Attention all do-it-yourselfers who really want great looking plantation shutters! The all-new Bali EuroVue Shutters were designed to be as easy to install as blinds. No really. These beauties are made with mitered corners and no visible hardware so, they integrate beautifully with your windows. And, they were the winner of the most innovative overall design by the Window Covering Manufacturers Association 2010. Bam! You’re going to want these award winners in your window.
Get ready to love your window again!
Product highlights:
Available with your choice of four distinctive panel edge designs
Mortise and tendon joinery ensures long-lasting durability
To install, simply attach the hinge mounting plates and snap the shutter into place
Installs easily on drywall-wrapped and wood-wrapped windows
Greater view-through compared to other shutters
Because they’re free of obstructing frames, they open up wide for a fuller view to the outside
Available with 2 1/2″ and 3 1/2″ louvers
Available in four neutral colors
Other things you should know:
Blindsgalore supplies a simple measure and order guide that will walk you through the process. The Bali Eurovue shutters offer several panel options and divider rail options as well as four frame options, for just the right look.
It’s the hardest working room in your home and not just any window treatment is up to the task when it comes to the kitchen environment. To help you choose the best one, here’s a handy guide to kitchen window treatments.
Besides providing the normal services of a window treatment i.e., privacy & light control, kitchen window treatments also have to withstand higher levels of heat and humidity. Not all blinds and shades are up to the task.
Things to consider:
The kitchen is a utilitarian room so you want to consider the placement of your window treatments. Here are some common examples:
Don’t hang a fabric shade over a cooking surface.
Choose sturdy fabrics that won’t easily stain or discolor. Stay away from silks and linens and choose polyester blends.
Consider dangling cords above your sink as they have been known to get drawn into a disposal. In this case, choose cordless blinds or shades to eliminate this risk.
Bets choices for windows near washing areas and cooking areas are those that can be easily wiped down. Faux wood blinds are a good choice here.
Choices in kitchen window blinds:
Probably the single best window blind for the kitchen area are faux wood blinds. They are made from man-made materials that won’t warp, crack, split or fade. Plus, they can be wiped down for easy cleaning.
Choices in kitchen window shades:
There are a lot more choices in the window shades category. Depending on your privacy, light control and even energy efficiency needs, good choices include: cellular shades, roller shades, solar shades and pleated shades. All are available in sturdy polyester blends. For better energy efficiency, choose cellular. Another nice window shades’ feature is the top down bottom up option. This allows you to lower the shade from the top, raise it from the bottom, or both – an excellent privacy and light control feature.
Vertical blinds are pretty much the ubiquitous choice when it come to window coverings for patio doors, sliding glass doors and over-sized windows. That said, there are more choices than you might imagine. This article is meant to give you the information you need to choose the best vertical blinds for your home.
First, vertical blinds come in a variety of materials, textures, shapes, colors and opacities (how much light is transmitted through the material). So, while vertical blinds are common, there’s more to consider than just white vinyl vertical blinds. The following are a few points that I believe the average window treatments consumer doesn’t know about vertical blinds:
Shapes – The vanes of vinyl vertical blinds normally have a slight curve to them. But, you can also purchase S-curve vertical blinds. The difference is, when closed, the S-curve provides a textured look, similar to drapes. Imagine how standard vertical blinds look when closed; they look like a straight wall of vinyl vanes. The S-curved vanes break-up this line, providing depth and texture.
Materials – You can choose from vinyl vertical blinds (as mentioned), fabric, solar screen, faux wood, and wood.
Textures – First, for the purposes of simplicity, let’s separate vertical blinds into fabric (solar screen & fabric) and non-fabric (wood, faux wood & vinyl). Almost all vertical blinds, whether fabric or non-fabric come with texture choices. Even vinyl vertical blinds can be purchased with texturized vanes. So, if vinyl vertical blinds are the only choice in your budget, consider texturized vanes for a more unique look. Some choices are naturally texturized, like solar screens. When it comes to fabric vertical blinds, there are tons of texture choices. The only exception are wood and faux wood vertical blinds. For the most part they are smooth.
Cleaning – In general a non-fabric vertical blind is going to be easier to clean. All non-fabric blinds can be wiped down with a gentle soap solution and soft towel. Fabric vertical blinds can be vacuumed. That said, if you live in a humid climate, or if the vertical blinds are in a humid room (bath, kitchen) sometimes this humidity can cause dust to stick to the material, which is not as easy to wipe clean. Just something to keep in mind, especially for high-traffic rooms.
Weight and noise – Fabric vertical blinds are going to be lighter and will provide quieter operation. Being lightweight, fabric blinds will also tend to have a longer operational life – light materials means less wear and tear on the operating mechanisms. Most fabric vertical blinds come standard with bottom weights, which are sewn into the vanes. Some fabric vertical blinds offer optional inserts that eliminate the need for bottom weights.
Light filtering – Vertical blinds will never be a good choice for room darkening or black out. Even opaque materials like vinyl will not totally darken a room – too many light gaps to be effective in this regard. But there numerous light filtering choice in fabric vertical blinds. There are solar screen vertical blinds. They have vanes made from the same solar screen material as solar shades. This is a good choice for patio doors or large windows with a view. The solar screen material allows view-through while blocking UV rays and solar heat gain. You can choose from a range of screen openness factors from about 3%-14%; the greater the number, the more light can pass through the material. Fabric vertical blinds are a good choice to preserve natural light as many of the choices provide gentle light filtering.
Privacy – One of the basic function of any window treatment is privacy. Most vertical blinds will provide privacy (people can’t see into your home). Solar vertical blinds are one of the few choices that don’t provide privacy. In general, be mindful of the opacity of the vanes. How you see out of your window, is likely how people can see into your home.
Durability – If durability is an issue, the best choices are vinyl, faux wood and maybe solar vertical blinds. Vinyl and faux wood vertical blinds are moisture resistant, scratch resistant and won’t chip, crack or fade under most “normal” use. Solar vertical blinds are made from man-made materials that are pretty durable and will also stand up to high-traffic environments.
with mitered corners and no visible hardware so, they integrate beautifully with your windows. And, they were the winner of the most innovative overall design by the Window Covering Manufacturers Association 2010. Bam! You’re going to want these award winners in your window.
Window Treatments Blog 