Window treatments can reflect both masculine and feminine styles

Emily Henderson's background as a professional prop stylist has taught her lots of ways to create elegant, but affordable style in the rooms she designs. As the latest winner of HGTV's Design Star show, she's now using her decorating know-how in her new series, Secrets From a Stylist.


Henderson warns home decorators not to overthink their designs, but to let the colors, fabrics and design styles they've admired over the years dictate how they will pull together a room. Her own approach is to customize a space layer by layer, according to a homeowner's individualized taste.


"Create a mood board to get the design you want. Pictures of furniture, colors, accessories, pattern, swatches and thoughts are great to have as a quick reference when designing," she told HGTV.com.


Balancing masculine and feminine design styles is a way to satisfy all members of a household, Henderson recommends. For instance, choosing a feminine pattern in a masculine color palette satisfies both styles.


Henderson's principle of mixing masculine and feminine influences can also be applied to choosing window treatments. Roman shades or custom roller shades are examples of window coverings that have a clean, contemporary look but come in a variety of colors and textures to satisfy both masculine and feminine styles.