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Window Shutters Are Growing in Popularity


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More and more homeowners and tenants are investing in wooden shutters. They can be used to bring a new sense of welcoming character to a home environment and are noted for being extremely versatile. In fact they can be used to compliment various types of in-home décor, and many people have seen the atmosphere of their home changed for the better after having the shutters installed. Customers don't have to pay over the odds for good quality shutters, and there are many great deals to be enjoyed without compromises on quality being necessary.

The best plantation shutters are not only incredibly stylish but extremely functional too. Its possible to buy wooden shutters for the interior and the exterior of a home - although if you are looking for exterior shutters you should be aware that the quality of the wood can come into compromise quite quickly once exposure to the elements occurs. There are many suppliers and manufacturers offering shutters currently. It can be all too easy to feel intimidated by the choice available to you, especially when you're looking online, but by looking for positive feedback and strong recommendations you should be able to find a company that you can do business with confidently. Also, as the search engines become more sophisticated when it comes to penalising nonperforming companies, you can feel increasingly more assured when looking for a shutter supplier via a reputable search engine.

Plantation shutters are designed for allowing air to flow freely through them, whilst providing shade when required. They are usually protected by an external window, but its not uncommon to see them being put into place instead of a window, or to see a window being removed and put back into place as according to requirements. They can also be referred to as jalousies or louvres. They are usually installed to fill an entire window space and can be adjusted via an attached rod. Some shutters need to be custom made in order to suit the unique needs and requirements of some customers, particular those who need to work with a tricky space.



Whilst wooden shutters are incredibly popular, many people choose to sidestep wood in place of other materials. Composite materials are often chosen, as are plastics. Composite materials in particular can be very useful, allowing customers to choose from an almost infinite number of colours. Composites are arguably easier to maintain than wood, and can last for longer too. Designer shutters can be expensive, but for those looking for a higher level of sophistication and class, they can be worth every penny. Some more environmentally-conscious customers may choose materials such as reclaimed wood as they are generally seen as a more eco-friendly option to conventional wood. Window shutters are growing in popularity constantly, and with such versatility at play its easy to make a unique style statement with them. Its important to ask if installation services are on offer when you place on order for shutters, as installation can be tough.


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


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Which Window Blind to Choose?


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Choosing how to dress your windows can be quite challenging. A great option to consider is dressing your window with blinds. There are many styles to choose from, and the easiest way to narrow this down is to work out what you require for the room, as well as what kind of maintenance you are willing to take on. Base your choice on privacy requirements, sun prevention, cleaning, and of course visual appeal. Here are a few window blind choices and descriptions to help you narrow down your choice:

Plantation shutters
Plantation shutters are energy efficient as well as visually attractive. They offer shade in hot summers, and help protect your home in cold winters. When closed they offer complete privacy and filter out light completely, and when open they provide a very open spacious feel to a room. Ventilation is another plus, making plantation shutters a great choice if you wish to have a lot of natural light and cooling control. The downside is that they can be very expensive, especially if you have a lot of windows in your home. Budget-wise, there are a variety of materials available for plantation shutters these days, so there are alternative options to the traditional costlier wood shutters. Another plus is that plantation shutters also add value to your home.

Vertical blinds
Vertical blinds fit almost any décor style and, if you require something more "dressier", can be easily paired with curtains. Vertical blinds are very attractive in most rooms, and offer much the same effect as plantation shutters, at a much reduced cost. A variety of materials such as plastic, metal and wood, are available for vertical blinds, but be aware that wood blinds should not be used in any room with high-moisture content, such as a bathroom, as they will warp.

Honeycomb blinds
Honeycomb blinds offer up to 99% sun protection in your home, which makes them an energy-efficient option to consider. Honeycomb blinds are great for rooms where there is a lot of sunlight or bright light, as they will help drop your cooling bill considerably. The down side to honeycomb blinds his that there are no middle ground shade options; they are either open or closed. So not a good option if you wish to filter light in a variety of ways. They can also be rather tricky to clean.

