18 May 11 Plastic Mini Blinds – How Practical Are They?
Apart from being suitable for any environment mini plastic blinds have other favorable features too. Plastic is flexible, yet strong and the best thing is that it’s waterproof. That means you can use them at any place in the house, from bathroom and kitchen to living room.
Plastic mini blinds offer more than practical functionality. They are available in many colors, though white, beige and black are the most popular these days. But those are not the only colors, as you can have them in more lively colors too, should you so desire. That makes it easy to have coordination of colors. And, size is no problem, meaning you choose to have them for narrow or wide window frames. Certainly they look good and help giving a pleasant finishing touch. We know that window treatments go a long way in deciding the interiors of any room.
The entire decor of any room can be transformed by spending on good window treatment. Venetian blinds remain more functional and versatile, compared to curtains. On pulling the cord the blinds rise up making it so convenient for the homeowner to clean the windows.
Additionally these allow you to have better control over the amount of light entering the room. By the mere flick of your wrist you can spin the mini blind slats and have more light entering the room. At the same time you can have privacy at a moment’s notice by just turning the blinds till the slats get overlapped.
These are ideal for bedrooms and bathrooms too, requiring total privacy. Depending on your budget, if you could spend a bit more for the purpose of window treatments, you can have additional features costing slightly more. For one, you could have blinds working on electricity, which get adjusted by the mere touch of a switch. And, if you find even that a bother, you may opt to have blinds operated thru a remote.
If looking for very economical mini blinds, you’ll have difficult time looking for a better substitute than the plastic ones, reason being that plastic, the raw material is available in abundance and thus cheap.
Just a set of blinds can change the entire look of a room and the feel it gives. Of course, the choice of material plays an important role in getting the desired looks. Apart from the usual materials, you get slats made of anodized aluminum and real wood. These are well-accepted materials for blinds and are easy to procure.
Many users are unable to distinguish between mini blinds and Venetian blinds. The difference is the width of the slat, though functionally the two remain the same. Mini blinds can have as small a width as 15mm. It’s more a matter of personal preference and style.
22 Apr 11 The Name We All Know – Hunter Douglas
While considering window treatments for your new home or even when you think of replacing the existing ones, your search and research shouldn’t be considered complete unless you take into account Hunter Douglas, the one name of its kind that is sure to offer what you precisely need.
Over the last so many decades Hunter Douglas has continued to be the leader in the business of making blinds and earned a solid reputation for bringing quality products time and again. It’s interesting to know that Henry Sonnenberg started with the business of machine tool distribution in 1919, but later joined Joe Hunter in 1946 for making slats of Venetian blinds. And the name, certainly the Douglas element of it, was randomly chosen from phonebook, because Mr. Sonnenberg realized it sounded better than his own name. Ever since, the name Hunter Douglas has remained associated with precision in craftsmanship.
Quality has always been the top priority with Hunter Douglass ever since it came into being in 1946. And, that’s one feature that has helped it to grow over all these years. Their present range of manufacture goes to include shutters, blinds, shades and other, all in the same high quality that the brand is associated with and you’ll find it hard not to get enamored by their products.
Cellular shades available in the Duette line are great for any of the rooms in your house and combine the functionality with simple style. The honeycomb blinds come in designs that go together with modest elegance and durability. You can pull off a number of special effects using the available variety of fabrics. You could have light entering thru a blind to draw attention to specific part of any room or block the light totally while in mood for a relaxed afternoon siesta. You get prompted to experiment with large variety of available colors.
Hunter Douglas offers these in classic wood look too. You may opt to go for the real traditional thing in natural wood or choose to have these in faux wood, which are so easy to maintain and clean. Chalet Woods and The Country Woods Classics blinds are very tempting among the wood blind alternatives. You get the durable faux wood blinds as Everwood Blinds that last long despite some rough handling, which they easily bear.
For perfect filtering of light there’s nothing to beat the Alustra Collection from Hunter Douglas. It helps creating the desired privacy, without sacrificing imaginative view. With the Alustra Collection, you may get an enhanced view or create total darkness by the mere push of a button. You can change the atmosphere of your room thru your fingertips.
