20 Timeless Window Treatment Ideas for Sliding Glass Doors
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Whether it’s rolling pastoral hills or the morning mist rising off a quiet mountain lake, the country is full of stunning views, so it’s no wonder we love our sliding glass doors. Not only do they let in all the light and views, but they’re also a great way to incorporate a natural indoor/outdoor flow into any home. But, knowing how to style them so they aren’t so sterile—and you can have privacy when needed—can be difficult! Have no fear, we’re here to help.
We’ve combed through our archives and checked in with our favorite designers to see how they’re finishing their sliding glass doors. From breezy curtains to layers of window treatments, below are ideas here for every budget and style. So, whether your sliding glass door leads out to your screened-in porch or the wide-open backyard, we promise you’ll find something to inspire your next room makeover project.
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Pick an Unexpected Color Combination
While the best decorating advice usually calls for curtains to coordinate with other fabrics in the room, you can also bravely choose to throw that advice directly out the window and still get a chic result. Take this airy cabin living room, for example. It successfully pairs oversize olive curtains with rusty reds, blues, and yellows, proving that unexpected colors can be brought in with success.
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Choose Contrast Hardware
In a breezy living room, such as this beachy California bungalow, deeply saturated black iron hardware offers a pleasing pop against the simple palette.
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Keep It Breezy
Curtains don’t have to take up a lot of visual weight. In fact, when they’re blocking a beautiful ocean view such as this, it’s better if they’re simple. Here, classic white curtains with tab ties keep things feeling clean-yet-coastal.
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Let The Light In
Sometimes, you really don't need a window treatment! We promise this isn't an easy out but practical decorating advice that most design-minded homeowners could easily overlook. If your furniture has plenty of pattern and color and your view outside is as stunning as this California winery, then you should keep your sliding glass door free of any visual infringement. Just embrace the au naturel look!
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Go for Gauzy
The more see-through the curtains, the better. In this she-shed-turned-guest-house, a barely-there curtain lets in loads of light. Stick to sheers when you want to prioritize both privacy and the view.
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Hide The Hardware
A well placed piece of trim can hide curtain hardware with ease. In this dreamy bedroom, an under-mounted pair of breezy white curtains keeps the visual clutter to a minimum while handsome leather furniture sets a more rustic tone.
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Pick Pretty Wood
If you are torn about putting up curtains, start with beautiful wood sliding doors, like these barn-door style doors on a lake house’s back patio, designed by Thom Filicia. You may even decide you never want curtains!
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Pick Complementary Colors
If the room you’re decorating has a strong visual point of view, sometimes it’s best not to disrupt that flow. In this North Carolina cabin, neutral tones and warm touches set a welcoming tone, which is extended to the double-height glass windows and doors. Paired with neutrally patterned curtains, the view to the stunning mountain valley below takes precedent without losing out on style.
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Try Out a Top Flourish
Curtains with a flop-over valance top such as pictured here add a cottage whimsy to even the starkest of living rooms. Their soft silhouettes ease the transition from outdoors to in, while acting as the perfect foil to more modern furniture.
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Keep It Simple with Solids
In a space already full of pattern, keep your curtains simple. In this colorful lake house bedroom, bold solid red curtains liven up the white walls without distracting from the beautiful view.
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Lean Into Linen
Linen is the optimal material for curtains, in this Senior Homes Editor’s humble opinion. Not only does the natural texture add nice dimension, but it also lets light through without reducing privacy, something that is at a premium in this party barn, owned by country music star Thomas Rhett.
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Turn up the Trim
If you’re going light and breezy on your curtain panels, paint your window and door casement something striking. Here, a moody dark brown was chosen to pop against creamy curtains.
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Try Subtle Ticking Stripes
Ticking stripes have long been a country staple thanks to their prim-yet-humble disposition which allows them to work in almost every space. In this breezy oceanside bedroom, their subtle pattern adds breezy, country flair.
Hang Above the Frame
To keep your curtains from getting hung up in the door, place your curtain rod at least six inches above the door frame. In fact, many designers even recommend going all the way to the ceiling. Using a rounded, wrap-around style of rod will set the curtain away from your door slightly and make opening and closing easier.
Trim Your Curtain Panels
In this coastal living room, a striped sofa sets a quiet patterned tone that is mimicked on the trim of the sliding glass doors’ curtain trim, as well as on the Roman shade! Pairing patterns across furniture and accessories is a quick way to elevate a room’s design.
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Make it Pop With Pattern and Paint
For a coordinated look, pick a paint color for your trim that is a close match to the curtain fabric of your choice. You can even bring your fabric to the paint store and ask them to make a custom matching shade. In this sitting area designed by Heather Chadduck Hillegas, sky blue paint paired with colorful curtains brings the dreamy space together.
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Continue a Color Palette
The easiest way to blend curtains into their surroundings is to match them to the paint color (or pick a matching fabric-wallpaper duo). In this cozy snug accented by floor-to-ceiling glass, the designer Barbara Westbrook chose a pretty beige set of curtains to match the subdued color on the wood walls.
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Liven It Up with Layers
Nothing adds a designed feel to a room like layers. To get the look, start with woven wood shades like shown here. Then pair them with patterned curtains like designer Katie Rosenfeld did and you’ll have a perfectly put together living room in no-time. Tip: These woven shades can be custom made via Amazon (of all places!) for a relatively low cost.
Get the Look:
Woven Wood Shades: Windows and Gardens Cordless Woven Wood Roman Shades on Amazon
Try Casual Tiebacks
Tiebacks are the easiest way to give your curtains dimension. In this mudroom, the tieback is crafted from the same fabric as the panel for a more harmonious look. You can also buy premade ties at most major home decor stores.
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Pretty It Up With Plaid
We love maximalism here at Country Living, and there exists no clearer example of just how much style a powerful pattern can lend to a space than this Wisconsin living room. Here, multicolored swaths of plaid fabric were sewn together to craft these one-of-a-kind window treatments that are hung in panels at the ends and in the middle along the glassed wall.
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