New Window Treatments For Any RV
While most campers and RVs come with some form of window treatment—usually cheap, flimsy blinds—those aren’t always the most attractive or versatile options. There are a variety of options to cover your RV windows from blinds to curtains to shades available for purchase or to make by hand.
Spruce up your RV and give yourself true privacy, or bursts of sun, with some new RV window treatments.
The first step in treating a window is to pick the window. A bedroom window, for instance, might want blackout shades for total privacy while the dining area window having blackout curtains won’t matter as much.
Curtains, shades, or blinds?
Everyone’s aesthetics are different and while some people may be deterred by the look of blinds, others may find them to be perfect. If choosing curtains, it’s important to look for a fabric that will go well with the rest of its surroundings in the RV: wall color, bed colors, banquette, etc.
Shutters Open by Larry & Teddy Page is licensed under CC BY 2.0
Many curtains meant for small windows are available for purchase or typical curtains can be bought and cut and hemmed to fit RV windows. For shades, there are several varieties and differences in thickness depending on how much light one wants to enter.
Blinds have also come a long way since the cheap ones that come with most RVs. Try a rich brown bamboo blind or a white-washed wood for a little elegance.
There are also different varieties of blinds from top-down-bottom-up to slats to pleated blinds to roman shades. If you want to get really fancy, install remote-controlled blinds!
Cornices and Valances
Cornices and valances are the top treatment over a window that is constructed out of wood and has a fabric front and sides hanging over the wood.
Alternatively, some valances are just a short strip of fabric that hangs at the top of a window. Both versions are purely ornamental and do not provide window coverage. These are easy to purchase and hang or can be DIY-d.
DIY window treatments
When it comes to RV living, often cheap and do-it-yourself is the way to go. The same is true of window treatments, especially as most RV windows are too small to use traditional window treatments meant for a house.
For fabric window treatments like covering cornices and valances or making curtains, get creative and try using an old sheet, fabric shower curtain, pillowcases, dish towels, or tablecloth. A shower curtain rod and hooks can create a look like traditional curtains but can be adjusted more easily to fit smaller windows.
Instead of a rod, a wire or string could also be hung with clothespins used to attach the fabric. Covering cornices and valances can be as simple as gluing fabric over the existing wood, stapling the fabric, or using fabric pins to keep it in place.
Since these are not used to actually cover the window and don’t move, there is no risk of the fabric coming off. There are also a variety of tutorials online for no-sew curtains that use treatments like fabric glue and drapery clips instead of needing to sew.
