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Kid’s Room Window Treatment Ideas

Posted: Thursday, September 20th, 2012 | Filed under: interior design, modern window treatments, room darkening window treatments, window blinds, window shading, window treatments
Kids Room Window Treatments

Kids Room Window Treatments

If you’ve just moved into a new home, are currently renovating or have a new family addition, there are many ways to decorate your kids’ room. Since safety is always the number one concern for children, it’s important to find a balance between safety and inspiration. You want to design and decorate a welcoming environment for infants and children.

Avoid any long window treatment designs, such as draperies. Anything dangling is a safety hazard and a child can become tangled in the fabric or even worse, pull on the fabric and risk pulling down all of the installed hardware. If possible, avoid long cords too. Anything that a child or infant can pull on isn’t good either. Also, don’t position cribs or beds close to the any cord that might be associated with your window treatments.

Instead, consider cordless or top down/bottom up roller shade options. These are just as effective for solar control, less the dangling cord feature. Many families have opted for motorized shades as well. These types of shades have motorized control features that operate the opening and closing of window shades with the touch of a button.

One other option to consider when choosing window treatments for your kid’s room is blackout shades. Blackout shades, light-tight shades and other dark fabrics can help block out the sunlight when you’re trying to lay down for bed, or even nap time. To keep the fun environment, consider painting the bedroom a yellow or blue so the blackout liners don’t darken the environment too much. Try to find a good mix between window treatments and paint colors so the room is still inviting and fun.

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Window Treatment Ideas for Apartments

Posted: Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 | Filed under: Folding Shades, Green shading, modern window treatments, natural light, privacy window treatments, Roller Shades, Roman shades, room darkening window treatments

Window Treatment Ideas

Window Treatment Ideas

Sometimes living in a small space can be tough, but there’s no reason to take it out on your window treatments. Decorating a small space can be challenging, but there are plenty of options to choose from including draperies, window shades, roller shades and more that will suit your needs perfectly.

One of the most common window treatments for apartments is draperies and curtains.  Draperies are a great window treatment for any size room. They help increase energy efficiency and have the ability to adjust horizontally to the sun’s movement. Draperies block heat from entering during hot summer months and keep in the warmth during the winter. Draperies come in so many different fabrics; you even have the ability to add a blackout liner to have the option of room darkening shades. There are different design elements you can add to draperies as well such as tassels or decorative rods.

Another great window treatment for apartments is roller shades. Since roller shades are a clean/minimal look, they are a great complement to any modern or contemporary home. Roller shades control the sun, heat and glare making them a perfect solution to any window treatment need. Roller shades can be customized to include blackout materials or solar control sunscreen materials. This type of window treatment is also available in a variety of fabrics to give you the look and feel you need for your home.

Both draperies and roller shades are great window treatments for any apartment, whether you’re in New York City or Los Angeles. Both provide sun and heat control and given the choices, can be customized to match any décor. There are also other window treatment options to consider including Venetian blinds, window film, valences and more. Depending on your personal style and preferences, any of these window treatments will work for your apartment.

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Do Blackout Shades Work?

Posted: Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012 | Filed under: blackout shades, room darkening window treatments, window treatments

Room Darkening Shades

Room Darkening Shades

Blackout shades are designed specifically to keep light out of a room. There are varieties of fabric and styles to choose from, but most of them perform the same. Most people who are looking to block natural light or want to install window shades for privacy concerns use blackout shades, or some type of privacy shade.

Depending on your want or need (completely eliminating light, block UV rays or both), you can choose which type of blackout shade is right for you. Blackout shades are thicker than your traditional window shades and some require a blackout liner. Roman shades, cellular or honeycomb shades are often made with blockout material and can perform as blackout shades. Other window shades such as woven wood shades require a blackout liner. Each material is different and will have different effects depending on how it’s treated.

Blackout shades also serve as solar control and can help save energy and reduce your heating and cooling costs. Since sunlight passes through windows, by having blackout shades installed during the winter, you can keep in the heat (and keep the heat out during the summer). During both seasons, blackout shades can serve as insulators.

Since blackout shades are pretty standard, you can customize the color and fabric. They offer a sleek look to your window, but if you want to decorate your window even more, consider adding draperies or a valence. All in all, blackout shades are effective. If you’re looking for a good night’s sleep on Madison Avenue with all the commotion, blackout shades can surely help you achieve that. If you’re looking for a dark living room to watch your favorite movie, consider installed blackout shades.

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