Skip Traditional Curtains: 11 Gorgeous Window Treatment Ideas From Joanna Gaines

When you picture a Joanna Gaines renovation, what you're probably seeing is a room that's 1,000 percent brighter than the "before" pictures, and the windows either have floor-length curtains or no window treatments at all. Actually, Gaines uses a number of window treatments to add texture, contrast, and character to her home renovation projects. For example, Gaines enjoys using shutters, glass treatments, and more Roman shades than you can shake a Gladius at as alternatives to curtains. And it's often how these were combined with other design elements in a room that made the window treatments perfectly complement the room. Here are some of our favorite window treatments she's used throughout her impressive home design career. 

Everyone loves the custom shutters built for the Baker House in "Fixer Upper" Season 5, Episode 7. They match the vent hood and tie all the wood in the room together nicely. The working shutters can be closed for nighttime privacy or, perhaps, storms. Hinges turn each shutter bifold, which enables them to cover even large windows. At first glance, you might think you're looking at rustic board-and-batten shutters, but they're actually Shaker-style that echo the lower cabinets in the kitchen.

Gaines uses a Roman shade from Budget Blinds in a pattern called Quinta Adobe from time to time, including in several rooms of the "Mini Reni" series. Here, thin trim boards matching the Roman shades were added around the window in the "Mini Reni" playroom, and the shades organically blend with other light wood elements, without dimming the whimsical charm of the children's room. 

In this room from "Fixer Upper" Season 3, Episode 2, white shiplap covers the ceiling and the short walls at either end. When raised, the white Roman shades on the room's many windows blend seamlessly with the surrounding shiplap, allowing the window treatments to retreat into the background. The result feels something like a sleeping porch — open yet cozy.

In this exceptionally low-budget "Mini Reni" there was nowhere near enough money for new windows or custom wooden blinds, so Gaines installed woven wood Roman shades in the living room to bring warmth to the room. She selected rattan for its earthy, organic texture and to echo the other woven elements in the dining room, such as throw pillows, lampshades, stools, and baskets.

One of the things that Gaines brought to the "Mini Reni" table was Gaines' appreciation for window film. Gaines likes to let natural light in when possible, but textured window clings offer privacy without blocking light. In this case, she opted for a fluted glass film, which offered plenty of privacy for an over-the-tub window.

A style-focused home office should be somewhere you actually want to spend time, with plenty of natural light and a relaxing atmosphere that makes it easier to focus. Here, white linen Roman shades strike that balance beautifully, softly filtering sunlight while fading into the background. The wooden Roman shades used elsewhere in the renovation might have conflicted with the vertical stripes on these walls, but the lighter fabric presents no such problem — it's hard to imagine these shades conflicting with much of anything.

A close-up of the Roman shades featured in Gaines' sample layout for Season 5, Episode 1 of "Fixer Upper," shared on the Magnolia blog, reveals thin, reed-like stems woven together to create a textured fabric. She says the shades tie in with the wooden elements of the home, while staying in the background and leaving plenty of room for bold, colorful elements. There's also a strong presence of woven materials in this renovation, from the welcome mat to the wall treatment at the end of the galley kitchen.

The La Pequeña Colina house ("Fixer Upper" Season 5, Episode 5) gains a lot of classical refinement from the working arched shutters. As seen in the Mediterranean-style living room, the tall arched windows incorporate the light wood and black metal elements carried throughout the home. 

The Mountain House of "Fixer Upper" Season 5, Episode 2 got some very familiar-looking Roman shades, perhaps wooden ones, but they also got something else: light, translucent curtains. We weren't supposed to talk about curtains, but they barely function as curtains here; instead, they add an optional textile layer that adds depth to the room and can offer slightly more privacy and light-blocking properties. 

In "Fixer Upper" Season 3, Episode 16, Gaines uses darker Roman shades to tie together the wood tones, rattan accents, and patterned daybed in a mudroom. The shades really pop, helping to ground a space that might otherwise feel adrift in a sea of windows. While the various wood tones aren't an exact match, their similar warmth creates a cohesive, layered look.

In "Fixer Upper" Season 5, Episode 14, Gaines creates the illusion of a window in a windowless kitchen using a cleverly placed mirror. At first glance, and perhaps even a second, you might mistake the room's reflection for scenery beyond the glass. Adding an actual window treatment here, however, would have been a bridge too far.