When Sarah and her husband moved into their new condo in the heart of River West, they knew they needed window treatments. The expansive windows were one of the home’s best features, filling the space with natural light and connecting it to the surrounding Chicago cityscape. But all that glass also meant they needed better control of the light and privacy throughout the day.
Armed with her own sense of style and a vision for the finished space, Sarah reached out to Skyline. Together, we created a combination of custom shades, automation and drapery that would complement the condo’s modern design while making everyday life more comfortable.
A Layered Approach to the Living Room
The living room was a natural place to start. In a condo like this, the windows aren’t simply part of the room—they’re one of its most important architectural features. Sarah wanted to preserve the open, light-filled atmosphere while adding the privacy and control that bare windows couldn’t provide.
The solution was a layered look. Custom shades provide functional light control at the glass, while drapery adds softness and frames the windows. It’s a combination that feels especially at home in a modern living space, where the clean lines of the shades balance beautifully with the movement and texture of fabric.
It’s also a great example of one of the principles we consider when helping homeowners choose living room window treatments: The coverings need to support the way the room looks and the way the family actually uses it.
Controlling Natural Light in the Living Room
Natural light was something Sarah wanted to celebrate—not eliminate. That’s an important distinction when selecting shades for large city windows. The goal is to have control when the sunshine becomes too intense without sacrificing the bright, open feeling that made you fall in love with the windows in the first place.
Adjustable window shades make it possible to change the atmosphere as the light changes. Open them to showcase the view and welcome daylight into the room. Lower them when direct sunshine becomes uncomfortable, or close them when the city lights come on and it’s time for more privacy.
For a home surrounded by glass, that flexibility can completely change the way the space feels throughout the day.
PowerView Automation for Everyday Living
Sarah’s window treatments weren’t just designed to look good. They were designed to make living with a large number of windows easier.
Adding PowerView® Automation means the shades can adjust without Sarah having to move from window to window. Individual shades or groups of shades can be controlled when the light changes, when privacy is needed or simply when it’s time to create a different atmosphere.
That’s one of the reasons motorized shades are so useful in Chicago homes with large expanses of glass. Instead of beautiful window treatments that rarely move because adjusting them is inconvenient, automation makes light control part of everyday life.
Custom Shades for the Condo’s Large Windows
Large windows can be incredible—but they also change the way we approach a window treatment project. The proportions of the glass, the number of windows, the direction of the entering sunlight and how frequently the coverings need to move all become part of the design.
In Sarah’s living room, the shades create a streamlined look across the windows instead of competing with the architecture. The treatments feel like they belong there, whether they’re positioned to welcome the daylight or lowered for more control.
It’s a good reminder that the right window treatments for large windows aren’t determined by size alone. How the room is used, how the sunlight moves through the space and how easily the shades need to adjust are just as important.
Coordinating the Kitchen & Living Space
In an open-concept condo, the window treatment design doesn’t stop at the edge of the living room. The kitchen is part of the same visual space, so the treatments needed to feel connected without forcing every window to look exactly the same.
That’s where coordination becomes more important than matching. Maintaining a similar palette and clean profile allows the kitchen shades to relate naturally to the living room treatments while still giving the windows the functionality they need.
The result is a cohesive design that carries through the shared space without making every window feel identical.
Layering Shades & Drapery for the Finished Look
One of our favorite parts of this project is the way the drapery changes the feeling of the room. The shades do the everyday work at the windows, but the fabric introduces softness, dimension and visual height.
This is exactly why layering shades with custom drapery works so well. The two treatments don’t have to compete. The shade can manage the light and privacy, while the drapery frames the windows and ties the entire room together.
Against the modern architecture of Sarah’s condo, the fabric adds just enough contrast. The finished space still feels clean and contemporary, but also warmer and more inviting.
A Chicago Condo That Feels Like Home
The best part of a window treatment installation is seeing how everything comes together. Sarah started with a beautiful new condo, large windows and a clear sense of style. The finished window treatments didn’t change what she loved about the space—they made it easier to enjoy.
The natural light is still there. The Chicago views are still part of the experience. But now, Sarah and her husband can decide when to welcome the light, when to soften it and when it’s time for privacy. Automation makes those changes effortless, while the custom drapery gives the home the finished look Sarah envisioned from the beginning.
That’s what we want custom window treatments to do: solve the practical challenges at the windows without losing sight of the home you’re creating around them.
Planning Window Treatments for Your Chicago Home?
Every home—and every wall of windows—comes with its own set of possibilities. If you’re moving into a new condo, updating a living space or finally ready to tackle windows that have been difficult to cover, our designers can help you create a solution that fits the architecture, your lifestyle and your personal style.
Explore more of our custom window treatments in Chicago, or schedule a free design consultation with the Skyline Window Coverings team.
