I have loved the look of bamboo shades paired with white curtains for several years. I would have done this Semi-DIY Faux Bamboo Shade in our last home -- but I knew we were moving. When we bought this house, it already had beautiful, high quality, wood blinds throughout the first floor {a nice bonus!}. The upstairs, however, didn't offer as much in the window department.
Amazon affiliate links included in this post.
The windows upstairs are short. This is good for furniture placement, because you don't have to worry about blocking windows. It is also good for privacy, because it would be quite difficult for anyone to see into our second floor due to the high placed windows -- with or without curtains and blinds.
However, it's not so great for design. The little windows look short and squatty.
My remedy for this is long curtains that are hung high and wide to give the illusion of a larger window. When you hang curtains high, you are left with an empty space between the rod and the window:
Just the perfect spot to finally install those bamboo shades I've been eyeing, right?
The exciting thing is that this is actually a pretty
affordable combination -- which was important, because we have three windows to outfit in our
master bedroom.
Our Supplies:
- double curtain rods in brass {we purchased these from Amazon}
- white RITVA curtain panels {we bought them from Amazon; but -- if you've got an IKEA nearby -- they are cheaper in the store}
- ONE long bamboo shade {Style Selections brand from Lowes}
- glue gun and hot glue
- scissors
- small cable ties {we keep an assorted set like this on hand}
I chose the RITVA Curtains from IKEA because they have a texture in the weave that feels higher quality than some of the other white IKEA curtains.
When you pair that soft white weave with the bamboo shades, it adds a lot of texture and depth to the room. We used two panels to flank the outside edge of the windows on each side of our headboard.
The bamboo shades are -- as described in the post title -- faux. They aren't functional. Of course, you could simply buy three shades for three windows and hang them as-is; but we were looking to save some $$$!
Also, bamboo shades aren't room darkening. With this design you can still hang a basic
room darkening shade inside the window and it won't be visible during the day; because it is hidden behind the
much prettier bamboo shade. Just pull it down at night!
So.... lay your bamboo shade out flat. We chose a 6 foot long shade so that we could create approximate 2 foot sections for each of our 3 windows.
Before you begin cutting, determine which slats will be the top/bottom of each of your faux shades. You'll want to add a dab of hot glue on the cording of that slat to hold everything in place.
There will need to be some excess slats so that you have some excess cord. In the photo above it is the slats between the hot glued row and the white circle... so 4 slats excess.
Use your scissors and start snipping the cord at least 4 slats below the hot glued slat.
Pull out the excess slats and knot each set of cording.
You'll need to repeat this for the bottom and top of each faux shade {except for the bottom of the real bamboo shade -- don't cut that one since it has a pre-made edge!!}.
Wrap the top of your faux shade around the curtain rod to determine how large of a loop you need. Then, take cable ties and slide them through the cording on two slats. In my case, I used the second slat from the top and eighth slat from the top. In other words, it took eight slats to wrap the rod loosely.
Once everything is in place, you may want to add some additional hot glue to the cording on the top 2-3 slats {I chose to do this as a "backup" to my little knots -- especially since the cable tie attached to the cording is where the weight is anchored}.
Pull each wire tie tighter {not snug to the rod, though, so you can still pull it in and out}. Snip the end of the cable tie if it might show from behind your shade.
Now, before hanging, you'll want to give the shade some weight at the bottom. We'll use the excess slats for this purpose.
Move to your bottom slat; add some hot glue to the second slat from the bottom; and then fold the bottom slat back so that the glue isn't visible.
Now, add some more slats with hot glue. It will cover up the excess cording while also weighing the shade down. I covered the bottom 3 slats, twice.
This gives the shade a finished look and will keep it hanging straight.
I love, love, love the added layer of texture they give the room... and for a pretty reasonable price.
Next on our bedroom to-do list: night stands and wardrobes. What's on your to do list?
Labels: DIY, Master Bedroom
