Absolutely All about Window Blinds

Bamboo blinds have been around for hundreds of years beginning its life in the imperial places in Far East in China, Korea and Japan. Bamboo blinds were very popular with the royalties and later on the common folks in those countries because bamboo was easily available everywhere. Later on when Western Merchants started trading with these countries especially in the 18^th and 19^th centuries, they brought  the bamboo blinds back with them the same way Venetian blinds were introduced to the west.  However, bamboo blinds were not that popular with the western societies until the late 20^th and 21^st centuries where a lot more attention was given to bamboo blinds due to it’s simplicity, flexibility to adapt to any home types and environmental friendly as compared to plastic blinds.
Bamboo can be grown easily as it’s grass and not wood and can reah maturity in as little as 3 to 5 years. Furthermore a single bamboo plant can be harvested multiple times, making it a great alternative to hardwoods, which take many years to mature. In addition bamboo brings the grain and natural textures of wood into your home without the expense and environmental concerns of wood blinds.
While straight bamboo cane shades like this one is what comes to mind when you think of bamboo blinds, there are a multitude of options on the market today.Natural Colour and Texture of bamboo blinds bring natural texture, colour and an organic sense of the outdoors into your room decor. With natural materials and organic lines of nature, and the warm glow of the light honey colored tone of the bamboo, comes the reflex to relax and enjoy the surroundings.
Most people do not know the difference between the types of bamboo blinds. Basically there are two main types of bamboo blinds; the more traditional bamboo shade or woven wood shade and the Venetian style blind, which uses bamboo in place of wood slats. Woven bamboo style shades are available in either the roll up or the more popular Roman shade lift style. The rustic look of traditional cane bamboo shades works well with some home decor schemes, it is most popular still for use outdoors as an inexpensive patio shade option.
Today bamboo is also woven together to make a woven wood fabric that rivals any other woven wood shade produced in terms of style and durability. Loose weave bamboo shades are translucent enough to provide a warm glow to your room and will not completely block out sunlight. This makes them a good choice for some rooms and they can also be lined. Bamboo Woven Fabric Shades
However one can also purchase bamboo shades with linings, giving them better light control and a unique look if a loose-woven bamboo fabric is matched to the liner, which will often be of a light colour, giving your room a soft, warm glow.Bamboo shades in three types; matchstick, grasses or bamboo. Named according to  the size of the sticks used, bamboo matchstick blinds are made of small, flat pieces of bamboo. These sticks are combined into different patterns for a nicely finished appearance and are typically no more than a quarter to a half inch wide.
Bamboo blinds today exudes warmth, simplicity with a pinch of practicality which explains why more and more homes in the western world are switching to them. Bamboo blinds are no longer considered as an inferior option compared to their more illustrious rivals like Venetian etc but has taken its rightful place in our modern homes pretty much like what they did to the imperial places of the past!

