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How to Choose your Window Coverings?

Nowadays, the market is filled with so many different window treatment options that it can be difficult to choose what’s right. To help you out, we have created a list of questions that will help guide you through the process.

  • What are my needs for privacy?
  • Is there a window in a bedroom or bathroom? Do I require total privacy in order to feel safe and secure in my home? Do I want to maintain my view and still have privacy?
  • What direction does the window face?
  • Does the room get very hot? Is it necessary to cover the window in the morning but not at night? Do I need to protect my furniture and floors? Is it important to choose energy-efficient coverings to lower my heating costs for my home?
  • What are my needs for light control?
  • Is it necessary to control the glare on a television or computer screen? What sort of feeling am I trying to achieve with the light? Do I want the ability to manipulate the light in different ways or in different seasons?
  • How do my windows open and how often do I want to open them?
  • Is this a high traffic area? Are there any safety issues involved with having access to the windows? Do I need to consider the weight of the window covering if I need to open and close it frequently?
  • How much do I want to spend?
  • Do I need to cover every window in the space? Can I be extravagant in one room and more economical in another? Is it important to me to maintain continuity throughout? Is this an investment for my space or a temporary solution?

With these questions in mind, here is a brief overview of the options we offer:

Blinds

Contains multiple slats that can be tilted, lowered, and raised. If vertical, can be opened and closed. Options include Wood Blinds, Composite Wood Blinds, Vertical Blinds, and Venetian Blinds.

Privacy – Slats can be tilted closed for complete privacy or raised for an open view. Slats come in different sizes and are thinner than louvers, and are generally better for maintaining a view than shutters.
Heat Control – Protection against damaging UV rays and heat.
Light Control – Multiple possibilities for manipulating light. Slats can be tilted at multiple angles or raised and lowered for a full view.
Window Function – Most effective in areas with less traffic flow where the blinds do not have to be raised and lowered frequently.

Blinds grant an aesthetic that is classic, complementing, and light.

Shades

cellular shades dinner room

Shades are fabrics that raises and lowers as a sheet of material. Options include Sheer Shades, Roman Shades, Roller Shades as well as Panel Tracks, Cellular Shades, and Pleated Shades

Privacy – Fabrics range from complete black-out to varying opacities. With higher percentage openness, it is possible to maintain a view even when the shade is lowered.
Heat Control – Protection against damaging UV rays, even at high percentage openness.
Light Control – Options of minimizing glare while harvesting some light or full blackout. Windows can be fully or partially covered.
Window Function – Works well in high traffic areas where it may be raised and lowered frequently.

Shades grant a modern, clean, and softened aesthetic.

Shutters

Shutters are panels with louvers that tilt up and down. Options include Plantation Shutters, California Shutters, and Interior Shutters.

Privacy – Louvers can be closed for complete privacy – effective against noise pollution.
Heat Control – Good protection against damaging UV rays and heat. Light Control – multiple possibilities for manipulating the light. Louvers can be tilted at multiple angles and panels can be completely opened.
Window Function – Best suited to areas which do not demand too much opening and closing of the panels.

Shutters provide a traditional, classic, and substantial aesthetic.

To learn more about window coverings and what your options are, do not hesitate to contact us!

Blind, Shutters, Shades…. What’s the difference?

Blind, Shutters, Shades…. What’s the difference?

Every person has different taste when it comes to interior design, what we cover our windows with doesn’t escape to that rule. Choosing the best window treatment for your needs and tastes can be long and maybe a little complicated sometimes depending on the design and style you want to achieve for your home design.

For those of you that are still balancing between different window covering options, this blog explains the differences between blinds, shutters, and shades.

Blinds

Blinds are one of the most popular types of window coverings among homeowners. They are easy to use, and they give you the privacy you need. For the most part, blinds are categorized as either their vertical or horizontal based on the direction of their slats. These slats are meant to stay closed tightly for light control and privacy, but you can adjust them to a different angle to allow you to control the amount of light you receive. They can come in a wide range of material depending on the style and the decorating theme you want.
The different materials include:
Wood
Faux wood
Aluminium
-Metal
-Cloth and or textured

Blinds off a wide variety of traditional and classic look and can match just about any decor style–always providing a handsome, architectural, clean look for your windows.

Shades

roman shade dinner room

Shades are a soft window treatment, made with a continuous roll. If you want the maximum control over light, shades might not be the best fit for the job. However they are budget friendly and just as blinds it comes with a large variety of shapes, structures and fabrics.

You can draw them up and down by chords or rollers. Shades don’t have slats and offer a smooth look to your window.
The downside is you cannot adjust the amount of light you receive, but you can choose between different levels of opacity. The most popular shades are: cellular shades, roman shades, sheer shades, roller shades.

Shutters

They are a solid window treatment in comparison to shades. The difference beng that shutters are that they are attached to the window with a frame for a more sturdy structure. As a consequence they are more expensive to purchase, but they are long lasting.

Offered in a variety of colours, shapes, sizes, and materials, there is a shutter for any aesthetic, any style, and any mood. As a window treatment, shutters help you optimize your ability to control the lighting inside your home, as well as improve its energy efficiency by blocking out heat during the summer and keeping heat in during the winter.

The classic version of shutter is made of wood, but you can also find it in composite & polywood material.

Ready made or custom made for your window treatment?

Ready made blinds and shades are made in most popular window sizes. Usually, they can be adjusted by the customer to provide a more custom fit for their windows. However, for the Shutters it is more complicated because of the frame.
With ready-made or off the shelf coverings you won’t be able to fully customize the look of your window treatments the way you could with made to measure blinds, shades and shutters.

Custom made options are best for customers looking for the perfect option for their home, without the compromises you’d usually need to make with ready-made options. If you are looking for the perfect fit for your window treatment in Vancouver area contact us for a free design consultation.

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