Do yourself a favor by not wandering to many stores and go straight to Hunter Douglas for your requirements of shades, blinds and shutters to choose the best for your home because they know well the business for which they remain so well known.
06 Apr 11 Graber Blinds – It’s Just What You Need
As you move into a new house or consider decorating the present one, one element that plays a crucial role in the scheme of decoration is the use of window coverings. You get quite many options and spending sometime to study those helps you creating the expected environment in any room. Or the easy way out is referring to Graber directory, on which many of the interior designers depend for their ideas. The Graber trademark has been around since long and is widely recognized for its quality and designs.
For generations Graber’s Vertical Blinds have been employed for interior designing. These are known for quality and available in different materials and varied styles to suit any kind of setting. You can have them for any room from the living room and bedroom to the kitchen in appropriate design to give the room kind of finish you have in mind.
They look graceful and add charm and are of good aesthetic value. The design of Graber wood Blinds helps to prevent the contained fabric from getting faded or worn out.
Graber Blinds: Ideal for Your Home
Graber Faux Wood Blinds form a first choice of homeowners along gulf coast of the U.S. The changes brought into the basic design gives them a more modern beautiful look. Modern Graber Blinds are available in plastic, wood or metal slats. All major stores and other outlets sell these blinds. The blinds are so designed that an average homeowner can easily install them without any assistance from another skilled person or a specialist. The necessary tools and directions are provided along with the blinds, making easy their installation.
You will appreciate that the manufacturer has on offer many attractive features that prompt the buyers to purchase this brand. It offers blinds in many unusual wonderful colors that gives them an edge over others and makes them acquire better decorative value. Apart from the variety of colors, Graber window Blinds are available over a wide price range to suit any kind of budget. You can have these in polyvinyl chloride, artificial wood and cloth, all in attractive colors and styles. Their PVC blinds are available in plain colors or with embossed designs in many attractive colors.
Let you windows look fashionable and have striking looks thru installation of Graber’s Vertical Blinds. You can get them in any size as per your requirements and for added style and sophistication you can surely use valance. They come with limited warranty period.
17 Mar 11 Plantation Blinds – Cheap Solution You Might Consider
Plantation Blinds are window coverings that never go out of style because of their classic design. The use of horizontal slats allows you to control the amount of light that enters a room and thus affects the visibility you might have. Adjustments are simple because of the string system, which allows you to tilt the angle of the louvers quickly and easily. With this type of covering you have much larger louver sizes than with plantation shutters. These blinds are instrumental in transforming a bare dull room to a cozy warm place in no time.
Plantation blinds are available in wide ranging shades and colors and you may opt to paint and stain these to exactly get the desired shade. Cleaning of faux wood or plastic blinds needs nothing more than a damp cloth. However if you prefer to go for solid wood variety, you’ll require a vacuum and a duster or dry cloth. These ideally suit rooms where shutters work out to be very expensive. They make a good affordable window covering option for attic, garage, or utility room and help maintaining style.
Comfortex presents the Woodwinds 2 ½ ” Plantation Shutter blind”, Wood Tones with Crown Valance. This design offers easy functioning of blinds and the grace of plantation shutters. On being opened, the louver slats provide visibility, and for total privacy, you just close them.
The manufacturing process of faux wood involves combining of high-tech polymers with real hardwoods to get beautiful faux wood that retains the beauty of natural woods employed for the purpose. A wide-ranging collection of colors helps to match your blinds to the decor of your home. A 48″ X 48″ blind from this assortment will cost you $103.77 without accessories.
The accessories could include remote control and a satellite-receiving eye. The ultimate cost depends upon the accessories you may choose to have.
Madera also provides a range of blinds to suit any home. The Falsa 2″ Faux Wood Plantation Blinds comprise of foam vinyl slats that maintain the looks and sense of traditional wood at affordable prices. These blinds come with the standard accessory of steel handrail to support the weight of slats.