Venetian blinds are undeniably the best window blinds for modern living. Venetian blinds are clean and uncluttered and at the same they have with flair, texture, color and stylish twists. Venetian blinds can be purchase from any home decor stores or simply online. There are now options to customized the Venetian blinds according to your preference. You can use fabric of your choice and the color that you prefer to make your Venetian blinds truly unique to your home
The messy, cluttered with chords hanging Venetian blinds that we are familiar with are a thing of the past. Nowadays Venetian blinds manufacturers are making this type of window blinds more functional, easier to install and use.
The thing to consider if you want to be successful user of  Venetian blinds is to make sure they are hung properly. If the Venetian blinds are crooked then the strings will not act as properly as pulleys and create an askew effect. No matter how stylish your venetian blinds are they are not beautiful if they don’t work.
Nowadays  the old-fashioned plastic slatted Venetian blinds are out of style unless you are going for a decidedly retro look. However even if you are going for a retro look then you are much better off to choose Venetian blinds that are made out of anodized aluminum or painted silver. These tend to harbor less dirt and dust and just look right with some of the more popular 60’s and 70’s retro room designs.Manufacturers are now creating venetian blinds in all kinds of interesting colors and textures by painting, coating or anodizing the slats. The most boring Venetian blinds that you could buy would be the nineties all black kind with narrow slats or the industrial looking cream colored ones that have decorated every institutional window treatment for over a century.
Some of the newer neon colors look good with retro sixties and seventies designs, as do metallic bronze, silver or gold blinds. Instead of white or black blinds for an all wood office you can now have rich looking blinds that are textured like leather and come in dark shades of olive, burgundy or brown. Spare industrial spaces, particularly offices also look more sleek and modern with venetian blinds in colors such as cherry red or celadon.
If your room looks dated or out of style then the culprit might very well be your window treatment. One of the most unfashionable looks is that throwback to the nineties - vertical Venetian blinds. They almost always come in one color and they have a way of institutionalizing your home or apartment. Unfortunately many of these floor to ceiling vertical Venetian blinds are difficult to replace with more fashionable blinds with horizontal slats. In this case you might consider concealing them with drapes or sheers when they are not being used to filter light.
Mini-blinds are also very eighties and not really in style although admittedly they do have some functionality when used to cover small or box shaped windows that are commonly found in bathrooms. Nowadays you can mitigate the old-fashioned look of the mini blinds by buying ones in a vibrant color.
The other trend that is becoming popular is hand painted Venetian blinds. If you can get hold of one, it will definitely be one of its kind as no two hand painted Venetian blinds are truly the same. You can get any types of images to be painted on the blinds and it looks really cool when all the blinds are shut. Most of the places that that offer these type of Venetian blinds are China towns or oriental stores. If you can’t find them, there’s always the internet to help!

When I moved into my new home about a year ago, we had curtains for our windows in the master bedroom. Initially it looked ok and we decided to live with it for a while as we were too busy decorating the other parts of the house. However a year down the road, the curtains have lost its shine and it looked old and outdated. So, my wife had a brilliant idea, she suggested that we add window blinds to the window and change the curtains to new ones as well. At first, I wasn’t sure but after I put on the window blinds or rather wooden Venetian blinds to be exact together with brand new curtains, it looked great. The Venetian blinds provide that mysterious look as it only allow thin rays of sunlight into the room which makes the room cosy and comfortable. Now if you ask me on the type of window blinds to use..I have to say 100% Venetian Blinds!!
So what are Venetian blinds? Venetian blinds are available in a wide range of colors (if you can think of it they can probably be made in your color). They’re manufactured from lots of different materials, wood, “faux wood” - (plastic), aluminum or PVC are the most common. Venetian blinds come in a wide range of sizes, and can cover windows from less than a foot wide all the way up to over 10 feet. You can also get individual slats that measure from as little as ½” up to 4 inches wide. You can leave the top bar exposed for an industrial appearance or dress them up with valences or sheers. With all these options, Venetian blinds can fit into virtually any design concept.
What are the benefits of Venetian blinds. Venetians blinds are a popular choice for many reasons. They are relatively inexpensive, and because they’re available in such a wide variety of colors, materials and sizes, they can be adapted to fit almost any size of window. In addition to providing privacy, by controlling how much sunlight you allow into the room, Venetian blinds can help to keep your rooms warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Controlling the sunlight also helps ensure the colors in your carpets and furniture don’t fade prematurely. An added bonus is Venetian blinds are both durable and easy to clean. A quick vacuuming or a wipe with a damp cloth is generally all that is required to keep them looking good.
I must say installing Venetian blinds is not that difficult as I managed to put it up myself considering I’m not much of a handyman. Installing Venetian blinds is the kind of job almost any handy person can take on. You install Venetian blinds by first mounting a special clip (usually provided by the manufacturer) onto the window frame. The header of the Venetian slips into this clip and then is locked/clamped in place. Probably the hardest part of installing Venetian blinds is deciding on the colors and styles, and whether to mount them inside or outside the window frame, after that it becomes pretty straightforward. If you are not comfortable doing it yourself, almost all suppliers of blinds can arrange to have them installed for you The most important step in installing Venetian blinds is measuring your windows accurately. Use a steel tape and measure each window individually, (just because they are supposed to be the same size, doesn’t mean they will be). You need to have accurate measurements for both height and width if your blinds are to fit properly. Measure each window at three points for both height and width and use the largest number to order your blinds. Don’t be surprised if your windows aren’t perfectly square, all houses aren’t perfectly square.
If your windows are relatively square, you can mount your blinds either inside the window frame or outside the frame. If your window isn’t square, it’s probably better to mount the blinds outside the frame. This will make sure that the blinds don’t bind on the inside of the window frame, and they’ll hang straight. One potential advantage of mounting outside the frame is your windows may seem larger than they really are.
Over the ages since the merchants form Venice brought them back from the far east,  Venetian blinds have evolved into a  popular choice of window blindsbecause of their versatility, convenience and economy. If you’re thinking about changing your window treatments, Venetian blinds could be the right choice for you as well.

