Questions-and-Answers Custom Search Question: Sharon asks:"I have vertical blinds throughout my house and I am growing tired of the plain hard look of them. Is there a way I can soften the look and get rid of the outdated valance without having to replace them entirely? Budget is an issue". Answer: Yes, Sharon, there are a few things you can do to make them look softer and updated. Depending on how old your vertical blinds are, they might just need to be replaced with something else. But, for an inexpensive add-on window treatment , you might add some decorative hardware with sheer panels over the vertical blinds. This will soften and update the look. You can have the sheer curtains custom made in great wide fabrics inexpensively. There are beautiful sheer fabrics to choose from from companies like Kasmir, Robert Allen, Creative, Waverly, Fabricut, Ado and many more. 
You could also choose a company that manufactures a sheer drapery that fastens to the top of each vertical vane with snaps and provides a "slip cover" for the vertical blind . The fabrics are easily removed for laundering and then rehung to dry in place. (Yes! I said laundered, like at HOME, in your washing machine!) Of course, there are many companies today that make a total system of vertical and sheers combined in one clean operation that give you the best of both worlds. They range in a wide assortment of fabric styles and colors.
Betty: "I would like to re-do my master bedroom, but I don't have a clue where to start. I love color, but I'm afraid I will over-do it and then not like what I have done. I want good value, but am ready to spend more for better quality. I love dark colors like purple, red, oranges and deep blues and greens. Yet I'm not fond of bold patterns. What do you suggest? Answer: Betty, You are right! Jewel tones can be beautiful and at the same time can also be overwhelming if used ineffectively. Why not let some beautiful decorative pillows, and perhaps a neckroll, and a new colorful vertical striped bedskirt start your venture into color? This will add drama to the room, easy to change, timeless beauty and style, and can be recycled very easily for another time and place.
All the colors you love without breaking the bank and if you get tired of them, easily and inexpensively recycled for another use somewhere else. If the dark colors work for you and give you a good feeling about the room, you may want to add a custom headboard to the mix that is upholstered permanently or opt for a slip cover that can be changed. If you still want more, carry this color theme into the master bathroom or try one wall of color paint. Subtle little changes sometimes can make big differences and give you exactly what you want without going to extreme. Take it one step at a time. Take it slow, and live with each change for awhile before adding more. How much is too much? When YOU feel it's enough, it should be. Explore your inner creativity.
Allison asks:"My husband and I are at war over our huge picture window that overlooks the golf course. We both agree we need privacy, but we totally disagree with the window covering type. My husband wants shutters and I want something much softer than that. Can you help end the argument?" Answer: The reason is because you can control and position the stack of both the drapery and the sheer curtain by extending it left and right of both sides of the window to maximize your view; leaving the entire window exposed when opened and fabric stacked on the wall rather than on the window. This , window treatment ,however, would stick out into the room about 6 inches or more. 
Perhaps a better choice would be a product that could maximize this view and still give you privacy like a sheer fabric shade.This would open and close like a
horizontal blind
with sheer fabric vanes, yet when the vanes are closed would offer you the privacy you are looking for and filter the harmful UV rays even when the vanes were open. This choice would open your view entirely except for about 3 inches at the top of your window for the cassette headrail that the shade retracts into. And since this window treatment could be mounted on the inside of your window, the projection into the room would be non-existent. This is a wonderful contemporary look! This sheer shade would also allow light into the room while offering privacy when opened OR closed. However, this choice does not offer you the insulation protection you would receive from both the drapery and/or the shutters. It will block the harmful UV rays.
The shutter choice will cut several inches off your view all the way around the window and several inches for each of the panels and divider rails within the shutter.
When opened fully you will have to accommodate the stacking issue on either side of the window with a bifold system, and this will either take wall space or project into the room the width of that panel of the shutter .
Or you will lose a portion of the window entirely for a bypass system shutter, where one panel slides and stacks in front of or behind another. This will take up half the window if you have a two-panel or four-panel bypass system shutter . However, you can still have a fantastic view with 3 or 4 inch louvers, selecting the "rear-tilt" or "clearview" type tilt bar that eliminates the obstruction down the middle of each panel. This is a great insulator from heat and cold, adds great value to your home, and lasting timeless beauty. It is a wonderfully clean and non-allergenic choice unlike some fabric drapery treatments . If you have any questions or would like to see something special among these pages, please Contact Us You can return to the Window Treatment Pro Home Page
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