Roman blinds
Roman blinds are a visually very attractive window dressing option, and can also be teamed with curtains for a dressier effect. Roman blinds offer a great deal of versatility as they can be created with any fabric design or pattern desired. They are reasonably priced and can be washed in the same way as curtains once the rods are removed. Not a good option for high-moisture rooms such as the bathroom, however, as they can be prone to developing mildew.

Whatever style of blind you eventually choose, keep in mind maintenance. Your blind will only look good if well maintained and cared for. Make sure they are fitted exactly to the window for the most visually pleasing appearance and to ensure the best shading. There are many companies that specialize in measuring and fitting your blinds as well as curtains and awnings, which you can find via your local directory, or online.


Tip Top Blinds are Melbournes Premier Blind, Curtain & Awning Centre. They offer an extensive range of high-quality window furnishings for internal and external use. For more details visit their website tiptopblinds.com.
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Different Window Treatments For Patio Doors


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Expert Author Cookie Maxwell


Patio doors may be functional entrances and exits between the outdoors and your home, but they can be treated like windows when it comes to thinking about decoration, blocking out the sun, and maintaining privacy. Since your options are French doors that swing open or sliding glass panels, the way that you approach window treatments must be specific to the style door. If you have patio doors in your home, here are a few window treatment suggestions that will help you create another design feature in your home that also performs an important job.

Hunter Douglas


Vertical Blinds
The easiest and most common style of window treatment that you will see for patio doors are vertical blinds. If you are picturing the cloth vertical blinds that were popular in the 1970's when you think of vertical blinds, think again. Today you can find a number of stylish options that can be customized to your taste. Wood, fabric, vinyl and even faux wood are examples of the materials that are used to make blinds. Depending on your preferences, patio door blinds can all open to one side, or half go to one side and the other half to the opposite side. You can also choose to have the blinds open from the sides into the middle.

Cellular Blinds
If you have concerns about needing insulation near your patio doors, then cellular blinds are the best option for you. They have little pockets, also known as cells, that will trap air in them and insulate the room from cold. Note that the higher number of cells will offer the most energy efficiency in your room, and for maximum benefit you need large double or triple cells.

Drapes and Curtains
Drapes or curtains can cover patio doors just as well as blinds, but they are less versatile. Blinds allow you to open part way, and curtains are an all or nothing proposition. Depending on the room you are decorating, you may want to consider blinds and drapes at the same time. To hang curtains or drapes, you need a rod above your door and a way to keep the curtains open to one side with a decorative hook. Since they are made of fabric, cleaning them can be a lot faster than going through the panels of your blinds with a duster. If you want to wash them, then take them down and throw them in the washing machine. Curtains and drapes will also help insulate a room from the cold.

MyReviewsNow.net offers information regarding patio blinds. For more on blinds and window treatments, please visit us at MyReviewsNow.net.


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Bring a Touch of Warmth With Wood Blinds


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Expert Author Adelle Steele
Ask any good home decorator or interior designer and they'll tell you the best inspiration comes directly from Mother Nature. There's simply no beating the beauty we can find in the natural world and, as a result, some of the most stunning homes are decorated with a feel for nature. This principle is demonstrated perfectly with hardwood floors which have been used for generations not only for their durability but also their versatility. Their rich colors and innate warmth can be used to make a room feel both relaxed and inviting or professional and studious depending on the tones of the wood and the surrounding environment.

Options with wooden blinds can achieve this same effect either in conjunction with or without a wooden flooring plan.
Wooden blinds are now available in a number of different options. Traditional hardwood blinds are often painted or stained to match the color scheme of a room but can also be used in their more natural state. This allows the natural beauty of their grain and pattern to decorate a room and bathe it in a warm glow.

