20 Timeless Window Treatment Ideas for Sliding Glass Doors

white beach cottage living room with layered neutral textiles and furniture
Window Treatment Ideas for Sliding Glass Doors Roger Davies for Country Living


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Whether it’s rolling pastoral hills or the morning mist rising off a quiet mountain lake, the country is full of stunning views, so it’s no wonder we love our sliding glass doors. Not only do they let in all the light and views, but they’re also a great way to incorporate a natural indoor/outdoor flow into any home. But, knowing how to style them so they aren’t so sterile—and you can have privacy when needed—can be difficult! Have no fear, we’re here to help.

We’ve combed through our archives and checked in with our favorite designers to see how they’re finishing their sliding glass doors. From breezy curtains to layers of window treatments, below are ideas here for every budget and style. So, whether your sliding glass door leads out to your screened-in porch or the wide-open backyard, we promise you’ll find something to inspire your next room makeover project.

Ready To Get Hanging? Check Out These Stories To Help Round Out Your Window Treatment Ideas:

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Pick an Unexpected Color Combination

While the best decorating advice usually calls for curtains to coordinate with other fabrics in the room, you can also bravely choose to throw that advice directly out the window and still get a chic result. Take this airy cabin living room, for example. It successfully pairs oversize olive curtains with rusty reds, blues, and yellows, proving that unexpected colors can be brought in with success.

RELATED: These Lake House Decorating Ideas Will Give You That Laid-Back Look

living room with white walls, red sofa, patterned club chairs, and green curtains
Diana Paulson for Country Living


Choose Contrast Hardware

In a breezy living room, such as this beachy California bungalow, deeply saturated black iron hardware offers a pleasing pop against the simple palette.

RELATED: Could There Be Any More Charm In This California Beach Cottage?

white beach cottage living room with layered neutral textiles and furniture
Roger Davies for Country Living


Keep It Breezy

Curtains don’t have to take up a lot of visual weight. In fact, when they’re blocking a beautiful ocean view such as this, it’s better if they’re simple. Here, classic white curtains with tab ties keep things feeling clean-yet-coastal.

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RELATED: These Beach House Decorating Ideas Will Make Waves In Any Room

living room at a beach house with sliding glass door and breezy white curtains
Alec Hemer for Country Living


Let The Light In

Sometimes, you really don't need a window treatment! We promise this isn't an easy out but practical decorating advice that most design-minded homeowners could easily overlook. If your furniture has plenty of pattern and color and your view outside is as stunning as this California winery, then you should keep your sliding glass door free of any visual infringement. Just embrace the au naturel look!

RELATED: These Are The Best Designer-Approved White Paint Colors

living room with sliding glass door, patterned furniture, vintage wagon coffee table
David Tsay


Go for Gauzy

The more see-through the curtains, the better. In this she-shed-turned-guest-house, a barely-there curtain lets in loads of light. Stick to sheers when you want to prioritize both privacy and the view.

RELATED: Turn Your Guest Bedroom Into The Coziest Room In The House With These Expert Tips

bed next to open doorway overlooking lilac tree rumpled bedding,
INGRID WEIR


Hide The Hardware

A well placed piece of trim can hide curtain hardware with ease. In this dreamy bedroom, an under-mounted pair of breezy white curtains keeps the visual clutter to a minimum while handsome leather furniture sets a more rustic tone.

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breezy bedroom with large glass door
Brian Woodcock for Country Living


Pick Pretty Wood

If you are torn about putting up curtains, start with beautiful wood sliding doors, like these barn-door style doors on a lake house’s back patio, designed by Thom Filicia. You may even decide you never want curtains!

RELATED: Tour More of This Dreamy Lake House Designed by Thom Filicia

lake house deck with sliding barn doors
Max Kim-Bee for Country Living


Pick Complementary Colors

If the room you’re decorating has a strong visual point of view, sometimes it’s best not to disrupt that flow. In this North Carolina cabin, neutral tones and warm touches set a welcoming tone, which is extended to the double-height glass windows and doors. Paired with neutrally patterned curtains, the view to the stunning mountain valley below takes precedent without losing out on style.

RELATED: See More of This Rustic Mountain Cabin That is Filled With an Eclectic Mix of Antiques

mountain log cabin living room with neutral patterned furniture and pops of rusty red pillows and decor
Brie Williams for Country Living


Try Out a Top Flourish

Curtains with a flop-over valance top such as pictured here add a cottage whimsy to even the starkest of living rooms. Their soft silhouettes ease the transition from outdoors to in, while acting as the perfect foil to more modern furniture.

