Clothing your casement, jalousie, or double-hung: the latest word in window dressing.

As long as there have been windows, there has been the need to cover them up—during a storm, say, or at night when the wild animals are prowling. Ancient people covered their windows (think of a crudely carved hole in the wall: our word “window” comes from an Old Norse phrase that means “wind eye”) with animal hide, fabric, or later, if they were lucky, with shutters.

But even if the window problem for the most part has been solved—most homes now have windows that can let in light and keep out the elements at the same time—there’s still the issue of how to cover them. And that’s where a bit of meditation comes in handy: window treatment options are so varied nowadays that it can be daunting to pin down exactly what you want and need.

“We’ve had people come in and get so overwhelmed they had to leave,” says Lindsay Schley of Alcatraz Shade Shop in Oakland. “We start by trying to help our clients figure out what exactly they need the window covering for, and then we go on to suggest styles that will fit their budget.”

Look before leaping

Whether to create privacy, control light (including ultraviolet protection), insulate (homeowners can save hundreds of dollars a year on energy bills with the right window treatment), or block the view of the neighbor’s SUV, window coverings have a purpose. But window treatment experts also keep in mind the aesthetic impact of the available options, considering whether the windows themselves are attractive, and the personal and home styles of the client.

“Some people have invested huge amounts of money into wood-framed windows and they want those windows to show,” says Barbara Addicott, owner of Window Décor & More, a business she runs out of her Berkeley home. “Others have aluminum windows and they want to hide them. Yet another consideration is whether the client cares how the windows look from the street.”

Before you darken the door of a window treatment shop, take some time to figure out what styles appeal to you. Look around your home. What kind of art, color schemes, or designs do you gravitate towards? No matter what your taste, there is a window covering to suit it, says Chun Wong, who’s owned the 40-year-old Emeryville business, Draperies by Susan, since 1985.

“I find it helpful for people to look through magazines and cut out pictures of what they like before we get together,” says Wong, one of the many local entrepreneurs who visit their clients at home. “Then, when we get to their house, we check out what they have already, find out what they want to keep in terms of style elements, and what they’re open to changing.” Wong also makes an effort to provide green, environmentally-friendly materials and products for her clients.

Doreen Hazel, co-owner of Marsh Interiors of Emeryville, suggests that clients bring in something from the room where the windows in question are located—perhaps a pillow or some other accent. “If you’ve just painted the room,” Hazel says, “bring in the name of the color you used so we can help you coordinate.”

Windows 101

In the quest for that perfect treatment, it helps to have some information about the types of windows the client has, according to Hazel. “Often customers will bring in a digital camera with photos of their rooms and empty windows. That visual information is a big help for us in recommending the best options.”

Double-hung windows, the most common type, open by sliding the bottom half of the window up or sliding the top half down. Their single-hung cousins work the same way, except only the bottom sash opens.

Window treatment experts can make almost any kind of covering fit almost any type of window, according to Schley, with the exception of sliding glass doors. “It makes more sense to have a vertical treatment on a sliding glass door so you can get in and out,” Schley says. “We really have to see the window before we can suggest treatments,” she adds. “But almost any option can be customized to fit the particular window’s style.”

Sliding windows have sashes that move horizontally on a track; typically only one of the sashes moves while the other remains stationary. Casement windows open with cranks or levers that swing the glass out or in like a door. Awning windows, also known as hopper windows, swing open like casements but are hinged on the top or bottom rather than on the side. Rotating windows open by pivoting around a central point.

Jalousies are made of glass louvers that overlap one another to form the panes. They’re operated with a crank or turn-screw. And finally, fixed-pane windows don’t open at all, which means they don’t allow for ventilation or easy cleaning, but their sealed edges protect against air infiltration.

Not only is there a range of window types, but there are also various window placements, such as bay windows, which project outward from the main walls of the house; garden windows, which are miniature greenhouses attached to the home; and skylight or roof windows, which let in light from the top.