As the blinds are set to allow filtered light through; that light bounces off the rich warm tones of the blinds before coming into the room making the light glow with those same warm tones and colors. If the rest of the room is decorated in light and neutral tones, this will result in a light warmth, ideal for cozy living rooms, bright kitchens and inviting entertainment areas. Blinds with a richer tone can be used in a darker or more warmly colored room to add to that warmth, keep light to a minimum and is ideal for the study, home office or even the board room. These darker, richer colors result in a Mahogany feel, most commonly associated with old fashioned home libraries and a classic or traditional feel.

Options in wooden blinds include natural wood as well as faux wood. Faux wood is created to looks exactly like natural wood but at a lower overall cost and also built to stand up a bit better than natural wood. Although wood is naturally quite hardy it is, of course, susceptible to the elements. With blinds the main concern is with fading. As the blinds are bombarded with sunlight every day, fading is an unfortunate but natural side effect for natural wood blinds. Faux wood blinds can repel these effects much better and are an ideal alternative for rooms which get a lot of sunlight.

Wooden blinds and window treatment options can give any room a natural warmth and glow that can only be found in nature. Even faux wooden options are able to replicate the look and feel of natural wood but are able to stand up better to fading and sun bleaching. The end result for decorators is a beautiful look that brings a feel of Eco-friendly green decorating at a price which leaves a bit of green in their wallet as well.
Adelle Steele writes website content with a customer focus for various industries. Her articles inform consumers about their best options for just about anything under the sun, including options to redecorate a room. She focuses on customer friendly options, such as window treatments, that will not only improve the look of a room but are also able to be done on a budget and which can essentially pay for themselves over time.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adelle_Steele


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Which Blinds Are Best for Warmth?


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You'd never want to live in a home without windows - they provide natural light and sometimes stunning vistas too. That being said, windows are also responsible for as much as 50 per cent of heat loss from the typical home. Installing double-glazed windows can help ameliorate this problem, but a decent set of blinds can also offer better insulation. Indeed, investing in new blinds is effective and also much more economical than new windows when it comes to improving the insulation of your home. So which blinds are best for warmth?

Before we discuss blinds, let's try to understand the two basic types of insulation. Reflective insulation refers to insulation that is lined with a heat and cold reflecting material, while bulk insulation refers to the use of a thick material that prevents hot and cold air from entering your home. The insulation used in most buildings utilizes a combination of reflective and bulk insulation; and while you probably don't want to use this kind of material as a window covering, the principles of insulating blinds are the same.

Honeycomb blinds are among the most popular blinds used to provide better insulation. In the past decade or so, these blinds are increasingly common in homes, especially as home owners are becoming more concerned and aware about environmental issues. Honeycomb blinds are available in a wide range of styles and colours, so you'll be able to find the perfect fit for your home.

Honeycomb, or cellular blinds are designed specifically to protect against heat loss, and they are made from air-pocketed honeycomb-like material. You can get single-cell honeycomb blinds which are effective in protecting against cold, or duel cell blinds which offer excellent insulation in the winter and summer months. You can also get blackout blinds which insulate while also blocking out light. And finally, light filtering blinds are useful for controlling the amount of light that enters a room, and can help you control the warmth of a room when the sun is shining.

In addition to these types of blinds, there are even reflective blind styles that prevent heating or cooling. Roman blinds, rolling blinds, and more contemporary blind styles can be constructed using reflective material so you can better insulate your windows. You should even consider the materials blinds are made from as this can impact insulation. For example, timber blinds have natural insulating properties, while metal blinds do not. Cedar is an especially good insulator because it is light and porous. Alternatively, consider combining your blinds with heavy fabrics for better heat and sound insulation.

Remember to choose blinds that serve not only the function of a room, but also your personal style. There are many great options for insulating blinds, so you should never have to compromise your design preferences.


