hiding a bad window view

7 Window Treatment Ideas for Hiding a Bad Window View

The fact is, space is at a premium. And when you’re looking for your first place, a nice view is usually at the bottom of the list. When you live in tight quarters, you don’t always have the option of a gorgeous view. So, instead of staring at a brick wall, an empty alley or both, it might help to get creative to improve the depressing scenery beyond your window.

Here are a few window treatment ideas to help you at hiding a bad window view.

window plants hiding a bad window view

1. Use indoor plants as an attractive distraction

Sheer curtains will let natural light in while diffusing the depressing views out your windows. They’ll also diffuse the natural sunlight, giving it a warmer and softer glow throughout your space. Make the ugliness outdoors even less visible by using indoor plants.

Hang a few pots of healthy ferns right in front of the window. The ferns get all the sunlight they need, and instead of staring across the alley to your weird neighbor, you get to enjoy your ferns awash in gauzy, relaxing sunlight.

The plants will pop against the filtered sunlight and the view beyond will fade away. If you have a Black Thumb and are looking for some all-purpose plants to get you started, consider taking a look at spider plants, English ivy, burro’s tail, philodendrons and pothos.

If you don’t have space or desire to hang your plants, you can also set up a row of pots along the floor below the window and let them grow toward the light. You can also line up a few pots right on the windowsill. Good plant candidates for this are snake plants, massangeana and varieties of dracaena.

Or, if you have a nice, narrow console table, put this against the window (again, with sheer curtains) and place a few pots of phalaenopsis on top. Who’s going to look at what’s beyond these graceful orchids and their exotic blooms?

2. Hang curtains

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, there’s not much else that can be done. If the view out your window is that dire, and no amount of plants or laminates can distract from the problem, then just hide the problem entirely. If losing light doesn’t matter to you, simply block the view completely with a nice set of curtains.

You may think to yourself, if you’re already putting up drapes, you may as well just nail a tapestry over your window without a view and call it a day. Don’t do it! This isn’t a dorm room, it’s your apartment, and you should take pride in the way you keep it.

The first rule of buying curtains is to measure first. Before buying curtains, make sure to measure your window for both length and width. Bring those exact measurements with you when it’s time to purchase your curtains and rod. The width of the window will not only determine the width of your actual curtains but will also determine the length of the curtain rod you purchase.

Curtain rods come in a variety of materials, thicknesses, weights and designs. They can be as basic as a thin piece of folded metal, to as extra as a thick wooden dowel with ornamental rod ends. Round curtain rods are meant to be used with curtains that have grommets. If you are considering a curtain with grommets, you must get a round rod to ensure the curtains will easily glide across the rod when they are opened and closed.

Curtains usually come in sets of two, and both curtains are meant to be used for one window. A double-curtain window allows for the curtains to be tied back, cracked or closed completely. Not every curtain comes with grommets. Curtains without grommets are usually fairly lightweight, made of cheap fabric, and are meant to be used with the most basic curtain rods.

Pro Tip: To reduce the amount of natural light lost, purchase a set of sheer white curtains to hang with your decorative curtains, keeping the sheer curtains closed. This will allow light in, but continue to block your bad view.

window mobile

3. Hang an interesting mobile over the window

If your green thumb is more like a black thumb, not to worry. You still have options. Instead of plants, hang an attractive macramé mobile against the sheer curtains. Choose a theme for your mobile and make sure the aesthetic and color match the rest of the décor in the room. For example, if your room is painted in earth tones, you might want to hang something made of raffia with pottery pieces.

If you think mobiles would be out of place in the contemporary ambiance of your pad, think again. There are some chic modern mobiles out there using abstract concepts as their theme, and plenty that you can make yourself.

4. Use mirrors to distract and reflect

Mirrors are great at creating optical illusions and deflecting attention from less desirable sights. If there’s sufficient space on the wall beside the window, put a mirror there and angle it so that it reflects something on the other side of the room. That creates a sense of symmetry in the space with a pretty painting, a tapestry or a plant grouping that is great for hiding a bad window view.

Just make sure that the mirror is arranged as part of that wall’s décor. Mirrors are also great for making small spaces appear larger.

5. Install glass film

If the window is in a prominent part of the room and if it’s generously sized, consider using glass film to block the outside view. Glass film comes in a wide variety of designs and colors, and since you custom cut it to your window, it’s always a perfect fit. Glass film can be used over large windows, small windows and even windows with divided glass panes. If you have a flair for the original and artistic, this is a great option for you.

Stained glass should be precisely sized so that it can fit over or replace the existing glass. This way, you can still open the windows when you need to. Remember to choose an eye-catching design with plenty of transparent pieces if the window you’re working on is the room’s major source of natural lighting. Make sure you use a temporary stained glass option and follow the proper steps to remove it if you end up moving out.

If you don’t like the stained-glass look, you can use etching to give the window a lovely design, while still letting in some natural light.

Note: Etchings on glass windows can be removed with buffing or chemicals, but please get your landlord’s written permission just to be on the safe side.

outdoor screen hiding a bad window view

6. Create an outdoor screen

Outdoor screens are an effective way to block out what you would rather not see. If you have an awning over your window, you can hang a large enough screen with some artwork to banish that ugly view.

If there’s space beyond your window, create a refreshing screen with a row of slim, tall plants. Bamboo grows like crazy and requires very little in terms of maintenance. Try planting decorative bamboo in pots to grow as high as your window. And with a big enough area, you can even plant some narrow evergreens. Upright junipers and arborvitae might also look great. But be sure to look online and find specific breeds of plants that will survive the seasonal temperature swings in your part of the country.

If your space is limited, but you want some greenery to cover the next building’s concrete wall, try a trellis instead. A trellis looks great and adds a sense of depth and texture to the façade of the building. Try growing jasmine, clematis, honeysuckle or wisteria on your newly installed trellis and you won’t regret it. You’ll not only have a beautiful screen for privacy, you’ll also have the flowers’ fragrance to help you forget that an ugly wall is close by.

7. Cover the ugly window and just create a new one

Oh IKEA, is there anything you don’t have? From particle bookcases you assemble with wooden pegs to frozen meatballs, you can do everything with IKEA — except getting in and out of their stores in less than three hours.

IKEA has a great new device that blends seamlessly with most décor even if it wasn’t assembled with an Allen wrench. It’s called the Floalt and it’s a window you can put anywhere. OK, it’s not exactly a window. Because your landlord would probably have a problem with you knocking holes in exterior-facing walls.

The Floalt is an LED light panel that costs about $130. It hangs on the wall and looks like a window. When it’s lit, it shines a light between 5,600 Kelvin or 6,500 Kelvin, which mimics sunlight at different times of the day. If you have an ugly window, but still need natural light, this is an ideal solution. You could put it over the window itself and use it to beam in bright sunlight on demand. Or, you can hang it on the ceiling or in any small nook in your apartment you feel would benefit from more light.

When you can get better and more consistent light from this than your actual window, you won’t think twice about hiding your bad window view and basking in the warm glow of Scandinavian design.

There are ways to hide a bad window view

A terrible view doesn’t mean you have to confine yourself to heavy drapes. It also doesn’t mean that you have to be miserable every time you look out your window. There are relatively easy ways to treat yourself to a pleasant sight even when your windows are wide open.

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