Choices galore

Window treatment experts talk about covering options as either hard or soft. Hard treatments include blinds (mini, roller, Roman, vertical), shades (honeycomb, or cellular, pleated, roller, woven, wood), and shutters. Soft options are curtains and drapes of various materials and thickness—sheer, semi-sheer, semi-opaque, and opaque. Styles include valances (swags, cascades, jabots), tiers, cafe curtains, or tab tops.

Drapery options can be complex, according to Addicott, and it’s definitely worth your time to do the research. “Which pleat style do you prefer? What kind of rods? Do you want the fabric to puddle on the floor, and do you want tiebacks?” she says. If you haven’t done your homework, you’ll be hard put to answer even the most basic questions.

Since the late 1990s, the trend in window treatments has shifted towards simplicity, like natural fiber shades or drapes with less fabric and fullness, according to Schley. “People used to be interested in these giant cornices and fabric-covered treatments, tassels, florals,” she says. “Now what’s hip is a clean, natural look.”

More bang for the buck

The least expensive window treatment is a roller shade or mini-blind (or perhaps homemade cotton curtains!); roller shades range from $25 to $200, depending on the size and material, and mini-blinds range from $75 to $200, according to Schley. The next step up is a pleated shade, a honeycomb, then a Roman shade, then draperies. The pinnacle of deluxe soft window treatments these days? Interlined silk drapes—silk with a layer of thin batting sewn in between the fabric and lining of the drapery panels, adding body and insulation and protecting the fabric from sunlight and cold. Depending on how much the fabric costs per yard, silk drapes can be $1,500 to $3,000 per window.

Taking a hands-on approach to research, measurement, and installation saves cash, but not necessarily time. Check out IKEA for a wide variety of window treatments, but know your windows and their measurements before you go. Online companies such as Smith + Noble or The Shade Store will walk you through a do-it-yourself process, from measuring to choosing a style to installation (they also offer measurement and installation services, however).

If you do plan to measure your own windows, it’s crucial to follow the expert’s protocol. For best accuracy, Schley advises, use an aluminum tape measure at least one-inch wide, and with one-sixteenth–inch markers. “Use a real tape measure, not a cloth one,” she advises. “And please do not use string! Seriously, some of our clients have done that.”

In the end, however, most window treatment professionals strongly encourage their clients to have an expert take the measurements and do the installation; the service should be built into the estimate.

“We come in, take measurements, and install the treatments accurately and efficiently,” Addicott says. “I’ve worked with the same installer for 17 years, and his skills are integral to the success of what we do. He’s worth his weight in gold.”

Let the sun shine in (or not)

Clearly, windows are no longer just openings that help ventilate the house, and, when the weather’s nice, let in some light. Now they also serve as the building blocks of a home’s style: setting the tone (flamboyant or understated—you decide) and tying chosen elements (the carved wooden mask you brought back from Asia, your aunt’s old Morris chair) into a beautiful, finished package. No wonder there are so many options out there—and so much help—at whatever price you can afford, Addicott says.

“My grandmother had about three window treatment choices: Venetian blinds, curtains, and roller shades,” she says. “Now the complexity and variety of window coverings can boggle the mind. I love guiding my clients through the available choices to find the treatment that’s just right for them and their home.”

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Kate Madden Yee is a local freelance writer who swears by her two-inch wood blinds.

Drape Doctors

Alcatraz Shade Shop, 6400 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, (510) 658-2734; www.alcatrazshade.com.

3-Day Blinds, 3265 Grand Ave., Oakland, (510) 839-6415; www.3dayblinds.com.

Consumer Shades, 1803 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley, (510) 527-4442.

Draperies by Susan, 6037 Christie Ave., Emeryville, (510) 652-7027; www.drapesbysusan.com.

IKEA, 4400 Shellmound St., Emeryville, (510) 420-4532; www.ikea.com.

Marsh Interiors, 3850 San Pablo Ave., Emeryville, (510) 547-7540; www.hdwfg.com/marshinteriors/sb.

The Shade Store, (800) 754-1455; www.theshadestore.com.

Smith + Noble, (800) 248-8888; www.smithandnoble.com.

Window Décor & More, Berkeley, (510) 848-9968.