When we talk about Roman talks, a picture of calm, cozy room always come to our mind. That’s because Roman blinds are usually been made from fabric and the design usually provides that extra coziness to the room. If compare to the other types of blinds such as Venetian,  Roman blinds are favorites among the hopeless romantics and usually used by couples to provide the “right mood” in their homes 

Traditional Roman shades are made from fabric that is pleated in regular intervals. Bamboo Roman shades, however, are a stylish alternative to fabric Roman shades. Bamboo Roman shades are perfect for rooms with Asian-inspired themes or rooms with an earthy, casual feel. Their natural feel can subtly frame your gorgeous window-view. Bamboo Roman shades can also be on glass doors that open into a sunroom, screened in porch, or deck for a natural bridge between the indoors and outdoors. 

A variety of bamboo Roman shades are available. Most shades are a light wood color, but bamboo Roman shades can be found in deeper colors or patterns like tortoise shell inspired shades. The bamboo can lie flat, or be woven in a pattern. Shop around to find a shade that fits perfectly with your room. 

Bamboo Roman shades are easier to clean than fabric shades. You can wipe them with a damp towel or vacuum them for a simple wash that will remove dust and dirt. 

Most home improvement or department stores sell bamboo Roman shades. Be sure to measure the window or door you’d like to cover before going to the store or ordering online. 

Prices of bamboo Roman shades vary by the size of the window and quality of the shade material. The most inexpensive shades for a small window tend to start around $40. The same inexpensive shade can cost over $100 for larger windows. If money is tight, consider alternating store-bought bamboo Roman shades with homemade fabric Roman shades in a room with many windows. Homemade fabric shades are cheap and easy to make and can have the same understated elegance of more expensive bamboo Roman shades. 

There are different types of roman shades, and depending on your kitchen style you might want to explore one or more of these styles of blinds. 

Bamboo 

Bamboo roman shades are great for a kitchen that has s tropical or plantation style. They also work well in a modern kitchen or with café style décor. Most bamboo shades are made with thin canes of bamboo that have been whittled and dried then “stitched” together to form a shade. These shades add texture to the room and can add a nice look even when they are down as the opaque nature of the shade lets subtle light through. 

Fabric 

Fabric roman shades can be found to go with almost every kitchen style. You can get a plain fabric, a print or even a toile roman shade for a shabby chic Paris apartment look. If you buy fabric roman shades be sure to get a pattern and color that match with your overall kitchen décor. Fabric roman shades are a single panel of material that has a string running down both sides of the length. The string is pulled and the shade is gathered up. There are different styles of “gather” or pucker you can have depending on if you want a fancy or plan look. 

Insulated 

Insulated roman shades can be found in many colors and styles and you may want to consider this if you live in a cold climate and have drafty windows. Insulated shades will help reduce loss of heath through the window so your kitchen can be warm and cozy even on the coldest days. This insulation also acts as a noise barrier. 

Relaxed 

A relaxed roman shade has less formal shape and has a swaged look at the bottom. These are great for informal, cottage country or shabby chic style kitchens. Relaxed roman shades will give you a softer look and should be used with plain and light fabrics. 

Roman shades can be combined with other types of window treatments to give your kitchen a complete designer look. If you use neutral colors for your roman shades, this will allow you to change out your drapes or curtains for each season but not have to bother with getting new shades. You can also give your roman shades a finished look by adding a valance in a complimentary fabric on top. To clean your roman shades, vacuum them when they are in the “down” position. If there is soiling, you can try upholstery cleaner (but test on the fabric first). 

Roman shades can be a great addition to your kitchen décor no matter what your style, you are sure to find a shade that looks great.