18 Ways Designers Elevate Window Treatments for Sliding Glass Doors
Creating a space that allows an easy outdoor-indoor flow is one of those little luxuries that can often be overlooked when designing a house. Especially if you’re the entertaining type, having the ability to move from your living space to your yard is extremely convenient for both you and your party guests. This is only one of the reasons why we and many designers are huge proponents of sliding glass doors in your house—the amount of natural light that comes from these architectural mainstays is a fabulous perk. However, for these same reasons, it can be a bit challenging to find the perfect window treatments for sliding glass doors that both allow the light in, are easy to slide, and also provide a nice layer of privacy.
Your window treatments throughout your house should be stylish, of course, but the ones covering your sliding glass doors must be also durable. Since these are more than just windows, you and your family are likely going to be touching and moving past these curtains, shades, or drapes quite a bit, meaning the treatments need to be able to stand the test of time.
These sliding glass door window treatments also need to be functional in the way they block out light. Are you looking for complete privacy? Then you should consider black-out curtains. Are you wanting to filter out harsh light? Then diaphanous fabric might be best. Is your priority adding more visual interest to your space? Then a custom cornice and matching drapery in a punchy print might do the trick.
Whatever style of window treatment for sliding glass doors you’re looking for, our roster of excellent designers has likely found a creative solution. Keep reading to find 18 expert-approved window treatment ideas for sliding glass doors below.
Additional copy by Meghan Shouse.
For more designer window treatment inspiration:
Let the Light In
In the living area of this guest house that leads out to designer Breeze Giannasio's lanai, she chose white diaphanous curtains that let natural light into the space no matter what and still brighten up the room when they're closed. They add a nice texture to the area, and because they're so thin, they close up so beautifully.
Related Story: What Is a Lanai? The Hawaiian Answer to Having the Best Summer
Add Shutter Screens
If you want a more architectural look, you can install shutter-like screens on your sliding glass doors. Take inspiration from designer David Mann, who used these screens on a track to offer privacy for those sitting on the terrace of this Water Mill, New York, home. They look modern and clean, and they're a more compact alternative to curtains or drapes.
Choose a Contrasting Color
This blue-ish green living room would look a little flat if not for the light orange curtains that cover the sliding glass doors out to the backyard. Designer Angie Hranowsky was able to make the space feel more dynamic just by adding in a contrasting detail, in this case with the semi-sheer curtains that can be found throughout the house.
Double Your Drapes
Sliding glass doors are all about adding function to your space, so your drapery solution needs to be functional, too. If you need window treatment with top-notch flexibility, steal this solution from designer Brian Paquette. In this seaside California home, he installed not one but two layers of drapery in front of the sliding glass doors; a transparent layer to filter in light and a thicker opaque fabric that can be pulled out for added privacy or light blocking.
Fancy Up Your Finishes
When choosing window treatments for a high-end space, splurging on a sumptuous fabric isn't the only way to ensure they're up to snuff. In the 2023 House Beautiful Whole Home, designer Kate Marker struck a balance of formal-meets-casual in the study, pairing a flax linen fabric from Kravit with a chunky wood curtain rod and oversized rings that play into the room's luxe appeal.
Unify Your Treatments
When working in a space that boasts more than one type of window or door, mixing and matching window treatment styles can be stressful. To take the guesswork out of the equation, choose a drapery style for your largest feature—in this case, a sliding glass door—then mirror the look on the rest of the windows in the space. In this California home, designer Matt O'Dorisio turned to classic French pleat drapes (sometimes also referred to as a two-finger pleat) to cover the sliding glass door and nearby paned window.
Add a Bold Cornice
For a sliding glass door window treatment that bridges the gap between formal and functional, look no further than the solution found in this charming Pennsylvania farmhouse owned by The Queer Eye for the Straight Guy alum Carson Kressley. To bring light filtration and privacy to the doors in the sunroom, he opted for a natural fiber blind from Budget Blinds, paired with a custom cornice featuring a funky Ikat pattern that plays off the rest of the prints in the space.
