Clever Ways to Personalize Window Treatments: Better Homes and Gardens

Ready-made curtains, blinds, shades, and tablecloths are just the starting point for these stylish window treatments.

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from Better Homes and Gardens

A Comprehensive Guide To Shutters

by terrowhite

There are innumerable options open to you when decorating your home, but very few items can provide the simple bolt on simplicity and style shutters can, there are various kinds available in the market to suit every home and offices requirements for practicality and cosmetic effect. You can choose between internal, external, fixed, adjustable and can be made out of any material you can imagine.

Design

The typical design comprises of horizontal rails or slats with vertical columns. The vertical columns provide support and act as a frame, while the horizontal slats act as a filter media which can be used to filter out light, circulation and sound and can increase privacy levels.

Applications

Applications vary from cosmetic applications to practical applications in the form of a filter media, and are also very popular to protect windows from damage in areas which face harsh climatic conditions.

Indoor shutters

The indoor variety basically acts as a medium to filter lighting and privacy, much like blinds. They are typically hinged onto the inside of a window pane, and open inwards so as to not inhabit access to the window. Adjustment is possible by the use of louvers which can adjust the size of the aperture between slats. Tiers provide flexibility to the amount of adjustment possible in some variants. You can have anything from one to three tiers, each with adjustable louvers, thus providing complete light and air flow control. Let's say for example, the sun's harsh rays are hitting the lower two tiers, their slats can be closed while the slats on the top tier can be left open to facilitate air flow; thus controlling light, as well as allowing circulation. They provide balance of cosmetic and practical effect, however due to limitations cannot provide cover from harsh weather.

Outdoor shutters

The outdoor variety is available in various kinds, for both practical and cosmetic effect. However in today's applications their use is more accepted for practical purposes. External shutters can not only protect from light while regulating airflow, but can also protect from harsh climate, and snow. They were made popular by the French, and can still be seen in most French mansions. Their usage caught on with the Spanish who publicized it further, to the extent that any mansion styled residence is incomplete without them. They are hinged to the outside of a window pane, and open outwards, so as to provide protection to the glass in the window. While blinds can be used instead of the indoor variety, the outdoor variety has their specialty.

Hurricane shutters

Made of aluminum, steel, or the more recent addition fiber glass; they are built to withstand the harsh elements of nature. Purely practical in application, they are usually bolted onto the outer side of a window pane. Some applications have them hinged onto heavy duty brackets which are bolted down. Immovable louvers are typically preferred. Their mail application is to protect the glass and other breakable items of the window during a hurricane or storm. Plywood varieties are also available at a much lower cost, but aren't really the best option in terms of strength.

To see how you can benefit from shutters and blinds, visit shadesshuttersblinds.com/blog/. You can also choose the right ones for your house from the extensive range they have on offer.

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Looking After Your Blinds and Shutters

Blinds and shutters provide us with a lot of benefits and allow us to be comfortable and an easy temperature in any weather. Using blinds and shutters you are able to shut out the world and that means keeping out the sun and the light, while also providing yourself with some privacy when you need it. This can transform a room immediately turning it from a light open space to a cosy and private area, and by having blinds and shutters in your room this way give it a more versatile set of uses while also avoiding some of the problems and limitations involved with curtains.

Hunter Douglas Vertical Blinds

However blinds and shutters do like anything else need to be looked after if their usefulness is to continue, and you will need to spend time and effort maintaining them to get the most from yours. Here we will look at how to look after blinds and shutters and how to make sure they stay looking their best and working their best.

First of all with taking care of blinds you need to recognize the weakest point – that being the chord that you use to closed and open them or to lift them up (in some cases this will be replaced with a handle or something else, but a chord remains the most popular choice). 

 

These provide a very simple way to operate your window cover, but they also have some potential problems in that they often become tangled and can sometimes break. This is easy enough to avoid though as long as you are careful at all times. First of all then, make sure that when your chord is freely hanging that you somehow protect it from being tangled. In many cases there will be a hook you can wrap it around. Otherwise just make sure it is hanging straight before you leave. Furthermore, you need to make sure never to pull the chord hard if it doesn't want to budge. A knot or a similar problem can stop the mechanism working, but tugging on the rope will only make this likely to snap rendering the blinds useless.

Blinds and curtains over time will also pick up dirt and debris like anything else and can start to look faded. To avoid this make sure you dust them and take the time to wipe off any stains. Curtains can be taken into the wash, but this is more difficult with blinds. Fortunately you can normal scrub off any light marks with a light sponge.

Shutters meanwhile may be at more risk from this kind of dirt and general wear and tear due to the fact that they are often located out of the building. This makes them susceptible to picking up chips and cracks, and also means they are likely to get weathered. Applying regular protective coatings can help prevent this, and if you wish to paint your shutters then adding new coats can help to keep the color vibrant.

 

by samualdtc

Blinds and shutters require care and attention to stay in their best condition like any part of the home. Click the links for blinds and curtains and more.

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Source: http://samualdtc.articlealley.com/looking-after-your-blinds-and-shutters-2317739.html

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Silhouette Blinds

By Natalie Eastaugh

Blinds are used in places like homes, offices, shops and restaurants alike. They are a popular choice of window covering with many people, as they are so versatile and easy. They take up a much smaller amount of space than curtains and can fold away completely to reveal as much of the window as possible. You can choose a blind in a neutral shade and simply use it for practical purposes, or you can choose a luxury blind in a range of colours patterns and materials, to become a feature in your room.

The choice of blinds available is quite varying. Not only can you choose various fabrics, colours and materials, but you can choose which blind design you prefer and which works best in your surroundings. The two most common types of blind are roller blinds; a piece of flat, strong fabric which rolls down and up over your window, and venetian blinds; slats of wood, metal, plastic or other stiff material which are hung on either a vertical frame or a horizontal frame, and angle to allow larger or smaller amounts of light in through the window.

Other types of blinds include pleated blinds, panel blinds, roman blinds, duo blinds and silhouette blinds. Silhouette blinds are based on a venetian blind design but the slats are made using translucent fabric such as voile or linen. Using translucent materials cuts out the full glare of the sun but allows light to filter into the room. You can easily change the atmosphere of a room by changing the light, and with silhouette blinds, you can close the blinds completely and create a soft gentle light, or you can open them wider to create a brighter atmosphere.

Hunter Douglas Silhouette

Another advantage of silhouette blinds is that they give you complete privacy from outside whilst still letting natural sunlight in. This factor makes them very popular with those living in houses which stand directly on the street, as they ensure passers by cannot see in your windows.

These silhouette blinds are available in a variety of materials and in a range of pale coloured shades such as cream, bright white, ivory, palest blue and green etc. The colours are always light so as to allow light to shine through them.
Silhouette blinds are ideal for any property in which you want a large amount of natural light at the same time as keeping your privacy.

If you are interested in finding out more about silhouette blinds or want to know more about Bespoke Shutters and Blinds, visit http://bespokeshades.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Natalie_Eastaugh