Blinds or shades? Curtains or drapes? What’s the difference?
Stop asking yourself the tough questions, and start with the easy ones. What specific jobs do you want your window treatments to do? Style-wise, few choices will lead you astray.
Here are some considerations to help shed light on the subject.
Craving Darkness?
The sun be a real distraction if you crave darkness for rest or relief. Room darkening fabrics like or black out panels let you flick the switch when you need to unplug. Consider especially for east-facing rooms to avoid that sunrise surprise.
Overexposed?
We’ve seen what happens to your throw pillows in direct sunlight. It’s not pretty. To protect furnishings and floors from direct sunlight, a fabric with a high “R factor” is recommended. The “R factor” is the fabric’s ability to block harmful UV rays and can be as high as 98%. A higher R Factor also means added insulation for warmer or cooler rooms.
Feeling Drafty?
A shade for all seasons, Cellular Shades are incredibly energy efficient. They know the secret for dressing in our climate: layers. Cellular Shades can be made with one, two, or even three layers of fabric, giving them their ‘honeycomb’ nickname. The air space between each layer (or cell) helps to keep cold air out in the winter, and warm air out in the summer.
Travel Often?
Consider a motorized system on a timer, to give the illusion that someone is home, even when no one is. There are even apps which will do all the thinking for you.
