The different types of blinds and their advantages
Interior decorating a home has become a regular DIY activity. The many convenient, attractive and affordable products available in the market today have made decorating homes an easy task. For example, one no longer has to use mortar in tiling as there are available tile adhesives that anyone who puts his mind into the task can do it. Making homes beautiful with a certain flair and ambiance is definitely a trouble-free effort now.
In interior decorating a room, often the most neglected part is the windows. The focus is more on the wall and floor finishing, furniture, accessories and accents like flower arrangements, wall ornaments, are rugs and other bric -a-brac. The truth is, no matter how great the concept of a room in terms of colour combination, furniture and décor, the room would be still have that "unfinished" look until the windows (if there are windows) are properly treated, decorative-wise.
There are two general types of window treatment: curtains and blinds. There are several styles under curtains and under blinds too. Drapes and curtains has been around for centuries and up to now, there is still no getting around the hard task cycle attributed to drapes and curtains - hanging them up then getting them down for washing then hanging them up again. For people with a fast-paced lifestyle, curtains and drapes might prove to be quite a bit imposing. For this matter, the use of blinds as window treatment has gained and is still gaining quite a following.
Advantages of Using Window Blinds
Window blinds are easy install. A dedicated DIY-er can go to any home depot and take his pick from the varied designs, colours and styles of blinds that would suit his needs. There are expensive and inexpensive blinds. There are generic ones or custom-made ones. Generic blinds are those that are available in several standard window sizes. Custom-made blinds are for those windows that are not within the standard range. Typically, most window homes are within standards.
Window blinds are easy to maintain. A simple wash cloth or duster is all it would take to clean blinds. With blinds, one can have full-control of the light being let in a room. A person could choose to totally block sunlight from entering a room especially in the summer to save on air-conditioning. In the dead of winter, the blinds can be totally up and open to let as much sunlight as possible thereby saving on energy too.
Blinds are uncomplicated. Even a three-year old can operate blinds as they are that easy to manage.
Different types of Blinds
There are only two general types of blinds: vertical and horizontal. The decision as to what type to choose is dependent on the height of the window (or glass door) to be treated. Horizontal blinds are great for standard sized window and small openings whereas vertical blinds are best for tall windows and glass doors. The distinction (horizontal and vertical) refers to the way or direction of the slats.
There are two types of blinds too in reference to the slats used. There are the regular slat blinds that are connected by a string for manipulation. Then there is the solid blinds were the whole piece is of one solid material. Typically, a solid blind is rolled up or folded for operation.
Here are some of the different types of blinds called by their popular names.
- Venetian Blind - has been around since the 1700s. A Venetian blind has horizontal slats that are one above the other suspended by strips of cloth or cords or strings that control all slats in one motion. The slats can be rotated as to face inward or outward. The inward rotation has the slats facing down towards the room. The outward rotation has the slats facing downwards out of the room. The slats can be controlled to open in various degrees.
A lot of modifications and innovations have been applied to the Venetian blind. Today, the materials used for the blinds can be in the form of wood, vinyl, aluminium, plastic or bamboo. Some subtypes of the Venetian blinds are as follows.
o Miniblinds are like Venetian blinds but with narrower slats.
o Bamboo blinds uses "bamboo" as material for the slats. This type is more often than not used for ambiance. The type could bring in a sense of the East and of the fresh scent and feel of nature. The bamboo blind is not as delicate as one would think as the material is very strong and versatile.
o Wood blinds are available in a variety of woods such as oak, beech and walnut. The colour of the wood slats is range from dark to bleach. Slats are varied in sizes and finishing. This kind of blinds can sure bring in warmth and cosiness in a room.
- Roman Blind - is very practical especially if you are aiming for great coverage that is both convenient and functional. You can use Roman blinds to for almost any part of the house because materials used for them are varied too. For the living room, you can go all soft and feminine with Roman blind made of cloth. For high humidity and condensation areas, you can choose vinyl or plastics as materials. Just be sure to tuck away the cords out of reach of very young children.
- Vertical Blind -is usually used for tall and wide openings. This type is perfect for those tall and large fixed window panes or those sliding glass doors. This type is less likely to be damaged by strong winds but is nevertheless more susceptible to break downs. This requires even less strength to operate as the blind is fixed to a roller mechanism for ease in opening and closing. Vertical blinds open and close by either going left or right while horizontal blinds open by either going up or down.
Choosing the right blinds for a certain room will largely depend on your budget, the function of the blinds, and the effect you want to add to that particular room.
"Thanks for sharing this interesting and useful information about different types of window blinds. "
Blinds