French Door Window Treatments: Your Complete Guide

French doors are admired for their elegance, bringing a refined beauty to any home. The expansive glass panels encourage natural light into the room, and extend the living space out toward the garden, naturally. However, their openness also creates a struggle, and begs the question of how you can protect their beauty and manage light and privacy. The correct French door window treatments can solve this situation while providing additional character and comfort to your interior.

Pictured: Custom Curtains for Sliding Glass Doors.

Why French Doors Demand Special Consideration

As working entrances, not traditional windows, French doors cannot afford to have treatment that will inhibit the door's functionality, either by opening inward or outward. Also, these are generally composed of multiple panes of glass and a high-end finish that, chances are, you do not want to cover completely. Your perfect choice of French door window treatments must have at least the following 4 points:

• Unobstructed Operation: It must allow your French doors to open and close without obstruction.

• Light Control: They should either block the light or filter the light. Light control is important for aesthetic comfort and will protect your furniture from UV damage.

• Privacy: Important when there are busy streets on the other side of your doors or neighboring houses.

• Aesthetic Compatibility: Your window treatments should support and complement the classic elegance of your doors and not provide a competitive opposition.

Determining your needs is the beginning of choosing the most appropriate window treatments for French doors.

Top Window Treatment Options for Your French Doors

Popular choices for French door window treatments include curtains, shades, blinds, and shutters, each offering unique benefits for privacy solutions for French doors and light control with window treatments for French doors.

1. Curtains & Drapes for French Doors

Curtains and drapes provide a soft, flowing look that's ideal for French doors, allowing easy access while maintaining elegance. They're great for adding warmth and texture, especially in living rooms or bedrooms.

Pictured: Custom Rod Pocket French Door Curtain.

Rod Pocket Curtains for French Door

Rod pocket curtains offer a classic, gathered look. Rod pocket curtains for French doors slip easily onto a rod, offering a simple yet sophisticated design. These are perfect for best curtains for French doors that need frequent opening and closing.

Pictured: Custom Tie Up Shades for French Door.

Tie Up Shades for French Door

For a charming and casual look in your French door window treatments, consider tie-up shades. The fabric shades can be manually raised and secured with ties. Tie up shades for French doors combine the functionality of shades with the charm of ties, allowing adjustable height for customizable light control. Tie up shades are an excellent choice for energy efficient shades for French doors in sunny areas.

Pictured: Birkin Pleated Velvet Curtain.

French Door Curtains

French door curtains are a fabulous option among French door window treatments for the contemporary, stylish home. To install, you can either mount the curtain rod to the wall over the French door or to the ceiling near the door. When choosing the curtain, consider that when it is closed, it will cover the door, meaning you cannot open or close the door. You can add a motorized curtain track that works well with French curtains, so that you can have motorized open and close of the curtains.

Tip:  The French door curtain rod should be wider than the door frame, at the very least on each side of the door frame. Make sure the curtain does not obstruct the door leaf and hinges when opened.

2. Shades & Blinds for French Doors

As French door window treatments, shades and blinds offer a much cleaner look and a more finished appearance. They also allow fine control over light and privacy, and are better for spaces with heavy traffic. They generally take up less space than curtains, fitting snugly on French doors.

Roman Shades for French Doors

Roman shades for French doors fold neatly when raised, creating a clean, stacked appearance. These are top picks for custom Roman shades for French doors, blending style with insulation. Choose a light-filtering fabric to soften sunlight or a blackout material for bedrooms.

Woven Shades for French Doors

Woven shades for French doors use natural fibers like bamboo and ramie for a rustic vibe, filtering light softly, making them a popular choice in French door window treatments. They're favored for natural woven window treatments for French doors in eco-conscious homes.

Cellular Shades for French Doors

Cellular shades for French doors feature honeycomb cells that trap air, boosting energy efficiency. Perfect for insulated cellular shades for French doors in colder climates, they reduce utility bills. A top-down/bottom-up option is highly recommended for your French doors, offering ultimate flexibility in privacy and light control.

Roller Shades for French Doors

When considering French door window treatments, minimalist and modern roller shades for French doors are a simple, tidy solution. They roll up easily to provide clear views with both blackout and sheer fabrics to choose from. This is a great option for a contemporary home.

3. Shutters for French Doors

French door shutters bring a classic architectural feature to any room and represent an excellent choice among French door window treatments. Interior shutters are hinged, so they can swing open with the door, or they can be configured as bi-folds. These shutters provide extraordinary durability, outstanding light control with the adjustable louvers, and additional security. They are low-maintenance and suitable for traditional or coastal homes. Among various French door window coverings, shutters are the best option for a built-in permanency that will add value to your home.

Finding the Perfect French Door Curtain Ideas for Your Home

The thoughtful French door window treatments showing an individual idea really can elevate a basic entrance to a statement feature. You can use curtains or shades, but a good treatment can show off the door as much as allowing for everyday use of the door, which will mean, in most cases, being able to open, close, provide light control and provide privacy. To see more inspiration or to see custom curtain ideas for your door, please check out TWOPAGES Curtains' official website: twopagescurtains.com.

Got any French door window treatment ideas? Drop them in the comments anytime!