Choosing the right blinds
Choosing the right blinds that match the style of your home can be difficult, especially when you’re on a budget. Are you looking for the perfect window covering? Then consider the practicality, beauty and durability of blinds offering benefits such as :
- Flexability in light control
- Improving room ambience
- Preventing dust from entering the room
- Protecting valuable furniture against the effects of sunlight
- Low maintenance
- Adding value to the home or office
- Providing a neat and stylish appearance
- Increasing privacy
- Easy to keep clean
The blinds you choose have a large impact on the look and feel of your room so it’s important to choose the right style for your home. Knowing a little about what’s on offer can help you choose the blinds that fit your needs and help you to best enhance your room.
Considerations when choosing blinds
There are several factors to consider when choosing window blinds. Blinds and shades come in many styles, colours and materials with a variety of functions. Blackout blinds completely block light, and are ideal for media rooms and bedrooms. Other types of blinds provide privacy without completely blocking light. Some of these allow light to filter through, allowing users to make the most of natural light without losing their privacy. Popular materials range from wood and fabric to PVC and paper. Before shopping for blinds and shades, buyers should familiarize themselves with the various products on offer to make informed buying decisions.
It is important to note the room type, features of a window, and the decor of the room to ensure selection of an appropriate product.
Room Type
Different rooms in a home require varying types of window blinds. For example, bathrooms demand blinds that allow for privacy when needed and offer resistance to moisture. Studios or craft rooms need a product that permits a great deal of natural light and much-used family rooms and children's rooms may require a very durable window blind; however, safety experts recommend against blinds with cords in rooms belonging to young children. Depending upon the location in the home, a bedroom may require top-down privacy blinds or a bottoms-up style.
Bottom-Up Blinds
While most people are familiar with top-down blinds, many types of horizontal blinds come with a bottom-up option, which allows for coverage of the bottom portion of the window while leaving the top portion open. Bottom-up blinds function for bedroom or bathroom windows, or those in any room that face a street or neighbor's home.
Features of a Window
It is important to consider the views through a window, the type of light that enters, and where the windows are located in the room when choosing blinds. Windows positioned for a beautiful, scenic view demand a blind that fully opens and closes, like vertical blinds a lightweight horizontal blind, while a small kitchen window above a sink or one placed very high may not require blinds at all.
Decor
The aesthetic of a room provides guidance in the selection of window blinds. Patterned vertical blinds can offer a plush feel to a room, while horizontal, natural wood blinds may be just the thing for shoppers with plantation-style decor or a western theme. Inexpensive mini-blinds and standard aluminum blinds can be color coordinated to fit any space and beautifully enhanced with valances and swags.