A matching 3″ wide valance and cord control with heavy weight wood tassels is included along with. Benefits of this line of blinds include their resistance to dust, warping, fading and cracking. Available in white, maple and alabaster, these are very easy to clean and maintain. Maple A 23″ X 64″ set of blinds from this group will cost you $29.99. Incorporating any plantation blinds in home allows you to recreate the looks of your home without having to spend a fortune with amazing results.
02 Feb 11 Venetian Blinds Inside Double Glazing Units
These days it’s practically feasible to get your new windows, French doors and patio doors along with built in horizontal blinds. The blinds are fixed inside the double-glazing cavity.
Rotation of the slats, closing them completely or pulling up the blind for most light and vision can control the amount of sunlight entering via the window, when using Slatted Venetian blinds. Unfortunately, the flat surfaces of the slats accumulate dust and are not easy to clean. One reason that prompts people to favor this arrangement is that fabric curtains, festoon blinds, etc. have to be removed for washing or dry-cleaning.
Another problem is the positioning of the blinds on or above a standard glazed door. It’s all the more pronounced if you opt to have French, patio or bi-folding doors.
The solution is straightforward. Within the two panes of glass forming a double-glazed unit you get a dust-free unfilled space that can be utilized. The operation of the blinds is thru magnets that are attached to the window, enabling their normal operation. This could be achieved physically or electronically.
There are some drawbacks of this:
* The expense of replacing present units and the extra cost of integral blinds.
* The blinds can’t be repaired in case of a break down.
Unless you plan to replace windows or glazed doors, integral blinds are not a feasible option. But it’s a worthwhile option if you plan to buy, mostly when the glazing is in full sun or you need privacy.
Mostly integral blinds are guaranteed against crashing for many years. As the mechanism is operated thru remote, the chances of ill-treating or rough handling or are very remote.
Though the blinds are available in very many colors, for low-maintenance PVC or aluminum window frames many people opt for the safer options of white or neutral tones to have more of decorating choices.
SunSeeker Doors is one manufacturer of aluminum-framed bi-folding doors and provides integral blinds in glazed doors and windows, with or without the option of blinds in the sealed unit. It further offers the choice of pleated or slatted blinds.
You may have simple French Doors to multi-paneled folding doors spanning as wide as 7.2 meters. You can install such doors between your home and your garden or conservatory – or use these for partitioning any room. The insertion of Venetian blinds in room partitions can modernize your home or office.
The positive features include: convenience of use without any maintenance or cleaning, low chances of damage, privacy and controlled light whereas the limitations are the price and the likely expense in the event of blinds going wrong after the expiry of warranty.
10 Jan 11 Few Tricks On Blinds And Shades Decorations For Your Home
Use of window blinds and shades present a great opportunity for decorating your home. Depending on your choice of window treatments like coverings, window shades, or some combination of the two enables you to maintain privacy of home and simultaneously allows you to let in the right amount of light into your room. An appropriate selection of treatments for windows and doors adds to the decor and appeal of the room and visitors to your place get the signal that you certainly take care and interest in decorating your home.
The key to getting the most out of these coverings is to choose just the correct one for the purpose without exceeding the due budget. You should understand your needs and unless you become aware of what you are buying, you could make an improper selection, considering that there are numerous options to choose from, depending on price, features and decorating ideas.
Let’s take the case of vertical blinds. These offer a lot of flexibility to windows and are also available in a very large variety of designs, colors and patterns making it convenient to choose an appropriate variety that specifically suits your requirements. Most often people opt to use blinds made from special synthetic materials, which facilitates their cleaning and maintenance while creating a pretty decor in the room with minimum effort. These days you also get automated blinds and window shades that further facilitate their quick and smooth operation.
A very exclusive window treatment is achievable by the use of suspended slats. These come a with simple control mechanism that allows you to open them up to 180 degrees or totally close them over.
Another way to enhance the decor of windows and doors is by using awnings, especially when you have a patio outdoors. These are most often popular in the UK, though they seem to be gaining popularity the world over.
And, that’s not the end of options, for there is a string of other options to choose from, including roman blinds, roller blinds, vertical blinds, wood shutters, and many other window coverings. It’s important that you understand the functionality and benefits offered by each, enabling you to put them to the their best use. Some curtains look great on doors, while others are designed for windows, and a still another variety meant for patio doors. So, you need to be smart in choosing the right one for each application.
