How to Pick Blinds for your Home
October 21, 2020
Vancouver Blinds
Choosing the right blinds for your home requires careful consideration of the characteristics of blinds. From light control and insulation to aesthetics, window shape, and cost – knowing how to pick blinds for your home will help you find the perfect match for your home. By identifying and prioritizing your preferences for window coverings, you can more easily navigate the wide variety of window blinds available today and choose the blinds that work best for any room or style.
Light
When it comes to light control, you have many options including light filtering blinds, blackout blinds, and blinds with slats. Light filtering window treatments are essentially translucent and allow a moderate amount of light to pass through. These types of blinds are often found in kitchens and dining areas. On the other hand, blackout blinds are exactly as they sound – they completely block the passage of light making them a great option for bedrooms and even living rooms. Blinds may also feature slats that can be adjusted to control the amount of light entering a room. On the other hand, shades do not feature slats which makes them great for privacy but provide less control over lighting.
Insulation
Some blinds are designed to improve energy efficiency. If you live in a climate with extreme temperatures (hot or cold), insulated window treatments can save you up to 25% on your annual heating and cooling costs. Cellular shades, which are also known as honeycomb or cell shades, are the most common style of window blinds for improved insulation.
Aesthetics
Of course, when you are investing in window treatments, you are also probably considering the aesthetic impact of your new blinds. Consider the colour, style, patterns, and even materials used in the fabrication of your window blinds to find the ideal treatment to complement the style and design of your home.
Shape
Blinds can be made to fit almost any shape of window including oversized windows, arch windows, doors, skylights, and uniquely shaped windows. In many cases, you’ll have to choose custom blinds to accommodate irregular window shapes; whereas rectangular windows can often be fitted with pre-fabricated blinds in standard sizing.
Cost
The final consideration in choosing the right window blinds is cost. In general, custom blinds will cost more so it’s important to consider whether your home’s windows will require custom blinds. Once again, unique window shapes or sizes will often require custom blinds and you should expect this to impact your budget for window treatments. Also, certain materials (particularly natural fibers and real wood blinds) tend to cost more. Nevertheless, no matter your style or budget, you are sure to find the right window treatments for your home as long as you take the time to carefully review the many options available to you and choose the treatment that fits your home and your budget.