Fri 15 Aug 2008
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 18th and 19th 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 20th and 21st 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!