Window treatments in Los Angeles are a different problem than window treatments almost anywhere else. The sun is stronger, the housing stock runs from 1910s Craftsman to last month's glass box, and the same afternoon light that sells houses here also cooks their interiors. We've measured and dressed windows across this city for years, and this guide is the conversation we have in living rooms every week, written down.
What custom actually means here
You can buy a curtain three ways in LA. Off-the-shelf from West Elm or IKEA: stock sizes, flat fullness, fine if your window happens to match. Big-box "custom": a national chain cuts a stock product closer to your size and charges for measurement or installation or both. And workroom custom, which is what we do: the treatment starts as fabric, gets sewn locally to your window's exact dimensions at real fullness, and arrives with the measurement and installation already included. The first option is cheapest, the last one fits, and the middle is where most disappointment lives, because it costs custom money without delivering the custom result.
The categories, quickly and honestly
Roller shades are the workhorse: clean, affordable, available in solar, light-filtering, and blackout fabrics, and the best candidate for motorization. Roman shades are fabric shades that stack in soft folds; they bring drapery warmth to windows that don't have room for drapes, and they're our most-requested shade in traditional homes. Zebra shades alternate sheer and solid bands so one shade covers everything from open view to full privacy; we wrote a whole guide on them. Drapery is the room-maker: floor-length panels at real fullness, lined to the room's needs, from formal lined drapes to casual linen curtains. And motorization is a layer on top of any of them: motors from Somfy and Rollease Acmeda that put a wall of glass on a schedule or a voice command.
What LA does to windows
Three local realities shape almost every recommendation we make. First, the sun. A west-facing room without tree cover takes a beating every afternoon of the year; unprotected, it fades oak floors, art, and upholstery in a few summers. That argues for solar rollers or lined treatments on western exposures, and it's why we ask about compass direction before fabric color. Second, the marine layer. Westside mornings run humid, canyon and Valley afternoons run bone dry, and that daily swing moves long fabric; proper lining and interlining keep hems from wandering. Third, the architecture. A Spanish Revival arch in Hancock Park, a Craftsman's 12-lite double-hungs in Pasadena, a Trousdale wall of glass: each wants a different treatment, and preservation-minded owners of older homes (the LA Conservancy is the reference here) usually want the original wood trim celebrated, not covered.
Shades or drapery, the LA decision
The first fork in every consultation is shade versus drapery versus both, and LA's architecture makes the answer less obvious than elsewhere. Shades live in the window: they're the right tool where floor space is tight, where the trim deserves to stay visible, and where the job is mostly functional light control. Drapery lives in the room: it adds height, softness, and acoustic warmth that hard-surfaced modern interiors badly need, and it's the only treatment that makes a small window read larger than it is. The both answer, a working shade under decorative or occasionally drawn drapery, costs the most and solves the most, which is why it dominates our bedroom and living room installs.
Two LA-specific wrinkles push the decision around. Open floor plans with walls of glass often can't take drapery at all without eating the room, so wide spans lean shade-and-sheer. And the city's older housing works the opposite direction: a 1920s room with 9 foot ceilings and original casements almost always looks better with fabric at full height than with a lone shade floating in a big plaster wall.
Older homes, honestly handled
A large share of our work happens in houses older than anyone measuring them. That changes the craft in specific ways. Openings are out of square, so inside-mount shades get measured at three points and steered to outside mount when the spread is real. Walls are plaster over lath, which anchors differently than drywall and punishes casual installation; we drill for the wall that's there, not the wall the instructions assume. Original trim is usually worth showing off, which argues for treatments that frame rather than cover. And radiators, wall furnaces, and window seats under sills all change the right length. None of this is a problem; it's just work that has to be done by someone who's seen it before, which is most of the argument for a local workroom over a shipped box.
What LA projects look like
Four builds we quote constantly, to make it concrete. A Santa Monica bedroom: blackout roller inside the frame, washed linen drapery over it, because the marine layer glare burns off by ten and the streetlight never does. A Hancock Park living room: relaxed roman shades in the arched windows, framing the plaster instead of hiding it. A Sherman Oaks mid-century: motorized solar rollers across the clerestories nobody could reach, on a sunrise schedule. And a Calabasas great room: 16 feet of ripple fold sheer on a motorized track, because a wall of glass is wonderful right up until you have to walk over and wrestle it twice a day. You can see finished work like this in the gallery.
How the service works
Three steps, two of them ours. A free in-home measurement: a specialist measures every window to the eighth of an inch, checks mounting depth and wall conditions, and talks through what you want each room to do. Then fabric and a firm quote, with swatches held in your actual light, because LA light lies on screens. Then fabrication in our Los Angeles workroom, typically three to four weeks, and a free professional installation anywhere in LA and Ventura counties: rods leveled, shades squared, drapery steamed and dressed before we leave. If you like doing homework first, our measuring guide shows exactly what we'll do with the tape.
What it costs, without the runaround
We removed published price grids from this site for an honest reason: they fit nobody. A price that assumes a 36 inch stock window tells you nothing about your 9 foot slider, and the configurators that promise otherwise all grow at checkout. What we can tell you is what moves the number: fabric and lining first, size second, motorization third, and labor almost never, because measurement and installation are included rather than billed as surprise line items. The free measurement exists precisely so the first number you see is the real one, itemized per window, with no obligation attached to it.
