We admit, the eyebrow window is seen as a bit of a curiosity in modern housing. Found primarily in late 19th-centruy Queen Anne homes or early 20th-century Craftsman bungalows, the eyebrow window fell out of favor in the mid-to-late 20th century.
What makes a window an eyebrow window? Basically, it’s the soft arch at the top. They’re typically installed in roofs, and the reason they’re called eyebrow windows is because of the way the roof shingles tend to hang over the top of the window and look, well, like an eyebrow.
These windows give tons of character to the houses that feature them. In Wilmington, you find them primarily downtown and in Carolina Heights — or any other historic district whose buildings date from the late 19th to early 20th centuries.
The Big Eyebrow Window Question
How do you cover it — and should you want to? (You know what they say about eyes being the window of the soul, after all…)
It makes total sense to want to cover an eyebrow window. They tend to be installed in upstairs rooms that don’t get much light otherwise, but these days, many of the rooms featuring eyebrow windows are being used as bedrooms (especially in the Queen Anne-style homes that have been turned into locally run B&Bs in downtown Wilmington).
Without good eyebrow window coverage, you — or your guests — might not get a wink of sleep. What kind of window treatments work well with odd-shaped windows?
The Queen Anne Eyebrow Window
Queen Anne-style homes, which hail from the Victorian Era, feature an eyebrow window that’s often as the size of a regular window or quite thin. To cover these windows, you have a few options.
- A custom fixed shade over the arched top of the window with a matching shade below.
- Top-down cellular shades can be designed in elliptical shapes, fitting the window exactly. These will be shades that you lower rather than raise.
- Tall custom draperies, which start at the ceiling of the room, will flatter an eyebrow window because they don’t need to follow the line of the window itself.
- Sunburst curtains are designed for short windows and typically made from sheer fabric, gathered around a bendable curtain rod and meeting in the bottom center. These can add visual interest and light filtration to the interior of your eyebrow window.
- Wood (or faux-wood) mini blinds can often be cut small enough to fit your window perfectly.
- Custom shutters allow you to fully control the light and are made to fit each specific window. This means, with the help of a design expert, can be made to fit unusual shapes like eyebrow windows.
The Craftsman Eyebrow Window
The Craftsman-style eyebrow window is a little different. Typically installed in the roof, with an overhang, these windows tend to be a little smaller and wider than the ones featured on a Queen Anne. These windows can be trickier to cover because of their unique shape.
Unique windows need unique window treatments. Don’t despair if your house has more character than you know what to do with! If you have an eyebrow window that needs a custom window treatment, visit our showroom today to explore your options.