Elegant country chic windows

The more elegant the window, the less dressing it needs. Follow our guide to dressing your windows with simple country chic

Windows in the 18th century were left more or less bare, and for today's purists, the Georgian example of using shutters to provide privacy and warmth is often considered to be the best-looking solution. But if you keep your fabrics neutral and understated, simple blinds and curtains can provide a tailored elegance that matches the graceful lines of wooden shutters. For a traditional, deep sash window, one of the smartest solutions is a London blind, a fitted fabric panel that pulls up into gentle folds at the bottom like a Roman blind, but is softened by two vertical pleats that create a slightly looser, ruffled effect, and a gentler horizontal line.
Trimming the edge of the fabric with narrow velvet ribbon adds a neat, tailored finish. If you are set on curtains but want to keep the effect understated, use plain cream linen or cotton with the simplest possible heading: fabric tabs slotted onto a slim metal pole, tied in chunky knots rather than fiddly bows.
For a more stylised look, but still in neutral cream, trim the inside edges of the curtains with a distinctive edging such as scallops This is a good way to balance a rustic setting or establish formal lines in a farmhouse-style room.

• Try keeping to neutral colours and restrained pattern, letting the line and cut of the fabric give the window impact.

• Use tailored blinds and plain curtains trimmed with occasional pleats, neat ribbon binding and decorative edgings.

• Finish the inside edges of the curtains with a contoured or scalloped effect instead of adding a decorative pelmet across the top.

• Keep the headings simple. Opt for plain rings or tie-tops and tab-tops slipped onto steel poles.

• Line plain curtains with a different fabric that shows as a contrasting trim where the edges turn back, or make them from a heavy fabric finished on both sides so that it doesn't need lining.

• • Look for textured fabrics so that the character of the weave adds interest to both the muted colours and patterns.

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