12 Dec 10 Can Roman Blinds Enrich Your Home?
There are many features of Roman blinds that prompt people to patronize them. For one they have simple mechanism and colorful designs, enabling the homeowner to cover the windows very efficiently and creatively. It helps saving space while allowing you to have control on the light entering the room.
Roman blinds comprise of flat fabric panel that is vertically connected to pleat into horizontal folds through a cord. The amount of light entering the room is controlled by these pleats, through an attached cord. On pulling up the blinds completely, maximum light enters the room. On the other hand, if the pleats cover the window completely all incoming light is blocked. Simply adjusting the angle of the pleats allows you to control the lighting of the room.
A more affordable and efficient option comes by way of drapes. These are ideal for bedrooms, living room, study room, bathrooms, almost for the entire house.
Roman blinds add style to your windows. You get these in a large range of colors and designs. The best thing about them is that you can give them your personal touché by choosing the material of their construction and the fabric design on the pleats. For instance, you may use bamboo as a material to give the room an earthy and modest look. Or, going for a bright and multi-hued design brings in colorful vibes to the room. Their availability in vast variety of materials like linen, faux, calico, suede and even leather, gives you many options for selecting the one most suitable for your kind of room. If your budget permits, you can get fabrics woven to cover the blinds.
Here, you can demonstrate your creativity and let blinds be the centre of attraction of your home.
So, you see the advantages of using Roman blinds are not just limited to cover the windows, ease of maintenance, neatness and availability in a variety of designs, but they also leave some room to further beautify your window. You may choose to have a drape in front of the blinds. There is enough room for experimenting with Roman blinds. You can customize these as per your furnishing requirements. There are plenty of Roman blind kits available, helping you achieve it easily. The kits are provided with details about the fixtures and mechanisms. Or you may use one of the many self-help books.
Apart from the advantages already pointed out, Roman blinds while shielding your home from the sun rays help you save on electricity needed on heating and cooling of your home, thus lowering power bills. You might not have realized that by protecting you from UV rays, they safeguard you against cancer.
If you find it too much of an effort to get them made to your style and specifications, there are many blinds available, made from different materials in countless designs and fabrics. So, assess your requirements and see what looks best in your room, whether it’s a bathroom, bedroom or living room and go out to buy the most suitable blinds for any of the rooms.
03 Nov 10 Use Electric Blinds To Make Your Life Easier
It’s good to be having blinds, but at times one finds it quite a bother to get up from the seat or bed to adjust them as per one’s requirements. So, the manufacturers and designers came up with electric blinds that make life easier. Decades ago, window blinds were developed with the intentions of providing privacy to the inhabitants of the house and prevent the passers by from peeping in there. As with most other household and industrial items, technology brought changes to the design of window blinds also and now we have electric blinds that allow easier access and finer control.
The development of blinds did not remain confined to electric control for long, as the development of remote control and the cell phone provided next logical extension of convenience of their operation. Now electric blinds can be controlled thru a mobile phone, miles away from the house.
Well, if you really like to blame someone for such inventions, just go back to the 1960s. Sci-fi TV series like Star Trek led to the development of microwave ovens, flat TV screens, and of course, the cell phone. Watching Capt. Kirk talking into a flat communicator with Officer Spock, a planet away led to the development of cell phone. Try recalling the episode wherein the captain walks into a room and the electric blinds roll away to expose the star filled vista of the wide port holes that the USS Enterprise was designed with? It was a cool idea and the reality is even cooler.
It is better from the point of view of energy consumption too. The modern design of electric blinds helps to block the heat of the sun from entering a living room that you like keeping cool. The use of modern materials prevents heat from escaping or entering the room from the window, thus making heating or cooling system to remain more efficient and consume low power. So, electric blinds help saving electricity.
Consumers prefer walking into a store and buy ready made blinds that are made to standard sizes and therefore are more affordable than the custom made variety. There’s nothing wrong with such blinds as they generally have good dependable quality.
