Whether it's for a new home or rented space, picking the perfect window treatment can be a challenge. The market is flooded with every color, cut and kind of window covering that a savvy sales person will say is perfect for you. So how do you choose the right one?

Before you pick out a window treatment, you need to decide on what you want the treatment to do. What is most important to you - privacy, light control, ventilation, view or energy efficiency? Once you determine what your focus will be, you can move on to style.

The style of your window treatment should match the overall design of the room. It should either accent the overall color or be uniform with it. If you have an African Theme, try shutters. If you're a minimalist, go with high tech blinds. Just make sure that your room makes sense to the eye.

After you determine which style you'll choose, you'll need to get the measurements of the window you want to cover. You'll want to add on an inch or two for items that will be placed on the outside of the window and decrease by a quarter of an inch for items being set inside of the window. If you get to a store and are unclear, just ask a sales man or woman in the department for help.

Here is a breakdown of popular window treatments and their specs:

Shutters - These frame the side of your windows and have movable louvers ranging from 1-1/4 inches to 4-1/2 inches wide. You can get them in wood or vinyl (easy to clean/durable) in almost any color and texture. You can also get ones that cover just the lower half of a window. They're called Café Shutters and provide you with an extra way to regulate light.

Roman Shades - These shades are made of woven fabric and feature loosely folded, horizontal pleats usually 4 to 6 inches deep. They can be raised or lowered over the window. They come in a variety of colors and textures. If you love these, you'll also probable like Pleated, honey-comb and Wood Woven Shades because they all have the same horizontal pleats, but only with smaller pleats and different material. Privacy and light control could be an issue with shades depending on the depth of the fabric.

Venetian (Horizontal) Blinds - These hang in a horizontal direction (hence the name) and are made up of ½ inch to 2 inch blinds made of aluminum. You will see them up in apartments for rent in shades of white or off-white. Although they help keep out the light and provide privacy, they normally don't provide much style unless topped with another type of window treatment like a swag or valance. You can also find them in wood material.

Vertical Blinds - These blinds great for patio doors and picture windows. They come in fabric, vinyl and wood. They hang vertically and usually are 6 feet high and 4 inches wide. They stack compactly side by side to block out light and provide privacy. Depending on the material you buy them in, they can stand alone. However, many people like to put another window treatment on top them like a scarf.

Valances - Valances come in flat, rectangular fabrics. You can find them in a variety of colors. Most of them act as toppers on top of some type of blind. They are normally used for decorative purposes only.

Cornices - Cornices are normally shallow, rigid box-like frames that are mounted outside of a window frame. They are constructed from wood, mold polystyrene and other lightweight materials. They come in ready-made widths and heights and can be customized by adding paint, wall paper, fabric or rubber-stamp impressions. Like Valances, these too are normally used for decorative purposes only.

Swags - Swags are constructed from several pieces of lined or unlined fabrics. They traditionally do not exceed 40 inches in width and hang no lower than 20 inches. They can be wrapped around a decorative rod or paired up with blinds, shades or shutters.

Scarves - This treatment is a single piece of lightweight fabric that is identical from the back and front. It is usually draped or wrapped loosely around a decorative pole or rod. It is often held in place with decorative brackets.

Source : Drapery Design