15 Chic Window Treatments for Sliding Glass Doors
When it comes to adding function, style, and light to your home, sliding glass doors are an architectural mainstay. Not only will they promote indoor-outdoor flow throughout your floor plan, but they'll also flood the space with natural light. Sliding glass doors are believed to be inspired by Japanese shoji panels, as they were invented after WW2.
That said, finding stylish window treatments for sliding glass doors isn't always easy, because unlike the translucent paper used in shoji panels, the glass lets everything in, good and bad. Typically, window treatments are either functional but too utilitarian-looking—no one wants their home to look like a dated hotel room—or beautiful, but lacking in key elements that add to the usability of your space. The good news? There are dozens of fresh ways to cover your sliding glass doors to add both style and service to any room in your home.
The key to finding the right window treatment for a sliding glass door comes down to narrowing in on exactly how you want the feature to function. Are you looking to filter out harsh light? If so, you'll want to opt for a sheer fabric that dampens the afternoon rays without completely blacking out the sunshine. Are you hoping to gain a bit of privacy from too-close neighbors? An opaque fabric or double-lined curtain may be your best bet. Are you looking to bring visual interest to your design scheme? A custom cornice and matching drapery in a punchy print will probably do the trick.
Whatever your needs, HB's roster of designers have found a creative solution. Below, we're rounding up 15 expert-approved window treatment ideas for sliding glass doors, ranging from barely-there breezy drapes to woven Roman shades and eye-catching patterns that bring the perfect finishing touch to your space.
Double Your Drapes
Sliding glass doors are all about adding function to your space, so your drapery solution needs to be functional, too. If you need window treatment with top-notch flexibility, steal this solution from designer Brian Paquette. In this seaside California home, he installed not one but two layers of drapery in front of the sliding glass doors; a transparent layer to filter in light and a thicker opaque fabric that can be pulled out for added privacy or light blocking.
Fancy Up Your Finishes
When choosing window treatments for a high-end space, splurging on a sumptuous fabric isn't the only way to ensure they're up to snuff. In the 2023 House Beautiful Whole Home, designer Kate Marker struck a balance of formal-meets-casual in the study, pairing a flax linen fabric from Kravit with a chunky wood curtain rod and oversized rings that play into the room's luxe appeal.
Unify Your Treatments
When working in a space that boasts more than one type of window or door, mixing and matching window treatment styles can be stressful. To take the guesswork out of the equation, choose a drapery style for your largest feature—in this case, a sliding glass door—then mirror the look on the rest of the windows in the space. In this California home, designer Matt O'Dorisio turned to classic French pleat drapes (sometimes also referred to as a two-finger pleat) to cover the sliding glass door and nearby paned window.
Add a Bold Cornice
For a sliding glass door window treatment that bridges the gap between formal and functional, look no further than the solution found in this charming Pennsylvania farmhouse owned by The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy alum Carson Kressley. To bring light filtration and privacy to the doors in the sunroom, he opted for a natural fiber blind from Budget Blinds, paired with a custom cornice featuring a funky Ikat pattern that plays off the rest of the prints in the space.
Hang Multiple Panels
If you're lucky enough to have a sprawling space that boasts several sliding glass doors, chances are you want to maximize their drama however possible. In this New Jersey home, designer Joe Lucas opted for multiple sets of drapes (instead of one long panel on each side) to cover the many doors and windows in the great room. The result adds some much-needed softness to the light-drenched space while allowing the homeowners to close off just one or two of the doors as they see fit.
Match Your Trim to Your Fabric
Synergy is important in design, especially when it comes to two elements that so closely interact with one another. To ensure your sliding glass doors and window treatments feel like a pair instead of competing elements, look for ways to unite them in the design. In the conservatory of the 2023 House Beautiful Whole Home, the Design Alchemy team paired tangerine window and door trim with drapery fabric in the same color family.
Hide Your Tracks
When there's a major view on the line, you don't want anything distracting from the money shot—and that includes window hardware. To dress the sliding glass doors in this bayside Long Island home, architect and designer David Mann mounted the drapery track flush to the ceiling, where it seamlessly blends in with the frame of the door, accenting the clean lines in the room and providing an unobstructed view of the sea beyond.
Pile on the Pattern
Because window treatments take up so much visual real estate in your room, it's important to consider how they contribute to (or in some case, detract from) your overall design. Incorporating patterns into your drapery results in a playful and energetic space, especially when the same print is echoed throughout the room. In this happy design by Mark Sikes, a ditzy denim blue print dots the custom curtains, echoing the custom upholstered couch and pillows.
Play With Textures
While the doors in this room designed by Tammy Randall Wood of Interior Archaeology are technically French glass doors and not sliding glass ones, her choice of window treatments applies to both styles. To bring dimension to the formal dining space, Wood layered Roman shades by Hunter Douglass with custom curtains made from Zimmer + Rohde fabric.
Give The Illusion of Height
Sliding glass doors are meant to make your home feel more roomy and expansive, so the last thing you want to do is employ a window treatment that makes everything claustrophobic. To balance out the moody paint hue in this guest room—and give the illusion of taller ceilings—designer Brynn Olsen opted to hang the curtain rod for her sliding glass door closer to the ceiling (rather than the doorframe) to trick the eye up.
Create a Casual Vibe
Drapery and curtains have an inherently formal vibe, so they're not always the right choice for every sliding glass door, as was the case in this sunny breakfast nook. Instead, the team at Dunbar Road Design opted for a cheery custom Roman shade, pairing it with a curvy valance for just a touch of sophistication.
Carry Through a Color Palette
Sliding glass door window treatments can help tie together your overall design scheme. In this home by Lauren Liess, prominent olive details in the curtain pattern echo hits of the shade throughout the rest of the open floor plan, allowing the eye to travel throughout the space and making the whole home feel more intimate.
Keep Out Light
If the light leaking through your sliding glass doors impedes a good night's rest, double up on hardware and fabric. While your choice of curtains is undoubtedly the most important factor, the type of curtain rod you choose can help too. Take this space by designer Blair Moore for example. Instead of a straight curtain rod, she chose a return style (also sometimes referred to as a blackout rod), which curves around the edges of the doors, allowing the curtains to sit flush with the wall and block out any rouge rays.
Stick With Sheers
When privacy isn't a concern but you don't want your sliding glass door to feel, well, naked, transparent curtains are a great solution. Typically made from very lightweight linen or cotton, these curtains are ideal for casual homes and anywhere coastal. In this beachside retreat in Florida, designer Ashley Gilbreath hung creamy sheers atop the French doors (but the same would work for sliding glass, too!) that can billow in the coastal breeze and allow light to filter through.
Go Bare But Better
Sometimes, you just want to let your sliding glass doors sing, and that's great. These days, there are innovative ways to protect your home from prying eyes or harsh rays without resorting to full-blow window treatments. If privacy is a concern, consider having one-way film installed atop your panes that won't impact your view out but will impede anyone trying to look in. Likewise, similar options on the market can block a large percentage of UV rays from making their way into your room, protecting both your furniture and your family from sun damage.
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