Picking window treatments for your home can be a daunting decision. Whether you are aiming to create a cozy hideaway or a sunlit-filled retreat, your choices will vary. The good news is that you can virtually transform your living space by picking the right window treatments. Here is some advice to guide you through the process of selecting the best blinds and shades for your home.
Your Window Treatment Considerations
Before you even look at your choices in window treatments, your first item on the agenda is to do some goal-setting. This might sound boring, but it will pay off when you end up with the window treatments of your dreams. Here are the things that you need to consider for your window treatments:
- Budget: Determine how much you’re willing to spend for your project. If you’re decorating your entire home, is the budget more for certain rooms? Remember that custom sizes and fabrics will add to your overall cost.
- Light vs. Privacy: Decide whether you want the light pouring into your rooms or whether the goal is to shut out the world as much as possible. If your goals vary by room, write this down.
- Cleaning: Some blinds and shades need cleaning more often than others. Standard blinds, however, can be cleaned at home while some textured shades could require professional cleaning.
- Style: What is your particular taste and style? Is it formal, contemporary, or casual? Both the style of window treatments and the colors can accommodate nearly any decorating preference.
When Blinds Are a Good Choice
Blinds are window treatments that are made from slats or vanes, which you can adjust by pulling wand, cord, or even with remote control. Blinds are an excellent choice if you want to control the light in your room at just about any level. Blinds are available for a variety of budgets and in many different styles and colors.
- Horizontal blinds are the most common type of blinds. In smaller rooms, a horizontal blind with wider slats can give the illusion of more space and bigger windows.
- Vertical blinds are a common choice for sliding doors or picture windows, where window width is greater than the window height.
- Wood blinds come in a variety of finishes and give rooms a classic look. A choice that is growing in popularity is faux-wood blinds.
- Insulating blinds have an element that conserves energy, blocks out light, and keeps your home warm.
When Shades Are a Good Choice
If you want even more choices in window treatment styles, patterns, and textures, window shades could be the perfect solution. Window shades come in everything from traditional top-down shades to trendy bottom-up options. You can find shades in various patterns, materials, shapes, and ones that fit a variety of budgets.
- Roller shades are your basic design that operates with a gentle tug. These are available in various colors and materials.
- Honeycomb shades, also known as cellular shades, come in both room-darkening and light-filtering styles with different types of lifting options.
- Woven wood and faux wood shades are increasingly popular and are another option for light-filtering in a room.
- Roman shades are a traditional shade that pleats as it is raised. These are a good choice in a living or dining room.
When you choose the blinds or shades for your home, remember the goals that you selected before you began shopping. While either blinds or shades can fit into most budgets, make sure that you are getting the right amount of light control with your choice and understand cleaning requirements. For example, most blinds can be cleaned at home but will attract dirt faster than shades. On the other hand, some shades could require professional cleaning.