Are Window Coverings the Best Investment You Can Make in Your Home?
November 4, 2018
Whether it’s called “buy it once” or “buy it for life,” there’s a growing movement to buy quality, well-crafted products over disposable ones. Lasting, high-quality products ultimately save you money and create less waste. That’s a win-win for your budget and for the environment.
Of course, this only works if you can find products that you love enough to keep for many years!
Window treatments are an excellent “buy it once” option. At Arlene’s, we believe in doing it right the first time, and all our Hunter Douglas blinds and shades come with a lifetime guarantee.
But why should you pay particular attention to investing in quality window treatments? Here are five considerations when you’re selecting blinds, shades and draperies for your home.
Get “fit” by customizing
You don’t want your blinds scraping the casement in your kitchen, or your shades to hang short in your living room. And if you have young children, you definitely don’t want their blackout curtains to leak light and cause them to wake up too early – so they end up waking you too early!
Blinds, shades, sheers and other treatments are there to give you control over how light enters your space. They can filter light, block it, or allow it inside in all its glory. To do this, they need to fit.
Getting your window treatments professionally tailored – so that they fit your home’s precise specifications – ensures that they will do what they are designed to do. When exploring your interior design options for your windows, look for brands, outlets and showrooms that offer customized products.
Protecting your (other) investments
Furniture, carpets, fine rugs, antiques, and paintings all have something in common: they can all be damaged by the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Blinds and shades are a big help in preventing the discoloration and fading caused by glare and direct sun, and there’s another elegant solution: professionally installed window films. These are excellent for spaces where you want to have natural light filling the room most of the time.
Our window films come in a variety of shades. They not only reduce glare, but block more than 99% of all UV radiation entering your home using their patented UVShield® technology. These films protect all the valuables in your home that are vulnerable to ultraviolet rays.
They also have a safety aspect that offers additional peace of mind: if an accident or storm should break your window, window films can help protect you and your family by preventing the glass from shattering.
Invest in family-friendly safety
Are your window treatments family friendly? Hunter Douglas offers a wide range of child-friendly (and pet-friendly) window treatment systems that eliminate entanglement issues. Their options for cordless manual systems and retractable cords— and even motorized blinds and shades that can be operated by remote control— offer the highest standards for safety while providing a clean, uncluttered appearance wherever they’re installed.
Style that lasts
With so many styles of window treatments it can be hard to make decisions. Blinds vary in slat width, material and colour. Shades come in several different types, from roller shades to Roman shades to honeycomb (also known as cellular) shades. Many can be combined with draperies for looks that range from contemporary to classic.
All of these are high-quality options, but it takes time to figure out your best choice. None of us have unlimited time – so what do you do when you want to make a home decorating purchase that will last?
Professional design consultants like those at Arlene’s can give you a big head start. They’ll help you cross off some options and zero in on the styles that you love, as well as the types of window treatments that best suit the various rooms of your home.
Keeping cool – and warm
Blinds, shades and draperies filter or block the direct sunlight that can heat up your home in warmer months. By moderating bright light and heat they help keep your rooms at the right temperature. That’s a well-known summer benefit you can count on from your window treatments, but it’s less well-known that in the winter they have a more literal pay-off: they save you money by cutting down on your energy bill.
Blinds and honeycomb shades help insulate windows, providing a buffer that keeps cold air from chilling the rooms of your house. This means less heat that you have to pay for – a win for your comfort level and your cheque book.
At Arlene’s our job is to give you all the help you need in finding the the perfect solutions for your home. Come check out our Lower Mainland showrooms, or set up a complimentary consultation for solutions that will pay dividends for as long as you live in your house.
That’s a promise you can invest in!