shades, using the quieter texture of the shades to soften daylight without adding another competing pattern. The combination was intended to support the room’s existing materials rather than overwhelm them.
Conely addressed a different concern in a bedroom whose window faced a busy urban street. She combined two shades and linen drapery to provide options for privacy and daylight. The layers could be adjusted separately, allowing light to filter through one treatment while another was closed. The report describes these choices as design examples and professional advice, not as measured tests of performance.
The designers also recommend creating continuity across rooms through a repeated color, texture or overall sensibility instead of using identical treatments everywhere. They warn that drapes that are too short or too narrow can throw off a room’s proportions. Mounting height, panel width and fullness, fabric weight, privacy requirements and desired light levels all factor into choosing a treatment.
Design That Balances Looks and Use
Window coverings affect both the appearance and day-to-day use of a room. A decorative fabric may contribute color and softness, while a shade can filter daylight or offer another layer of privacy. The examples show why designers often consider the treatments alongside furniture, wall finishes and the shape of the window, rather than treating them as an afterthought.
For homeowners, the practical takeaway is to define the room’s needs before choosing materials: how much privacy is required, whether the room needs darkening, and how much daylight should remain. Then consider the visual role of each layer. A restrained shade can balance busy wallpaper, while a shared color or texture can link adjoining rooms without making them identical.
The report’s suggestions are design guidance, not a guarantee that custom treatments will suit every room or budget. Measurement, installation constraints, fabric characteristics and the window’s orientation can change what works. Careful planning can help avoid common proportion problems, but the right choice depends on the specific space.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Examples From the Charleston Show Home
The House Beautiful report focuses on window treatments in the 2026 Whole Home, a showcase home in Charleston, South Carolina. McGee and Conely discuss their own design decisions there and offer advice for applying similar principles elsewhere. The described rooms illustrate different priorities: one needed treatments that would sit comfortably among strong patterns and rich finishes, while another needed flexibility for a street-facing window.
Other rooms in the home used different treatment colors and materials. The designers’ stated approach was to connect spaces through a broader design sensibility rather than repeat one product or style. The article also identifies TWOPAGES products used in the rooms, including bamboo woven shades and a relaxed Roman shade; those product references are part of the report, not independent evaluations of quality or performance.
“They help set the mood, soften the architecture, and make a space feel finished in a way that’s hard to replicate with anything else.”
— Maci McGee, Ellerslie Interiors
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Room-Specific Choices Still Matter
The report does not provide measurements, pricing, installation costs or a comparison of the treatments’ light-blocking and privacy performance. It also does not establish that the products or combinations shown will work the same way in other homes. Window dimensions, mounting options, fabric, street exposure and personal preferences can all affect the result.
It remains unclear whether homeowners can reproduce the show-home designs within a particular budget or with existing windows and hardware. The designers’ recommendations are attributed opinions and examples; the article does not report independent testing or survey results about how much the treatments change a room’s appearance or function.
privacy and light control window coverings
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Measure Needs Before Choosing Fabric
For anyone planning a room update, the next step is to assess each window on its own: note its dimensions and mounting options, decide how much privacy and light control are needed, then consider how colors and textures relate to nearby furnishings and finishes. The designers’ advice points toward confirming panel height, width and fullness before ordering custom drapery.
The source provides no announced follow-up, deadlines or further findings. Any project-specific choice will depend on the room and the treatment selected; measurements, fabric samples and installation details should be checked before purchase.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
How can window treatments help a room feel more cohesive?
McGee and Conely recommend carrying a color, texture or overall sensibility between spaces instead of repeating the same treatment in every room. That can connect adjoining rooms while letting each keep its own character.
Why layer shades and drapes?
Layers can provide more control over daylight and privacy. In Conely’s example, one layer could filter light while another was closed for privacy. The report does not give measured performance figures for the treatments.
What is a common drapery sizing mistake?
Conely says panels that are too short or too narrow can make a room feel out of proportion. Consider mounting height, panel width and fullness before ordering.
Should window treatments match the room’s other patterns?
Not necessarily. McGee balanced patterned drapes with a quieter woven shade in a room that already had several strong patterns. The advice is to consider how each layer supports the room’s existing colors and textures.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
