Blinds and shades are the most popular forms of window treatments. Their elegant appearance, ability to control the amount of light than gets into your room, and ease of operation make them worth installing in any home. However, to choose window blinds and shades suitable to your particular needs and preferences, consider certain factors before purchasing. Read on to find out what those important factors are so you can find the perfect blinds and shades for your home.
Vital Factors to Consider When Buying Window Blinds and Shades
1. Purpose: Some homeowners opt for a window treatment that adds elegance to their interior décor, while some simply want to boost the functionality of their home. Look at your lifestyle and consider which features of blinds and shades matter you to the most. Do you want a stylish look? Privacy? Light control? All these questions will guide your decision-making.
2. Budget: Try to fix your budget before buying your home’s window treatments. As window treatments are priced according to size, larger ones will obviously cost more. If you have an unlimited budget, go for custom shades and blinds that are motorized. However, if you are working on a limited budget, choosing ready-made shades and vinyl blinds will be your best bet as they are less expensive.
3. Home interior decoration: For the perfect outcome, your window treatment should complement your home’s interior decoration. And with blinds and shades, you get a wide variety of colours from which to choose. If your room has natural tones, blinds and shades of subtle colours can work wonders. However, if you want to add sheer vibrancy to your room, go for window treatments in bolder colours.
4. Privacy and light: If you want to maintain a certain level of privacy and light inside your home, choose window treatments on that basis. Do you want to block harmful UV rays or allow natural light to come in? For example, to block light and provide privacy, cellular shades and aluminum blinds will be perfect. On the other hand, if privacy and light control is not a concern, blinds and shades made of sheer fabric will do.
5. Safety: Do you have children and pets? If so then it is advisable to go for the safest blinds and shades on the market. To that end, cordless blinds and shades are your safest window treatment options. As the name suggests, these window coverings have no pull cords, unlike their corded counterparts which could potentially be a threat to kids and pets should they get tangled up in them.
6. Window measurements: Knowing the correct size of your windows makes choosing the most suitable window treatment a lot easier. Be sure to measure your window from the top stitching line to the bottom of the panel. Do not include header fabric over the topstitching line of the rod pocket as it is meant only for decoration. If you are not sure what to include or exclude during measurement, get help from the professionals. Without proper measurements, you are likely to end up buying blinds and shades in the wrong size. However, if you don’t want to take the risk of buying ill-fitted window coverings, go for custom blinds and shades.
How to Choose the Best Window Blinds and Shades for Your Home
- Tips to Select the Right Blinds
When you choose window blinds for your living space, consider window size, functionality, privacy, safety, light control, and other relevant factors. To add a vintage touch to your home, you may want to choose wood blinds, as they complement almost any décor. If you cannot afford wood blinds, faux blinds resemble antique wood blinds and are more affordable. Also, as faux wood blinds will not fade over time, they can be used in spaces that have lots of humidity or that get overheated. Furthermore, they are easy to clean and stay in good condition for a long time.
For optimum privacy and light control, choose vertical or panel blinds as they look good on windows of any size, as well as sliding glass doors and patio doors. If you want something sleeker than vertical blinds, buy panel blinds; these work especially well on a wall of picture windows. Both vertical and panel blinds are available in different materials and widths, so you can choose either according to your precise requirements.
- Tips to Select the Right Shades
You will likely find several types of window shades to meet your design specifications. There are also many excellent options for privacy and light control. If you want to accentuate your windows in a modern space, Roman shades do wonders as they exude elegance and simplicity. If you want to save on energy bills, install cellular shades as they trap air and provide insulation. Although shades cost more than blinds, they are worth it in the long run as they also save on energy bills. However, window shades demand a lot of maintenance and are difficult to clean.
The right window blinds and shades can revamp the overall look of your home significantly. To choose the most suitable window treatment, consider the above-mentioned factors and follow the discussed guidelines. A reputable window blinds and shades provider can offer an extensive collection to complement your home décor. They can also do customizations and help install your new window blinds and shades.