Please visit Arlene's Interiors for more information regarding blinds in Vancouver.
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Window Treatments on a Budget


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Shopping on a tight window treatments budget.
When it comes down to it, a window that has not been furnished is simply not complete. Not only does it not look good, but will also fail to provide any functions like privacy, temperature control, sun filtration and simply looking good. The feel and appeal of a room can change significantly dependent upon the type of window treatments you have chosen. After all, the right curtain, blind or shutter could put the finishing touch on a room that really brings it all together.

But as you may know or are about to find out window treatments can be that last piece of the puzzle that never quite got included in the budget or by the time you get there other projects have sucked up the available funds. However, we strongly believe that you can still make your windows look great even when working to a tight window treatments budget. You just need to know all the window treatment options that are available and the tips and tricks that can save you money while not compromising the look and feel you are trying to create.

How to set your window treatments budget.
Like the rest of the building or renovation project you need to start with a rough idea about how much money you can set aside for your window treatments budget. Each individual will have a different idea about what they would want to spend. If you can set a limit to start with then you will have less chance of going over that once you start shopping. Then it's a matter of researching and talking to your local window treatment expert to see if you can achieve the look you are after within the budget you have decided upon.
If you have no idea about what window treatments might cost then most stores should be more than willing to quote off your plans or measurements you provide them. You can ask them to quote based on a middle of the range price point. This will give you a great indication of what you can expect when you finally decide on the specific curtain, blind, shutter or other window treatment.
If you already have a set price per meter then when you are looking at samples you will easily have the ability to asses whether the product is within your budget or not. This helps to avoid the disappointment of finding the perfect fabric or blind only to find out that it is over double what you might be able to afford.
Which window treatments should I consider?

Shutters
If you are working to a tighter window treatments budget then you might want to steer clear of shutters. Alternatively you could look at using shutters as more of a feature on a couple of windows in your house. Having said this shutters are becoming increasingly more affordable. There are some great man made wood alternatives that provide a great look and finish, that when stood side by side a full painted wooden shutter are hard to tell apart. These shutters are often a lot better value for money given the method of production. Talk to your window treatment expert to see if there is a shutter solution that will suit your budget.

Blinds
Vertical Blinds, Aluminium Venetians and Roller Blinds can all provide an effective window treatment solution at an affordable rate. Each of these options provide a different look and feel while assisting with privacy, temperature control and sun filtration. Often there may be a specific range or lower priced option that while lacking the colour range, functions or specific finish can still provide a viable alternative. It is important to note that while buying the entry level ranges may suit your budget they need to be suitable for the specific purpose and amount of use they may receive. It is important to talk about the limitations of such products with your window treatment expert.
If you are working to a tight window treatment budget then wanting Cedar Venetians may not be plausible. There are however plenty of alternatives to choose from. The first would be Basswood blinds. Basswood is a fast growing but light and strong wood that is a great alternative for cedar. It enables you to have the look for a fraction of the price. Likewise there are man made alternatives that offer the wood look for a fraction of the price. As above it is important to ensure the use of the blind matches the specifications. This will help you avoid a costly mistake that will see you having to replace a blind within a much shorter space of time.

Readymade Curtains
If you want the soft look of curtains then making your own is a great way to keep within a budget. This is not as hard as it sounds and there are many great websites that can teach you the techniques and walk you through making your own curtains. If making your own curtains is not for you then the best way to achieve a great look result is to explore all the different fabric options available to you.
Mass produced readymade curtains are a cost effective option that can provide you with the look and feel of drapes at a fraction of the cost. They come in set sizes and lengths so it is important to make sure you can get a hold of readymades in the correct size for your windows. Curtains that are not correctly fitted or are to small or big for your window can severely detract from the look you are trying to achieve.

