Experimenting with Window Treatments: Virtual Options We Tried

As our laundry room renovation continues—priming, painting, and tile prep are underway—I wanted to share some virtual window treatment ideas we explored in the office. We’ve played with virtual mockups before: testing wall ideas in Clara’s bedroom, trying different looks for Teddy’s room, and even photoshopping curtains and a rug into a photo of our new light and chairs. Those experiments helped us decide whether to buy pieces, and they informed the choices we ultimately made.

Speaking of purchases, the rug we mentioned in that earlier post has shipped and is on its way to our house, which got me excited to finalize a window plan. You all left great suggestions in the comments—everything from roman shades and colorful patterned curtains to no window treatments at all but a deeper accent wall—so I decided to run several virtual options to see how each would read in the space.

Below is a clear summary of the variations I tried, and how they changed the room’s overall feel. I kept the renderings simple so I could focus on silhouette, color, and texture relationships instead of getting distracted by tiny details.

First, I started with the original rendering from the last post, which gave me a baseline for comparison. From there I began switching in different curtain colors and shade styles to see what felt right next to the new rug.

My first tweak was shifting the curtains from emerald to a softer, leafy green. That slight color change warmed the window area and leaned into a natural, organic vibe. It was a subtle update, but it helped the drapery feel less jewel-toned and more relaxed.

Next I tried a taupe-gray curtain. This neutral option calmed the palette and created a more modern, understated look. It pared back visual noise and allowed the rug and lighting fixtures to take more of the stage.

I also tested a soft blue-gray option to tie the curtains directly into the colors in the rug. This brought cohesion between the floor and window treatments and felt intentionally coordinated without being matchy-matchy.

After that I experimented with subtly patterned roman shades. I liked the idea of introducing pattern at the window, but in my mockups the pattern competed a bit with the rug’s own texture and scale. It was nice, but perhaps too busy given the other elements in the room.

Then I tried making the back wall a deeper accent color while leaving the windows completely bare. The darker wall added drama and depth, but without any window covering the space felt a touch unfinished—the deep color needed a layering element to feel cozy rather than stark.

To test a simpler shade option, I created a look with white roman shades. This cleaned up the window area and brightened the space, giving it a fresh, airy feel that contrasted nicely with the darker furniture and fixtures.

I also paired curtains with the deeper back wall, but the combination felt a bit heavy and visually crowded in the renderings. Two strong elements at once—the dark wall and full curtains—competed for attention instead of harmonizing.

One of my favorite iterations combined the original lighter back wall with both curtains and bamboo blinds. That layered treatment felt warm and textured: the bamboo added an organic, tactile quality that tied to the cream tone of the light fixture, while the curtains softened the window edges. It felt balanced and lived-in, not too formal.

I tested that same bamboo-blinds-plus-curtains combo with blue curtains as well as gray ones. Both variations worked; the blue introduced a calm, coordinated link to the rug, while the gray leaned more neutral and modern. Right now we’re slightly leaning toward the gray, but we’ll decide once the rug arrives and we can compare fabric swatches in person.

This exercise reminded me how much a rug plus thoughtful window treatments can transform a room. Changing a single element—curtain color, shade style, or an accent wall—shifted the character of the space dramatically in each rendering. When we can’t picture a look clearly enough to commit, mockups or mood boards help us avoid costly mistakes and move forward with confidence.

How do you visualize changes in your home? Do you use Photoshop or free tools like GIMP, or do you prefer to bring in pieces gradually and let the room evolve? Sometimes we fall for a single inspiring piece and build around it; other times we make mood boards and try virtual layouts until something clicks. Either way, experimenting virtually saved us time and helped us narrow down a comfortable, layered solution for our laundry room windows.