7 Window Treatments That Are Making Your Home Look Dated

Apr 09, 2025

Designers say it's best to leave these window treatments in 2024.

Getty Images

No one wants a dated looking home, but as it turns out, the wrong window treatments can be play a significant role in making your house look less than stylish. Here, Southern designers share seven window treatments that they no longer consider to be in vogue. Steer clear of these looks as you decorate your space this year!

Michael Mitchell, the founder of Michael Mitchell in Charleston, South Carolina, has had enough with valances. "Valances in general feel dated to me, especially if they involve ruching," he says.

Balloon valances, though, are the biggest no-no, according to the designer.

"No matter how much you try to reinvent them, they will always remind me of the 80s and look dated," Mitchell explains.

Similar in style to valances, swags are also "done and dusted," Mitchell says. Swags, like valances, "are heavy at the top and become light blockers due to the way they hang down into the windows," he elaborates.

If you still have a soft spot for swags and valances and can't imagine excluding them from your home, consider this insight from Honey Collins, the founder of Honey Collins Interiors.

"When executed in updated fabrics—avoiding bold florals in favor of more modern, subtle patterns or textures—they can look fresh and chic," she says of these two drapery styles. "Fabrics that reflect current tastes and tie in with the other materials and colors in a room can make even the most traditional styles look timeless."

It's time to move on from grommet top curtains, according to Shauna Jones, the founder of Shauna Glenn Design in Fort Worth, Texas.

"They tend to look clunky, and if you want curtains that open and close, this type of top treatment tends to stick easily," she says of the design.

Wood shutters rose in popularity during the early 2000s and "have become a visual shorthand for that era's cookie-cutter home aesthetics," says Rachel Cannon. The founder of Rachel Cannon Limited in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, adds that this type of window treatment isn't going to add much to your space by way of light, either. "They make the interior of your home dark and heavy," she explains.

Avery Cox, the founder of Avery Cox Design in Austin, Texas, shares a specific look that she considered to be dated: Slim black hardware with ball finials and utilitarian black metal brackets for drapery.

"The trend began when window hardware became available via retail outlets in the early 2000s," she says. She recommends instead opting for more substantial drapery hardware with a "natural or living," citing wood or unlacquered brass as examples.

Heavy fabrics will automatically make a home appear dated, according to Cynthia Masters, the founder of Panageries in Greenville, South Carolina, who cites brocade, damask, and tapestry fabrics as examples.

"Because of their weight, these fabrics add an undesirable sense of heaviness to a space," she says. "I recommend a nice linen blend, cotton or chintz, for a more up-to-date look."

When it comes to draperies, you won't want to go with anything too short, notes Roz Murphy, the founder of Roz Murphy Design in Dallas, TX.

"They can look out of scale in the room," she says.