Custom Made Curtains
There are 1000's of fabrics to choose from when looking at custom made curtains and roman blinds for your property. Often some the best looking fabrics are some of the most inexpensive. Fabrics can range from as low as $10 per meter up to as much as $200 per meter. Dependent upon the type of look and feel you want there are often many options.
Curtain fabrics like anything in fashion have a limited lifespan. Talk to your window treatment expert about end of line specials and deals. These are fabrics that are no longer going to be made. However, if there is enough stock remaining then you can often buy them at a much better price then the recommended retail price.

Thermal backed or Softblock fabrics offer an alternative from a traditional curtain fabric. Thermal or blaockout coated fabrics do not require a separate lining and softblock fabrics, while advisable to line can be used as a stand alone curtain without separate lining. This saves you money because the cost to make the curtain is lower and you are not required to pay for a separate lining. Thermal backed fabrics and softblocks will hang slightly different to a traditional lined curtain so it would be a great idea to check if your local window treatments expert has a sample of each hanging in their showroom for you to have a look at.
Staggering your window treatments payments.
While your window treatments retailer may not directly advertise an interest free payment period it never hurts to ask. Often you might find they will be able to offer you some terms for payment. Therefore helping you achieve the look you want with out the financial strain of having to invest all at the same time.
Key points when working to a budget.
  1. Set a budget before you start looking for window treatments.
  2. Explore all the options - often you can get the same look at a better price.
  3. Mix and match - create a statement in your lounge and go simple in your bedrooms or vice versa.
  4. Investigate the option of staggering payments with your retailer.

If you want to talk to Curtain Design about your home and your window treatments then please feel free to call 07 846 9277.
Written by Jamie Smith
Learn more about Window Treatment options by visiting http://www.curtaindesign.co.nz
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The Humble Roller Blind - Functional And Funky



Windows can be dressed in a way that is both functional and 'funky'; a challenging task for the home owner, or in corporate settings, the facilities manager, with virtually limitless options on how to dress this essential part of the building. Of course, home owners can opt for bare windows if they so wish!

Window dressing, however, is an opportunity to add a design element in a building or make a setting more homely. Households have reasons as varied as the blinds themselves for needing window blinds. For example, you may want to regulate the amount of light entering your house; you might want to retain heat during colder months; you might want to provide a modicum of privacy from prying eyes,... maybe all of these reasons?


Window blinds come in different forms. There are Venetian and Roman blinds, vertical blinds, and panel blinds. The new kid on the block is perfect fit blinds. A roller blind is one such option for window treatment. Unlike Roman shades or Venetian blinds, this type of blind lends a clean and uncluttered look to the interior space, and it can be both decorative and easy to operate.

There is practically an ocean of choices when it comes to colour and texture, thickness of blind fabric,... sometimes the most important choices are based on personal taste.

It helps that a roller blind is simple to use - a pull of a chain, release of a spring, or even a push of a button (there are automated operating mechanisms that are available in the market now). They are either made of opaque cloth, voile or sheer fabric, faux wood or other material that can easily wrap around a lightweight, aluminium cylinder when pulled up or down.



That alone provides limitless choices for the consumer when shopping for a roller blind. Hence, it is essential to ask whether the blind you are going to put up should be decorative, functional or both. Roller blinds can be customized, made-to-measure or bespoke, such that every blind meets unique household or design needs.

In fact, for those who want true value for money, the best way to dress up their space is to dress up their windows! Take for instance photo roller blinds. As the name suggests, blinds can be specifically made using your photo files so you can display pictures from your photo albums. So easy to do, nowadays, in this digital world!

These can also be made-to-measure so as to either fit inside your window recess or simply mounted outside to cover a wider area.
The humble roller blind - what value for money when it comes to durability, design and convenience!

 About the Author

 Russell Shearer is a Contributing Editor to Blinds-UK, one of the latest online shops for effortless ordering of window blinds in the UK. Visit Blinds-UK for the latest fabrics available, and for tips and advice on how to confidently measure your windows for ordering your blinds online. Measuring and installing roller blinds is not difficult when you follow some simple guidelines.
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