However, those who prefer to have quality custom-made blinds should buy them straightaway from the distributor or dealer. That way they get substantial discounts and services that retail stores are unable to offer. Go ahead and buy electric blinds and relax. Cherish the advantages of present day technology!
26 Aug 10 Create Professional Look With Ready-Made Office Blinds
When setting up a new office or remodeling the present one, opting for readymade office blinds is not only simpler but quicker also. Added to that is the facility of their availability in a wide range of colors, materials and sizes. That makes the process simpler for any office manager or coordinator.
This option of window treatment is getting increasingly popular these days, both for homes and commercial spaces. They are available in varying sizes. So, getting them in just the size that fits your window perfectly is no problem even if your window is not of standard size. In case of very large windows vertical blinds are often the best option. They hang from the top and may be opened from one end.
The options include venetian blinds or roller blinds. Their operation is very convenient. By pulling a cord you may raise or lower them. Their availability in so many different colors offers the convenience of coordinating them with office furniture including desks and chairs.
You get them in quite many wood grain finishes that would coordinate with wooden desks, work stations or wooden file cabinets and shelving. For desks, chairs and conference tables made from different material, the window treatments can bring out trim colors. They also augment colors on walls or wallpaper. In case of front office with a reception area, you can coordinate them with the furniture there.
A very helpful feature of having this style of window treatment for office is that it always gives a neat and professional look at the same time. Venetian blinds offer the facility of adjustment to allow just the right amount of light when used for covering a very sunny window. They are instrumental in reducing or eliminating altogether the glare that can be irritating for people using computers at certain locations.
A variety of materials are used for making these products. Many are made of vinyl and treated to get even a wood finish. Their main features remain durability and offering control over light entering the room. For windows where sun or light is not the main issue a richer look may be achieved using products made of real wood or bamboo. They are also quite sturdy.
Bamboo is a very sustainable material as it grows back quite fast after having been cut. If you plan going green at office this could be an ideal option for window treatments. Just like wood finishes, they may fluctuate in tone and color, so it shouldn’t be difficult to get what you like to have for office or work spaces. There is no dearth of professional looking options for ready made office blinds.
14 Jul 10 Comparing Roller And Roman Blinds
Roller blinds are quite akin to good old well-accepted Roman blinds. The purpose of both is the same; to allow you to have a control over the incoming light and help maintaining privacy. They not only have the same use, but also similar structure. Both get rolled up in tight reams and get stowed or can be rolled down to have a solid piece. Yet, the most important difference between the two is that in case of Roman blinds, made of small woven slats, there is always some incoming light, but in case of roller blinds you get total blackout. Roman blinds present a warm comfortable look whereas roller blinds look very formal and businesslike. Therefore it becomes imperative to keep the location and use of room in mind while choosing either of the two.
Roller blinds are reasonably priced and can easily be customized. The major difference in Roman blinds is the kind of wood used for making slats. A roller just comprises of a tube that has a definite length of stiff fabric rolled over it. The fabric gets rolled around the tube when you like to have light entering the room but gets stretched out to offer privacy and light control. The elastic resistance in roller shades is achieved using spring or sidewinder actions. The design of spring rollers incorporates a bearing to lock the blind in place as it gets fully stretched, while sidewinder-style of blinds can be adjusted manually to desired height by pulling the cord.
The installation of both the kinds of blinds is simple. That’s mainly because either kind needs only one curtain rod. The tube can be secured on the top or to the face of the window frame. The face fix requires securing brackets from the tube onto the frame. The top fix gets fastened to the lintel above the window. This system works well, especially in confined areas, as the frame won’t hinder any movement of blind, and thus allows the shades to circumvent window handles.
As you would know white color is not a good absorber of heat as it reflects most of light falling on it, it’s not difficult to understand why people prefer having white colored blinds. A perfect blackout shade should reach the edge of the window frame to prevent light from getting in. For offices both are good for reducing glare. These blinds need not be washed like curtains as plastic or wood can very easily be wiped off to get a clean surface.
Roman blinds tend to be a bit more fragile due small thickness of pieces, but generally they prove to be quite tough. The roller shades should have blinds of high quality to look good, but despite being sturdy, a ripped shade is ineffective.