Choosing well, room by room
The framework we use in consultations has three questions. What must the room do in the dark? If the answer involves sleeping, lead with blackout (roller, lined roman, or lined drapery) and treat everything else as decoration. What does the window face? West and south exposures need UV management (solar fabric, lining, or sheers that stay closed all afternoon); north light can be dressed purely for looks. And who operates it? Daily-use treatments should be easy to operate: cordless lifts, smooth tracks, or motors for anything tall, high, or behind furniture. Answer those three and the category usually picks itself; the remaining decisions are fabric and budget, which is the fun part.
Where we work
All of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with dedicated pages for the areas we serve most: Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and West LA, with Brentwood, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, West Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Calabasas, and Pasadena in regular rotation. The full list lives on the service areas page. Interior designers and contractors get trade pricing on all of it.
Frequently asked questions
What is a window treatment?
A window treatment is anything that dresses a window: shades (roller, roman, zebra, cellular), drapery and curtains, blinds with slats, and top accents like valances and cornices. The word covers both the functional job (light, privacy, insulation) and the decorative one (softening a room, framing a view). In practice most rooms end up with one of three setups: a shade alone, drapery alone, or a shade layered under drapery for the full range of light control.
How do I choose window treatments for each room?
Start with the room's job, not the fabric. Bedrooms want darkness, so lead with a blackout roller or a lined roman and add drapery for softness. Living rooms want adjustable light, which is where zebra shades and sheer-plus-drape layering shine. Kitchens and baths want washable, moisture-tolerant materials at sill length. Then let the architecture vote: tall glass leans toward drapery or motorized shades, deep-set windows flatter inside-mount romans, and wide sliders want a traversing drape or vertical sheer.
How much do window treatments cost in Los Angeles?
The range is wide because the category is wide: a single stock roller shade and a wall of interlined velvet drapery aren't the same purchase. What moves the number is fabric choice, lining, window size, and motorization, roughly in that order. Our measurement visit is free anywhere in LA and Ventura counties, so you get a firm itemized quote for your actual windows before spending anything, and the installation is included in it.
Are window treatments necessary?
Bare windows are a legitimate look in the right room, and we'll say so when we see one. But most LA rooms pay a real cost for going bare: west sun fades floors and upholstery, neighbors see in at night, and single-pane glass in older homes leaks heat both directions. If a room faces the street, faces west, or is slept in, some form of treatment usually earns its keep within a season.
How do I layer window treatments?
The classic layer is a shade inside or against the frame with drapery mounted outside it, on brackets deep enough (5 to 6 inches) for the panels to clear the shade. The shade does the daily work of privacy and glare; the drapery adds softness, insulation, and the option of full blackout. Sheer-under-drape is the other favorite: sheers filter daylight all day, and the drapes close for evening privacy. Layering costs more, and it's the setup people stop noticing because it simply works.
Which window treatments are best for resale value?
Clean, neutral, custom-fitted treatments read as a finished home; bent mini-blinds read as deferred maintenance. Buyers and stagers consistently favor simple roller or roman shades in warm neutrals and floor-length drapery in living spaces, all properly fitted to the window. Motorization is increasingly a selling point in the LA market, especially on tall glass. Bold patterns are for living in, not for listing; if a sale is near, keep the fabric quiet.
When should I install window treatments in a new home?
Measure as soon as the windows exist and you can be in the space; install after paint and flooring are done. Custom production takes weeks, so ordering during the build means the treatments arrive with the furniture instead of a month after move-in, when you've been dressing with taped-up sheets. For motorized shades, decide during electrical rough-in if you want hardwired power; retrofitting wires later costs far more than planning them.
How do I clean window treatments?
Regular care is the same everywhere: vacuum with the brush attachment monthly, top to bottom, and address spots promptly with a barely damp cloth. Beyond that it depends on the treatment: roller and zebra shades tolerate gentle spot cleaning well, romans and drapery generally want professional cleaning rather than a washing machine, and lined drapery should never be ironed at home. LA's fine dust is relentless, so the vacuum pass matters more here than the deep clean.
What window treatments are in style right now?
The LA market has been moving toward simplicity with texture: natural linen drapery at generous fullness, clean roller and zebra shades in warm neutrals, and motorization on anything tall. Heavy valances and ornate swags have receded except in deliberately traditional rooms. That said, style cycles are slower than the internet suggests; a well-fitted treatment in a fabric you love outlasts every trend piece written about it.
Do you serve my neighborhood?
If you're anywhere in Los Angeles or Ventura counties, yes, and both the measurement and the installation are free. Most of our work concentrates on the Westside (Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Brentwood, Pacific Palisades) and the Valley from Sherman Oaks to Calabasas, but the trucks go where the windows are. Check the service areas page or just call, and we'll confirm your address on the spot.
Not in LA?
The workroom ships nationwide. You measure with our guide, we sew the same way we do for the house up the hill, and the panels arrive ready to hang. The whole process is laid out on the custom made curtains page.