Three Decades of Custom Window Covering Design

East Sacramento is one of the region's most architecturally distinct neighborhoods, with tree-lined streets running through McKinley Park, the Fabulous Forties, and the blocks surrounding Sacramento State. Tudor cottages, Spanish revivals and stately 1920s and '30s homes sit close together here, most with original windows that were never meant to accommodate a mass-produced shade or shutter.

Our Roseville-based design team has spent over three decades working with homeowners across the Sacramento area, including plenty of East Sacramento projects where getting an accurate fit on an older window matters just as much as choosing the right fabric.

Homes in East Sacramento were largely built well before modern window manufacturing settled into today's standard dimensions, which means openings here are often a few inches off from what a big-box retailer stocks. Add in original wood trim, plaster walls and windows with slight settling over the decades, and a proper fit depends on careful, individual measuring rather than a catalog size.

Before recommending a product, we look at how light moves through the home, how each window is shaped, and what the room needs day to day. A sunroom off the back of a 1930s bungalow might need a solar shade that manages heat gently, while a street-facing living room in the Fabulous Forties may call for more privacy without covering up original woodwork.

Many East Sacramento homes have taller-than-average windows for their era, along with detailed casings and crown moldings worth showing off rather than hiding. Drapery built to the exact height and width of these openings adds softness and height without competing with the home's original character.

The finished result depends on how fabric, lining, pleat style and hardware come together, and we treat those as one coordinated decision rather than separate picks. Drapery can operate daily for privacy, hang decoratively to add texture and warmth, or pair with a shade underneath for layered light control. Motorized tracks are available for panels on taller or harder-to-reach windows.

Plantation shutters can be a beautiful fit in East Sacramento homes, but only when the frame style is chosen to complement rather than cover existing woodwork. Deep original trim, arched openings and slightly out-of-square window frames are common here, and each requires careful attention during both design and installation.

Wood shutters tend to suit these older homes particularly well, matching the material quality already present in the house, though composite options remain a practical choice depending on sun exposure and budget. Either way, precise measuring is especially important on a street where few two windows are exactly alike.

Roller shades are a good fit for the sunrooms, breakfast nooks and rear additions common throughout East Sacramento, where more modern glass has often been added onto an older structure. A light-filtering fabric softens daylight without losing brightness, while a solar fabric cuts down on heat and glare in rooms that get strong afternoon exposure.

Bedrooms and any room that benefits from a darker setting typically do well with a blackout fabric or dual-shade system, giving you the flexibility to adjust between an open feel and full privacy through the day.

Roman shades suit East Sacramento's smaller original windows especially well, bringing fabric texture into a room without overwhelming a more modestly sized opening. They're available in tailored, relaxed, waterfall and woven-wood styles, each of which can be lined for gentle light filtering or full blackout.

Because the fold depends on both fabric weight and window width, each shade is designed to its specific opening rather than a standard size — a detail that matters more in a neighborhood where window widths vary block to block.

Adding motorization to an older home takes a bit more planning than it does in new construction, since wiring often needs to be routed thoughtfully around plaster walls and original trim. Once in place, shades and drapery can be controlled from a wall switch, a phone app or a connected smart-home system, which is especially useful for taller windows or ones set behind furniture.

For homeowners planning a larger renovation, it's worth discussing motorization early, before walls are opened up for other work.

Many East Sacramento homes include a front porch, side yard or small backyard patio that gets more use once shaded properly. A retractable exterior shade or a cable-guided screen can cut down on afternoon heat and glare while keeping the space feeling open rather than closed in.

Given the tighter lot sizes common in this neighborhood, these systems are typically sized to fit a specific, often smaller opening rather than a standard configuration.

East Sacramento homeowners are welcome to visit our Roseville studio to see fabrics, shutter samples and shading systems in person before deciding on a direction. This is often the most useful first step for drapery projects in particular, where matching fabric to a historic interior is easier to judge up close than from a swatch photo.

For larger projects covering multiple rooms or an entire home, we come to you. During the visit, we'll go window by window, talk through what each room needs, and take precise measurements to prepare a detailed proposal — with no commission-based sales pressure involved.

Selecting window coverings for an older home involves more variables than a newer build. Settling, non-standard framing, deep sills and original trim all affect mounting depth, light gaps and how a finished product ultimately sits in the opening.

Years of experience working throughout East Sacramento's historic neighborhoods has taught us where these issues typically show up, and how to plan around them before installation rather than after. The goal is always a window treatment that looks like it belongs in the home, not one that was forced to fit.

Do you provide in-home consultations in East Sacramento?

 Yes, we schedule in-home visits throughout East Sacramento for multi-window and whole-home projects.

Is a studio visit worthwhile before scheduling a home visit? 

Yes, especially for drapery, where seeing fabric and texture in person makes it easier to match a historic interior.

Can you work with older, non-standard window openings? 

Yes, this is common throughout East Sacramento, and we regularly measure and design around original trim, arched openings and settled frames.

Can shades and drapery be motorized? 

Yes, across most product lines, including roller shades, Roman shades, cellular shades and drapery.

Is installation handled by your own team? 

Yes, our in-house installation team handles every project rather than outside subcontractors.

Can you help with a remodel or addition on an older home?

 Yes, we assist with measurements, motorization planning and electrical requirements as part of a larger renovation.

The right window treatment respects a home's original character while solving real day-to-day needs around light and privacy. Visit our Roseville design studio or schedule an in-home consultation to begin your East Sacramento project.