Hang Multiple Panels
If you're lucky enough to have a sprawling space that boasts several sliding glass doors, chances are you want to maximize their drama however possible. In this New Jersey home, designer Joe Lucas opted for multiple sets of drapes (instead of one long panel on each side) to cover the many doors and windows in the great room. The result adds some much-needed softness to the light-drenched space while allowing the homeowners to close off just one or two of the doors as they see fit.
Match Your Trim to Your Fabric
Synergy is important in design, especially when it comes to two elements that so closely interact with one another. To ensure your sliding glass doors and window treatments feel like a pair instead of competing elements, look for ways to unite them in the design. In the conservatory of the 2023 House Beautiful Whole Home, the Design Alchemy team paired tangerine window and door trim with drapery fabric in the same color family.
Hide Your Tracks
When there's a major view on the line, you don't want anything distracting from the money shot—and that includes window hardware. To dress the sliding glass doors in this bayside Long Island home, architect and designer David Mann mounted the drapery track flush to the ceiling, where it seamlessly blends in with the frame of the door, accenting the clean lines in the room and providing an unobstructed view of the sea beyond.
Pile on the Pattern
Because window treatments take up so much visual real estate in your room, it's important to consider how they contribute to (or in some case, detract from) your overall design. Incorporating patterns into your drapery results in a playful and energetic space, especially when the same print is echoed throughout the room. In this happy design by Mark Sikes, a ditzy denim blue print dots the custom curtains, echoing the custom upholstered couch and pillows.
Play With Textures
While the doors in this room designed by Tammy Randall Wood of Interior Archaeology are technically French glass doors and not sliding glass ones, her choice of window treatments applies to both styles. To bring dimension to the formal dining space, Wood layered Roman shades by Hunter Douglass with custom curtains made from Zimmer + Rohde fabric.
Give The Illusion of Height
Sliding glass doors are meant to make your home feel more roomy and expansive, so the last thing you want to do is employ a window treatment that makes everything claustrophobic. To balance out the moody paint hue in this guest room—and give the illusion of taller ceilings—designer Brynn Olsen opted to hang the curtain rod for her sliding glass door closer to the ceiling (rather than the doorframe) to trick the eye up.
Create a Casual Vibe
Drapery and curtains have an inherently formal vibe, so they're not always the right choice for every sliding glass door, as was the case in this sunny breakfast nook. Instead, the team at Dunbar Road Design opted for a cheery custom Roman shade, pairing it with a curvy valance for just a touch of sophistication.
Carry Through a Color Palette
Sliding glass door window treatments can help tie together your overall design scheme. In this home by Lauren Liess, prominent olive details in the curtain pattern echo hits of the shade throughout the rest of the open floor plan, allowing the eye to travel throughout the space and making the whole home feel more intimate.
Keep Out Light
If the light leaking through your sliding glass doors impedes a good night's rest, double up on hardware and fabric. While your choice of curtains is undoubtedly the most important factor, the type of curtain rod you choose can help too. Take this space by designer Blair Moore for example. Instead of a straight curtain rod, she chose a return style (also sometimes referred to as a blackout rod), which curves around the edges of the doors, allowing the curtains to sit flush with the wall and block out any rouge rays.
Stick With Sheers
When privacy isn't a concern but you don't want your sliding glass door to feel, well, naked, transparent curtains are a great solution. Typically made from very lightweight linen or cotton, these curtains are ideal for casual homes and anywhere coastal. In this beachside retreat in Florida, designer Ashley Gilbreath hung creamy sheers atop the French doors (but the same would work for sliding glass, too!) that can billow in the coastal breeze and allow light to filter through.
Go Bare But Better
Sometimes, you just want to let your sliding glass doors sing, and that's great. These days, there are innovative ways to protect your home from prying eyes or harsh rays without resorting to full-blow window treatments. If privacy is a concern, consider having one-way film installed atop your panes that won't impact your view out but will impede anyone trying to look in. Likewise, similar options on the market can block a large percentage of UV rays from making their way into your room, protecting both your furniture and your family from sun damage.
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