The best thing about the new season is undoubtedly the brighter days. Sun can have a positive effect on just about everything, from nature and the world around us to our very own emotions. It can also have a positive effect on our homes by brightening up the gloomier looking rooms. Smaller spaces can even appear bigger with the added light, and rooms with small windows benefit from an injection of sunlight and longer days.

To help you make the most of the additional sunlight we’ve put together our favourite top tips to help you dress windows for the spring and summer seasons. These quick and easy ideas can help to make the most of your window space by taking control of the natural sunlight in your room and styling your window to give your décor a boost.

Be bold

Complement your bright rooms with even brighter colours or light pastels for your curtains or blinds. Bright and bold colours can create a contemporary feel while lighter pastel colours can work with the sunlight and make rooms appear even bigger. Our favourite colour scheme for 2017 to show off the sunlight is the combination of a bright and sunny yellow and a chalky pastel pink. Paired with white or neutral walls and furnishings, opting for blinds in one or both colours makes for the perfect spring window dressing.

Dress windows in voile

Voile is a sheer fabric usually made of cotton, wool or silk. Opting for some light voile curtains is the ideal way to let as much sunlight into your room as possible. Additionally, voile curtains create a fresh and breezy feel, making rooms seem cool for the spring time. To achieve a feminine look for spring select a delicate pattern for your voile curtains, such as an intricate floral design for a more exotic geometric moroccon look. Finish with some simple curtain pole ends for an understated yet decidedly sophisticated look.

Use two blinds

For a unique and contemporary look and to make the most of this years must have colour schemes, why not have two blinds instead of just one. Choosing one blind in a lighter sheer fabric and an opaquer fabric for the blind in front means you can have complete control over the light in your room. Have it as bright as you want, dim it down to create a cooler atmosphere or use your front blind to block out that early morning sun and enjoy a lie in. The other great thing about this look is you can pick two different colours for both blinds, one for example in our favourite sunny yellow and one in a pastel pink.

Blackout blinds or curtains

While it’s good to make the most of the light in the sunnier seasons, there are times when you’ll want to have a bit more choice over your sunlight intake. Longer days can mean earlier and sunnier mornings but a truly rejuvenating sleep needs absolute darkness. For the best sleep possible and undisturbed Sunday lie-ins, opt for blackout blinds or curtains.

Parisian shutters

Shutters offer a distinctly European feel, perfect for creating your very own Parisian escape in spring time. The wide slats are also perfect for flooding the room with light and can be controlled with a rod to suit your preference or throw them wide open to let in the sun. You can also get a chicer style for spring with half shutters. Finish by painting your shutters in your favourite springtime colour for a modern feel.

Longer curtain poles

Using a curtain pole that is slightly longer than the width of your window on each end can trick the human eye into seeing the window as bigger than it is. It also means you can position your curtains at the end and block less light than you otherwise would, meaning your room will both seem and be brighter. This look is great with simple pencil pleat curtains, plus you can use a leading edge to make the whole look really stand out. A leading edge uses a contrasting fabric on the back of the curtains and continues onto the front edge; curtain holdbacks can then be used to show off even more of the bright coloured backing.

Café curtains

Café style curtains usually use a bold print or pattern with a pole that runs inside one end of the window to the other. This is then positioned about halfway up and these curtains typically only appear in kitchens. They are perfect for keeping the kitchen looking as light as possible while incorporating some contemporary colour or design to match your décor.

Top Tip:

If you love switching up your style but hate the hassle of changing your curtains or blinds, opt for tab top curtains. Without the fuss of curtain rings these curtains are easy to switch out and you can even easily make your own simple tie top curtains with some fabric of your choosing for a more affordable style switch during the year.

If you’re feeling inspired why not try out some window dressing ideas of your own with our huge range of curtains and blinds. From affordable blackout blinds to big names like our Catherine Lansfield curtains, we’ve got everything you need to show your windows some love this spring.