Today’s post covers highly-reviewed, affordable window treatment ideas for those of you shopping for your next window covering. We’ve got blinds, shades, and curtains, because those are the most budget-friendly options when it comes to window treatments. If you have ideas to add or reviews from personal experience, I hope you’ll drop a comment below!

Window Treatment Options: Blinds vs. Shades

Yep, there’s a difference. Blinds are the hard slats and shades are one continuous piece of fabric (often more than one sewn together). Both can be very affordable options, and here’s how to find the most stylish designs.

Blinds on a Budget

When I started drafting this post, I noticed that the search results for “blinds” are through the roof. Either Americans are suddenly craving more privacy, or this is an evergreen hot topic. It could also be that blinds cover the entire range of window treatment budgets, from tangled-cord, cheap vinyl mini-blinds to fancy, high-end wood slats. Here are two affordable wood and faux-wood options from Select Blinds.

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Your most budget-friendly options will probably be at online blind retailers, which can offer more custom sizing, or big box hardware stores. In the case of Lowe’s and Home Depot, the cheapest blinds are sold in standard, common sizes, and are a decent starting point. Levolor and Bali are typically very good lines in this category, although a bit pricier. Plus, there’s always Amazon and Wayfair.

If you have small children, please consider opting for cordless blinds, for their safety. Peace of mind is worth the small price bump.

If you install blinds, here’s a good cleaning hack! Wrap cloths around a pair of tongs to wipe across each slat.

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The Many Shades of Window Treatment

Let’s cover a few types of window shades, since there is so much variety in this category. I have a few recommendations to share on cellular, roman, woven wood, and roller shades.

Cellular Shades

If you want cellular shades custom fit to your window openings, an online blind retailer is probably your best bet. We always install blackout cellular shades in our bedrooms, and I have ordered from both Just Blinds and Select Blinds. I haven’t tried Blinds.com, but I’ve heard very good things from a friend. You can buy standard sizes from other stores, but the cellular shades from specialty blind stores are really not much more expensive and you’ll get a precise fit.

Here’s my quick review: these cordless blackout cellular shades from Select Blinds beat out the comparable shade from Just Blinds in almost every way. I prefer Select Blinds’ cordless mechanism and functionality, and the shades have held up perfectly over the past few years. Comparatively, one cordless blind from Just Blinds did not stay raised after 2 years of use; it kept sliding down from the raised position. This was as far as it stayed open (I kept the other in alignment):

We have Select Blinds cellular shades in our current house and they still work as well as new, 3 years later. Plus, installation was pretty easy! Here’s a close-up of our current blackout cellular shades, with locking mechanisms at the top and bottom.

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Cellular Shade Tips

Most of these companies will send you free fabric samples to see the shade colors in person. I tend to order the white that looks best with our wall color.

Amateur Tip: If you’re a risk-taker, ignore the blind company’s guideline to trim an 1/8″ off your width measurement. That’s what we did in our current house and the blinds are a perfect fit in the window, with the “blackest” blackout possible. (Of course, I wash my hands of any responsibility here – just sharing that it worked for us. You could also try this on one shade and see if you like the sizing. Measure carefully!!)

For decor purposes, if you choose shades that will fit inside your window opening, you can add curtains over top for a softer look. Originally, I intended to add curtains to some of our bedroom windows, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Here’s what the shade looks like when it’s open from the bottom or top.

Roman Shade

Roman shades are the folding fabric shades that can really class up your windows. From trendy to traditional, roman shades have almost endless possibilities. You can always order custom sizes from the online blind retailers, but be sure to request the free fabric samples first.

Roman shades have a reputation for being pricey, so why not try Amazon? These look pretty online, but I haven’t seen them in person.

Woven Wood Shades

The trendiest pick right now in the world of window treatments is woven wood shades. These will add texture and warmth to your space, and you can find budget woven woods from light to dark wood tones. I definitely recommend ordering samples to see the wood colors and design in person.

Our woven wood shades in the kitchen and dining room are a previous version of these Classic Cordless shades from Select Blinds. Golden Poppy looks similar in color and design. I absolutely love these shades and highly recommend the cordless version. Installation was easy.

Woven wood shades look especially nice layered behind curtains. I chose not to install curtains in our dining room due to the sticky little hands in our house, but I really debated it. Here’s what the shade looks like pulled all the way down.

I found a few options for pre-sized woven wood shades at Home Depot, Wayfair, and Amazon. I’m sure you’ll find others if you shop around.

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Roller Shades

Roller shades are another classy window treatment in the shade family. From light-filtering to blackout, roller shades have the most modern, streamlined look. Here are some highly-rated, affordable roller shades.

IKEA also has affordable options in this category. This shade comes in a few colors and is sleek and minimal:

Curtain Call

Since we have moved four times in the past seven years, I have a few sets of these white curtains on stand-by. They are 100% cotton but lean toward a linen look, with a heavy drape and texture. I cut off the tabs at the top and use these black curtain rings to update the whole look. IKEA sells a few different lengths, so you might want to hem them or use hem tape like this, to adjust the length.

This winter, I had the itch to buy velvet curtains, but the price tag killed me. My dream picks would be these cotton velvet beauties from CB2 or this gorgeous set from H&M, but my budget (reality) pick turned out to be these very affordable moleskin panels in the 84″ length. Plus, Amazon’s free return policy came to the rescue because I ordered a few versions and only kept the ones I liked best. They look much better in person than online.

Don’t forget to hang your curtains “high and wide” for visual impact. This creates the illusion of larger windows. Here’s how it works:

Favorite sources for affordable curtains:

IKEA
H&M
World Market
Target
Wayfair
Amazon
Overstock
Bed Bath & Beyond
HomeGoods (in person)
Home Depot (huge online selection!)

If you’re willing to spend a bit more:
Society6
CB2
West Elm
Pottery Barn (check PB Kids and PB Teen, too)
Urban Outfitters
Anthropologie

That’s a Wrap!

If you have more budget-friendly suggestions, please let me know! I am no expert in the world of window treatments and would love to hear your input. My goal is to share affordable options and ideas. Hope you enjoyed the roundup!

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