Blinds and shades are two of the most common types of window treatments in the world. These not only add a lot of functionality to your home but also increase its aesthetics. This is why, you have to be very careful while choosing blinds and shades.
Knowing how to choose blinds & shades will help you a lot in this regard.
While choosing blinds as well as shades for your home, you have to keep a few things in your mind. First, you have to remember what you are buying these window treatments for. Next, you have to take a look at your budget, and where you are going to install these blinds and shades. You also have to keep your family’s safety in mind.
Let’s take a detailed look at how you should choose your blinds and shades.
How to choose blinds & shades for your home?
Window treatments play a lot of roles in your home. They enhance the aesthetics of both your home’s interior as well as exterior, and they also block out a lot of harmful UV rays coming from the sun.
They also increase the level of privacy of your home. Blinds and shades have been being used by people all around the world for these exact reasons for years.
This is why you can’t choose your blinds and shades without doing a bit of research. We have prepared a list of things you have to keep in mind when choosing blinds and shades.
Here is how to choose blinds for homes, as well as shades.
1. The purpose
The first thing in our blinds guide you should take into account when buying a shade or a blind is what you are buying them for. If you want these window treatments for privacy, then you should buy blinds or shades that block out a lot of light, and which have a greater level of opacity.
But, if privacy isn’t the primary agenda for you, then you can install shades and blinds that are a bit more transparent.
Also, if you want to make your room a bit darker than it currently is, then you should go for blackout blinds or shades, or window coverings that don’t allow much light to pass through.
On the other hand, if you want to know how to choose blinds for the living room or nursery room, you would want blinds or shades that let in some amount of light.
Next, if the purpose of your buying a blind or shade is to increase energy efficiency in your house, then you should select window blinds and shades that are reflective and will make your room insulated.
2. Budget
The next thing in our window blinds guide you need to consider is your budget. Blinds and shades come in a lot of different materials, which makes their price fluctuate.
If you want to install shades and blinds in your entire house, it will cost you a lot more than installing window treatments in one or two rooms.
Also, if you have larger windows, then installing shades and blinds will cost you more.
3. The place
When choosing blinds for your home, you also have to keep where you will install them in mind.
For example, if you want shades and blinds in a moist and/or humid area, such as the bathroom and the kitchen, you need to choose blinds and shades that are made of materials that don’t get damaged due to heat and moisture.
On the other hand, for areas that have zero to little moisture, you don’t need water and heat-resistant blinds and shades. In that case, you can be a bit fancy, and choose materials accordingly.
Also, if you are looking for how to pick shades for windows for places such as your bedroom and bathroom, that is, the places which require maximum privacy, you should go for window treatments that block most of the light out and have the highest opacity levels.
On the other hand, for the living room, you don’t need too much privacy, so you can install blinds and shades that are a bit more transparent.
4. Maintenance
Since both blinds and shades get inevitably dirty with use, you need to keep their maintenance in mind while choosing them. While blinds tend to get dirty more often than shades, you can easily clean them.
On the other hand, despite them getting dirty less often, cleaning shades can sometimes be quite hard. So, if you don’t have much time to clean your window coverings, you should go for blinds.
5. Safety
If you have children and/or pets in your home, you should keep their safety in mind before choosing a blind and shade.
Try not to choose blinds or shades with cords, as pets, and children can choke on them. The best blinds and shades for homes with children and pets are the automatic ones.
Final Words
The knowledge of how to choose blinds and shades go a long way to ensuring your home looks and functions as you want it to. Not only that, the right kind of blind and shade can save you a lot of money in maintenance and energy bills.
Once you have decided upon a blind or shade of your choice, contact us to buy the treatments and install them.
FAQ
1. What is the best time to buy window blinds?
The best time to buy window blinds, or any window treatments for that matter, is summer. This will allow you to replace your older window treatments to keep your house cool during this time.
2. Where is the best place to buy blinds?
The best place to buy blinds is here, at Empire Window Treatments. We have an assortment of blinds, all of which will fit in your home perfectly.
3. What type of blinds are best?
The best type of blind is the blind that suits your needs the most. If you want your room to be darker, then blackout blinds are your best option, on the other hand, if you want the room to have a lot of light, then you can install sheer blinds.
