Window coverings are certainly a functional part of a room, but they can also be an opportunity. An opportunity to add a splash of color or pattern, an interesting texture or just a sweet detail. We looked through our archives to come up with a variety of window dressings we find inspiring - all the links are below.
Bottom Row:
1 Bright, full-length, center-gathered curtain in Ashley and Family Welcome a Girl
2 DIY fabric shade with branch accent in Dylan's Woodland Nursery
3 Bold and graphic fabric shades in A Modern Family-Friendly New York Apartment
4 Map roller shade in Emmett's Room Makeover
5 Floral print long curtains paired with a bamboo shade in this Bright + Bold Nursery
Bottom Row:
6 Ruffles added to a white Target curtain for extra flair in Scarlett's Sensational Secondhand Space
7 DIY cafe length curtains in Baby O's Room
8 Custom printed Ramones Shade (look online for sources to have your own image printed on shades - here's one.)
9 Pom-Pom trimmed long sheers in Scarlet's "Girly Not Frilly" Nursery (how to make them yourself)
10 DIY cloud roller shade in Toby's Nursery
Small Cool Lessons: Discovering Small Space Design Ideas That Really Work
Beatriz's Fun and Functional Workspace
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Sheex Bedding
How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough in the Food Processor
Toby's roller shade is cute, but I can't imagine a worse placement for a crib.
I agree. Doesn't anyone else worry about toddlers or babies pulling curtains down? Where I work we can't put any cribs near curtains. One kid completely ripped brackets out of the wall and used the curtains as a blanket, which was hilarious, since it wasn't my kid or my curtains.
great ideas.
fwiw, Toby's nursery is a really small room that also has a bed in it. i guess there was no where else to put it.
I love number five! Big fan of the pattern curtains.
I was hoping to see some cool frosted glass ideas since I just recently sprayed my back door with a circle pattern and convinced myself that this is a really cool idea!
I've been living in my apartment for more than a year and I have yet to put up curtains in my living room...part of the reason is because I don't want to buy something and have the hassle of returning it when I don't like it. I would like to have the gauzy-type curtains that natural light can come through, but also dark, non-transparent curtains. Does anyone have any suggestions for a creative window treatment?
In my first apartment after college I had a bedroom with just one window and rather than buy shades, I used a walking stick I found while hiking to act as a curtain rod, with a really cool piece of fabric stapled to it. The stick rested on the old curtain rod brackets. In the day I would roll it up and at night, roll it down. It reminded me of pic #2 but mine was not as pulled together. It was fun though!