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gray living room with collected neutral toned furniture, oatmeal colored curtains, and an open weathered wood bookshelf
House Beautiful/Rachel Whiting


Keep It Simple with Solids

In a space already full of pattern, keep your curtains simple. In this colorful lake house bedroom, bold solid red curtains liven up the white walls without distracting from the beautiful view.

RELATED: Here’s Why Designers Love the ‘Add a Touch of Red’ Theory

lakeside bedroom with blue and white finishes, red curtains, sliding glass door
Diana Paulson for Country Living


Lean Into Linen

Linen is the optimal material for curtains, in this Senior Homes Editor’s humble opinion. Not only does the natural texture add nice dimension, but it also lets light through without reducing privacy, something that is at a premium in this party barn, owned by country music star Thomas Rhett.

RELATED: See More of Lauren Akins and Thomas Rhett’s Party Barn!

corner of barn living room with double windows and tan linen curtains
Brie Williams for Country Living


Turn up the Trim

If you’re going light and breezy on your curtain panels, paint your window and door casement something striking. Here, a moody dark brown was chosen to pop against creamy curtains.

RELATED: See How a Tennessee Couple Transformed a Rickety Hayloft Into This Airy Modern Home

a living room with a chandelier and a couch
Brian Woodcock for Country Living


Try Subtle Ticking Stripes

Ticking stripes have long been a country staple thanks to their prim-yet-humble disposition which allows them to work in almost every space. In this breezy oceanside bedroom, their subtle pattern adds breezy, country flair.

airy coastal bedroom with glass door and simple ticking stripe curtains
Rachel Whiting


Hang Above the Frame

To keep your curtains from getting hung up in the door, place your curtain rod at least six inches above the door frame. In fact, many designers even recommend going all the way to the ceiling. Using a rounded, wrap-around style of rod will set the curtain away from your door slightly and make opening and closing easier.

a kids room with brown and white striped walls and red shelves
Victoria Pearson for Country Living


Trim Your Curtain Panels

In this coastal living room, a striped sofa sets a quiet patterned tone that is mimicked on the trim of the sliding glass doors’ curtain trim, as well as on the Roman shade! Pairing patterns across furniture and accessories is a quick way to elevate a room’s design.

RELATED: These Are The Best Color Palettes for Beach Homes, According To Designers

coastal living room with ticking stripe sofa
Rachel Whiting


Make it Pop With Pattern and Paint

For a coordinated look, pick a paint color for your trim that is a close match to the curtain fabric of your choice. You can even bring your fabric to the paint store and ask them to make a custom matching shade. In this sitting area designed by Heather Chadduck Hillegas, sky blue paint paired with colorful curtains brings the dreamy space together.

RELATED: These Are The 100 Best Paint Colors of All Time

cozy sitting nook in the guest bedroom with blue windows white sofa and blue and white patterned sofa
David Hillegas


Continue a Color Palette

The easiest way to blend curtains into their surroundings is to match them to the paint color (or pick a matching fabric-wallpaper duo). In this cozy snug accented by floor-to-ceiling glass, the designer Barbara Westbrook chose a pretty beige set of curtains to match the subdued color on the wood walls.

RELATED: These Are Our Favorite Living Room Paint Colors of All Time

living room seating area with hooked wool rugs and steel windows looking out over a grassy lawn by the river
Eric Piasecki


Liven It Up with Layers

Nothing adds a designed feel to a room like layers. To get the look, start with woven wood shades like shown here. Then pair them with patterned curtains like designer Katie Rosenfeld did and you’ll have a perfectly put together living room in no-time. Tip: These woven shades can be custom made via Amazon (of all places!) for a relatively low cost.

Get the Look:
Woven Wood Shades: Windows and Gardens Cordless Woven Wood Roman Shades on Amazon

living room with patterned ottoman, dark blue sofas, decorative pillows
Read McKendree


Try Casual Tiebacks

Tiebacks are the easiest way to give your curtains dimension. In this mudroom, the tieback is crafted from the same fabric as the panel for a more harmonious look. You can also buy premade ties at most major home decor stores.

RELATED: This Is The Secret to a Well-Designed and Functional Mudroom, According to Designers

view from room with wooden parquet flooring to flower beds in garden with a paved patio terrace area
Nassima Rothacker


Pretty It Up With Plaid

We love maximalism here at Country Living, and there exists no clearer example of just how much style a powerful pattern can lend to a space than this Wisconsin living room. Here, multicolored swaths of plaid fabric were sewn together to craft these one-of-a-kind window treatments that are hung in panels at the ends and in the middle along the glassed wall.

RELATED: Tour More of This Wisconsin Cabin That Feels Like Happy Hour

a living room with navy blue walls and green and red and yellow furniture and accessories
Adam Albright for Country Living

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