How To Select Window Shades and Blinds

The selection of window shades and blinds is an endless supply of confusing choices to many. However, there are some basic guidelines you can follow to make your decisions much easier and narrow the selection options to a perfect fit for you and your style.

Do You Have a Window With A View?

Do you want to see outside without lifting, raising or lowering the shades and blinds? Would you rather just turn a wand or tilt a vane to "open" sunshades to bring the outdoors in? Or perhaps you want to see through all the time while leaving them down to protect from UV rays and heat or cold? A window with a view usually calls for these types of window coverings, sheer horizontals or sheer vertical treatments are always a great choice. They are ageless.

As you can see, window blind shutters,wood blinds, faux blinds, or shutters are easy to operate if you want to see outside most of the time. Yet, with a flick of the wrist to close the shades and blinds vanes, you can have total privacy in an instant. There is a huge selection of beautiful wood and faux wood options available in literally a hundred or more colors and textures.

The horizontal sheer shades and vertical sheers are also free of lifting, lowering, or moving the entire shade in order to capitalize on your view. Yet, again, you can close them easily for privacy. Some of the shades and blinds on the market today block nearly 100% of the harmful UV rays! And some of the manufacturers use two different sheer fabrics (front and back) to give you privacy by day even when the vanes are open. Hunter Douglas Silhouette is one of these products shown to the right here.

Solar window shades are a versatile choice. You can order them sheer so you can enjoy the view all the time, just filtering the ultra-violet rays. Or you can have them in a black out or more opague fabric for sleeping and privacy. Many companies have become creative with their window shades and blinds because the contemporary "clean look" has become so popular. You can have two-on-one shades so you can have two combined shades in one sharing a headrail. This is a great treatment for large sliding glass doors so you only have to lift half a large shade to step outside. Shown here is the Hunter Douglas Alustra Woven Textures Shade.

Privacy Window Covering

What kind of privacy window shades and blinds covering will fit your needs? Are your neighbors windows in a "reach out and touch" line up with your own? What about that unsightly block wall outside your guest room? Or perhaps you have a beautiful view of the mountains and the golf course and you want it unobstructed most of the time; or you have a sleeping problem and must have the room very dark. Perhaps you just want a more formal "drapery" look without actually picking fabric, going through a designer, having them made in a workroom, and the long wait. Alas, Hunter Douglas Vignette and Hunter Douglas Pirouette may just the product you are looking for!

Some of the most beautiful window treatments have the worst view when opened. That's why it takes lots of thought to treat each window individually to extract the best for each particular challenge.

Others have such intense sun exposure, the furniture and floor could be damaged. Very careful consideration must be taken to avoid this happening. You may not want to entertain the thought of a woven bamboo window treatment, thin roman blinds, or woven roman shades in this environment. And you might want to eliminate a window blind cord that can take on sun deterioration by going motorized with remote control. There is so much to choose from.

Yet, some views are so breath-taking you just want your large window treatments to disappear when not in use. You want that natural beauty in the room to enjoy for as long as possible with the selection of your window shades and blinds.

I believe the trend started here with the "clean lines" from the mountain chalets, the wonderful bed and breakfasts, and the "warm fuzzy" feeling they leave you with. It's no wonder your thought when you leave a paradise like this is the same one . . . "I'm taking this home with me, I MUST duplicate it".

In a final note about window shades and blinds . . .

Whatever you want in your window covering designs, whether you choose drapes and shades, blinds, shutters, or just solar shades; as you can see, there is a multitude of things to think about. So when considering window shades and blinds, take your time and think it through. By the time this information gets to you, there will be many more products on the market to explore, review, and critique. And you can make a difference again with energy efficiency in your home with your doors and windows insulation features.

While it is my philosophy to make you a well informed consumer whether you purchase from me or not; this is my way of paying it forward in hopes that this information has benefited you in some way; and that you will be back for a visit often. We'll keep adding information for you to view with more exciting information and photos of window shades and blinds, sunshades, solar window shades, and more. Don't forget to see the other alternatives for your windows with custom drapery and shutters.

Return from Window Shades And Blinds to Window Styles.

Return from Window Shades And Blinds to to Window Treatments Pro Home Page.

Web Page Directory - Site Map

Want to see something added to this Window Treatment Page? Contact us and note that you are requesting a window treatment addition, and be sure to include a brief statement of what you'd like to see here.