As our laundry room project moves forward — with priming, painting, and tile preparation all underway — I wanted to share a few virtual styling experiments we tried in the office. Over the past year we’ve been digitally testing ideas for other rooms (for example, we tried some wall concepts in Clara’s bedroom and explored wallpaper looks for Teddy’s room), and we’ve even photoshopped curtains and a rug into a recent photo to see how a new light and chairs might feel together. Those little mockups helped convince us to buy a rug that was on sale, and now that the rug has shipped, I’m suddenly eager to settle on a window treatment.
We got a lot of great reader suggestions, everything from roman shades and colorful patterned curtains to leaving the windows bare and painting the back wall a deeper accent color. So I decided to play around with a few combinations and see what resonated most with the rest of the room’s elements.
Below are my virtual try-ons and what I learned from each. I started with the original rendering from our previous post as a point of reference, then shifted through several curtain and shade options to see how color, texture, and layering might change the room’s feel.
First I experimented with greener curtains — a leafy, vibrant green that leaned toward emerald rather than a muted tone. The stronger green made the window area pop, but it also drew attention away from other details in the room.
Next I tried a more subdued taupe-gray curtain. That felt calmer and more neutral, letting the room’s other features take center stage without competing for attention.
Then I moved toward a soft blue-gray to better coordinate with the new rug. The blue-gray softened the space and created a gentle color link between the rug and the windows, making the overall palette feel cohesive.
I also tested subtly patterned roman shades. At first glance I thought I’d love them, because pattern can add interest, but in combination with the rug they read as a little busy. It was useful to see them together digitally — the pattern that felt right on its own didn’t work once layered with the rug’s texture and color.
Another option was to make the back wall a deeper color while leaving the windows completely bare. This created drama and a focal point without adding window coverings, but it also made the room feel heavier and less layered than I wanted.
I tried a simpler version of roman shades next — a white, clean-lined look — to imagine a lighter, more minimal approach. That gave the room an airy feel, but it lacked the warmth and texture I was leaning toward.
Layering curtains over a darker back wall proved to be too visually complex. The combination felt crowded rather than harmonious, so I stepped back and tried a different approach.
Ultimately I returned the back wall to its original lighter color, kept the curtains, and added bamboo blinds. That mix felt like a revelation: the blinds brought in warmth and texture, tying nicely to the cream tones in the light fixture and creating a layered, inviting look. The bamboo’s natural tone added an organic element that balanced the softness of the curtains and the rug.
To compare options, I also paired the bamboo blinds with blue curtains instead of gray ones. Both combinations worked well; the gray felt slightly more refined while the blue added a touch more color. At this stage we’re leaning toward gray, but the final decision will probably hinge on the fabric we choose in person.
We plan to wait until the rug arrives and is rolled out on the floor before choosing fabric, so we can see how everything looks together under natural light. Seeing the rug in the space will make it much easier to pick a curtain color and texture that harmonize rather than compete.
How do you visualize changes in your home? Do you use Photoshop or free alternatives like Gimp, or do you prefer to bring pieces in gradually and adjust as you go? Sometimes we fall instantly in love with a single piece or a paint color and commit immediately. Other times we create mood boards or try virtual mockups when we can’t quite picture how different elements will interact. For us, these virtual try-ons are a helpful way to narrow options and avoid unnecessary returns, and they’ve brought us much closer to a confident decision for the laundry room window treatment.