Varieties of Blinds and Shades

By Susan M. Keenan

Roller Shades

Roller shades, one of the less expensive options available to homeowners, are easily mounted inside or outside the existing window frame. They are available in a variety of materials including vinyl, canvas, or bonded fabrics. Additionally, roller shades are often featured with a variety of trims or appliqués.

This type of window covering offers consistency along with a moderate to total light filtering capacity. Typically, roller shades are utilized underneath curtains or drapes for a consistent exterior view.

Roman Shades

Roman shades are available in a variety of materials that actually influence the look of the shades to a great extent. Typically, this type of window treatment offers a casual look. When the Roman shade is raised up, the panels become almost invisible. Pulleys and cords are the typical method in which the Roman shade is moved.

Cellular Shades

Cellular shades offer a wide variety of options for covering your windows, making them quite popular. Crafted from a honeycomb pleated fabric, these shades provide a delightful look along with privacy and light filtering capabilities. The fabric varies in density or thickness from sheer to dense or opaque, to provide a range of light filtering options from allowing the light into the room to blocking it completely out.

One of the nicest features about cellular shades is their coloring availability, specifically, their dual coloring providing one color for the inside of the home and another for the outside of the home. This way, homeowners are able to provide uniformity to their windows on the outside of the home, while allowing for room coordinating colors on the interior of the home. After all, homeowners spend hours selecting just the right window, guaranteeing that all of the windows are the same in appearance and color for a uniform appearance on the exterior of the home.

Moreover, cellular shades offer excellent insulating qualities, due to their particular construction. In fact, cellular shades are so versatile that they blend with any décor. This type of shade can be custom fit for any window size, even unusual openings, and is featured with a variety of opening devices, including motorized versions. In fact, the motorized versions are excellent choices for skylights. Cellular shades are easily mounted inside or outside the existing window frame.

Horizontal and Vertical Blinds

Typically, vertical blinds are crafted from aluminum, vinyl, or reinforced fabric that can be used to coordinate with the décor of the room. The color of the fabric can match the wallpaper, painted walls, carpeting, or upholstery of the furniture. In bedrooms, vertical blinds can be custom made to match the bedspread and shams. In living rooms, the fabric can match the slipcovers or upholstery of the furniture.

So many possibilities exist when using vertical blinds to cover your windows. In fact, vertical blinds are an excellent option when it comes to sliding glass doors. They sufficiently cover the doors when they are not open and they move back easily to allow access to the doorway entrance.

Vertical blinds are an excellent choice for elongated windows as well, providing an elegant look along with the functionality of the blinds. Moreover, the vertical blind slats rotate to provide light controlling options.

Horizontal blinds are often made from aluminum, vinyl, plastic, wood, or simulated wood. They offer a wide variety of colors in addition to a wide variety of slat sizes. Typically, personal preference dictates the size of the slats in which you purchase your horizontal blinds.

Horizontal blinds also offer light controlling possibilities with a simple tilt or turn of the slats. They are easy to clean and easy to use. Moreover, they blend well on walls that have limited spatial features.

Read Part 1: Window Covering Options

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