• Tin is a dark form of aluminum metal that lends the style of American rural settlement to the contemporary home. Each window treatment using tin as a design element encourages you to consider the value of recycling tin for aesthetic purposes, including repainting antique tin pieces and using them as window ornaments.
  
  

Tin Sculpture

• Deciding where to use tin as a window treatment helps you to think about nontraditional possibilities. As a metal sculpture project, consider shaping tin into a series of two-dimensional or three-dimensional forms to fix on the wall above the window. One idea is to create three diamond-shaped plates and hang them like pictures above the wall. These plates eliminate the need for swags and valances.
  
  Space tin forms out evenly or use a more haphazard design. If three diamonds or shapes is not enough, you can add more, such as the introduction of new colors, textures and shapes fashioned from scrap tin.
  
  

Tin Cornice Box

• An alternative to designing a free-standing sculpture out of tin is to create a window cornice box out of wood. Choose the dimensions of the box and whether the window treatment will require one box or two boxes. You can buy pre-cut pieces or an assembled wooden box. The next step is to fasten tin onto the outer six panels of the wood box. By hanging the wood box over the window as a tin cornice, you draw the observer's attention to the top corner of the window. If you do not prefer the natural tin finish, choose a color of metallic polish or paint to make the tin box stand out from the wall.
  
  

Tin Ornaments

• Another option is to combine tin with other decorating materials. The curtain rod with draperies hanging from hooks makes a perfect candidate for a long, winding ribbon hanging with tin ornaments. The homeowner can obtain tin scraps from the junkyard and use metal working tools, including a metal saw, a blowtorch and a soldering iron to fashion tin ornaments. Focus on uniform ornaments or themed ornaments or simply hang them. A plain white panel drape hanging with individual tin ornaments hung on their own small circles of rope or ribbon offers an alternative to stringing a large collection of ornaments like Chinese lanterns from the curtain rod. You can also sew ornament ties into the gathered fabric anywhere on the curtain panel or use tin ornaments as curtain tiebacks.