Shades and Blinds for Home Decor

Window treatments are a very important part of any interior design project, especially in a living room. Blinds and shades are the most popular choices for the majority of home owners. Shades, also called soft window treatments, are usually made from a piece or pieces of fabric that can offer a feeling of warmth and flowing. Blinds are hard window treatments consisting horizontal or vertical slates or vanes that tumble down the blind as its lowered or pulled across the window. When deciding between these two options, it’s all about what purpose you want your window treatments to serve. Below we have outlined our top factors that should influence your choice for the type of new window treatments.

Installation:

The installation process more often than not is fairly easy for both shades and blinds for a standard sized window. They are both usually mount based products With a few screws, brackets, and a drill your blinds can be installed hassle free. With larger windows or windows higher up, the process becomes slightly more complicated, but still follows the basic principles. Both products can also be professionally installed to not only make the installation process easier, but your window treatments often look better when handled by a professional.

Shades and Blinds for Home Decor

Light & privacy:

The most basic purpose of window treatments is to control outside light and give your room increased privacy. If you are looking to have more control on the amount of light that can enter your room, then blinds are typically your best bet. Blinds allow you to adjust the angle of the slates to change the amount of light which means you have more control. Shades on the other hand only have two settings up or down. You can however, choose the opacity of the material that is used in the shade. This choose not only can help with lighting but can also mean you can be granted additional privacy. If you also want to limit the amount of light in the room, shades also are a more effective way to reduce outside light.   Blackout shades for example provides the ultimate privacy and light deduction options for any room. Blinds also offer a fair amount of privacy, but shades are the best option in terms of privacy. The question you need to ask yourself is how much privacy I want in this room and how much control of the amount of light enters the room do I want.

Cost:

In the battle of which product is cheaper blinds typically have the edge. Like any product though as you change up the style and material used you can expect changes in prices. The price of shades will change depending on the type of fabric is used while the price of blinds typically will change depending on the type of slates you want. However, if you are just looking for a basic model then blinds will most likely be the less expensive model compared to shades.

Cleaning:

Most people do not like cleaning their homes. We often strive to find products that will limit the time, effort, and cost of cleaning them. Blinds typically will be easier to clean than shades. The material used for the slates is often easy to wipe down with a duster. If your blinds have something spilled on them the stain can often be removed easily with a wet towel or wipe. Shades on the other hand can be more difficult to clean. If the fabric becomes stained a professional cleaner is often recommended to avoid damaging the product. This also means that cleaning them can become an expensive affair. In a heavily trafficked area such as your living room you can probably expect that these products will need to be kept clean and there is a higher likelihood of something being spilled on your window treatments. In the battle of cleaning, blinds take the edge.

Cleaning

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Durability:

The materials used for blinds, wood, aluminum, mental, and plastic, is often more durable than the fabrics used in shades. If one of the blind’s slats become damaged it can usually be easily replaced without having to buy a whole new set of blinds. Shades on the other hand will often need to become fully replaced if they are torn or damaged. Since living rooms are often high traffic areas of any home and thus window treatments can easily become damaged in these areas blinds are typically recommended.

Design:

For many homes, the living room is the central location where everyone spends the majority of their time. This means most people want this room to look amazing, especially when they are entertaining guests. When choosing new window treatments, you should consider what will fit naturally with the overall style of the room. You should consider the furniture, lighting, structural features, the flooring, and a multitude of other internal design elements when picking out your window treatments. If you want the focus of the room to be on something specific, shades could be a better option since they are usually less distracting in a room.

About the author: Chad is a design enthusiast who has taken his love for decorating to help people understand the nuances of style.