Decide whether you want the windows to be major focal points or part of the background. Ask yourself if the room is large enough to handle a lot of pattern. I tend to go more monochromatic with smaller spaces. Window treatments are excellent ways to soften the room�s architecture and add tailored luxury. Remember, the art of restraint defines good taste.

You can visually enlarge the size of a window. One trick is to give a window proper breathing room. Choosing an appropriate window treatment is just the first step; how you have it installed impacts the outlook, too. Don't crowd a window at the top. Lift a valance, cornice box or curtain rod to add height. Install outside the window casings to open up a view or add width.

The eye goes to color and detail before anything else. Don't be afraid to use it. Rooms are like people, without a little colorful attitude they're wishy washy and dull. Add a beautiful color at the window, then disperse the same tones throughout the room as accents, for it's part of the jewelry of a room. Don't forget the gorgeous variety of stains for your choices in wood.

Just because you don't have a window on a particular wall doesn't mean you can't fake one. Use a mirror-which may reflect light from a real window and help brighten a room-and flank it with a beautiful window treatment. Or, create a whole "wall of windows" where there may only be a single, just by extending a treatment to the corners, floors, or ceiling.