Venetian blinds are becoming popular these days with many people in the US as well as around the world are looking at alternate types of blinds. So what are Venetian blinds? Venetian blinds are usually made of thin slats of aluminum, plastic or other material that overlap when closed to block out light.
Venetian blinds are defined as thin slats of material that are strung on a string ‘ladder’ and fitted with an adjuster that allows you to vary the tilt and angle of the slats. It’s this adjustment mechanism more than anything else that makes window blinds ‘Venetian’ blinds.
Venetian blinds origin can be traced back to its roots in the old European societies such as Roman and Greek. Archaeologists have uncovered homes that have fixed marble slats in the window openings in Pompeii. It wasn’t till about 1760, though, that window blinds that could be adjusted by tilting the slats came into more popular use. These were probably a variation on window shutters, with wooden slats that could be adjusted by virtue of a thin strip of wood affixed to each slat. In 1841, John Hampson of New Orleans patented a method of adjusting the tilt of Venetian blind slats that is still the most used method of stringing Venetian blinds in use today.
The tremendous growth of Renaissance art in Europe have help to promote the popularity of Venetian blinds. Venetian blinds have been used in art since they first became popular, though their presence in a composition might be so subtle that it goes unnoticed. Venetian blinds are a staple in film noir to suggest drama, tension and secrecy. The patterned shadows cast by light through half-opened Venetian blinds has been part of the composition of award-winning photos in both color and black and white, and used by painters to add interest to portraits and abstracts. In your rooms, those same shadow patterns can cast a subliminally noticed ‘spell’ over the room.
Those patterns are a function of the way that the Venetian blind slats are tilted. Typically, we think of Venetian blinds as being open – with the slats fully horizontal to allow in the most light – or closed, with the slats tightly overlapping to block out the light. But various angles of tilt serve different purposes, many of which have been lost in the years since Venetian blinds were a means of heat control as well as light and privacy control. Tilt your Venetian blinds up to reflect light toward the ceilings in summer, for instance, and you’ll find your rooms are up to ten degrees cooler than if you had the blinds completely closed. Tilt them down toward to conserve heat by aiming the light toward the floor and the heat will warm the room as it rises.
Venetian blinds are available today in a wide variety of colors and materials. You can choose vinyl or PVC blinds to accent or contrast with your walls and furnishings, plain white aluminum Venetian blinds for a classic ‘office’ look, or faux wood Venetian blinds to warm any room with the natural ambience of wood grains and patterns.
Remember when you choose Venetian blinds you are choosing a window covering with a long and varied history which will add that subtle look and drama to your home.
August 2006
Mon 28 Aug 2006
Mon 28 Aug 2006
Dirty furniture including vertical blinds can really turn your home into an unpleasant dwelling place. One of the toughest jobs that many people think is cleaning your vertical blinds. Well cleaning your vertical blinds need not be a drag!!…here are simple vertical blind cleaning tips:
1) Just dust your vertical blinds regularly using a duster that will lift the dust right off the blinds rather than just move it around
2) Another vertical blind cleaning tips: using a dust or enzyme spray, use a dust spray to loosen and remove dust from blinds and other hard to reach places
3) For extensive cleaning on your vertical blinds, you need to take the vertical blinds down. You can either vacuum, soak, scrub, and rinse the blinds depending on the materials and amount of dirt or stains on the vertical blinds. If you intend to soak the vertical blinds, you can do it in the bathtub or rinse the vertical blinds outside with hose after cleaning.
4) Household cleaning solutions or vertical blind cleaning tips for cleaning blinds will do but for serious cleaning, you can use professional cleaning supplies. You can use a soft cloth to wipe down your vertical blinds after soaking or a brush to scrub away excess dirt. If you want to leave the vertical blinds hanging during cleaning you can use a duster, dust cloth, spray or vacuum. Most fabrics will clean up relatively easily and may only require a regular dusting. If your blinds are looking a bit worse for wear just use some of these vertical blinds cleaning tips.
By applying some of these cleaning techniques for vertical blinds, you should be able to see results in your vertical blinds cleaning and have more time to enjoy the important things in life.
Disclaimer: please be caution that these techniques for cleaning vertical blinds are just suggestions from the author, the author and the webmaster assume no liability for any inaccurate, delayed or incomplete information, nor for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
Thu 24 Aug 2006
Venetian blinds are one of the most popular window treatments among Americans and many developed societies around the world. The main reason could be that Venetian blinds are not as expensive as their cloth cousins. Venetian blinds can be easily adjusted to an array of angles to let sun in or keep it out. Unlike their fabric counterparts Venetian blinds can also dangerous to your young ones.
Although Venetian blinds are popular, they also pose a threat to homes with young children around. Since 1991, due to a large public awareness campaign, many of us are aware of the dangers that hanging Venetian blinds cords can pose. Over 175 young children in the US alone have become entangled in the strings and have tragically died due to strangulation. If you own Venetian blinds, check to make sure the cord is not in your child’s reach.
There are ways you can make your Venetian blinds child friendly. If you have a single cord in a shape of a loop, cut the line in the center, creating two separate strings. This will also help prevent accidental strangulation. Many newer Venetian blinds come with “breakaway” cords or cords already shortened. Check with the manufacturer to see if your Venetian blinds are child safe.
Once you make your Venetian blinds child friendly, it’s equally important to make sure that the Venetian blinds are constantly clean to prevent allergies and breathing problems among young children. Although dusting is often a chore that can fall by the wayside, think about this fact: dust that settles on some Venetian blinds (usually the inexpensive ones containing PVC plastics) after prolonged exposure to sun and heat can start releasing lead dust over time. This doesn’t appear to be an issue with newer Venetian blinds. This dust can get in the air and be inhaled by your child. This is especially a concern when dealing with children under the age of 6 years of age. If you have older Venetian blinds and suspect lead dust, promptly remove your Venetian blinds, place your Venetian blinds in a sealed container such as a plastic bag and vacuum or mop the surrounding floors. You may also want to have your child tested for lead exposure. Lead exposure in young children can cause learning disabilities, hyperactivity and behavioral problems.
So, make sure you choose your Venetian blinds and keep them as a well maintained Venetian blinds not only provide that cozy ambience to your home but also safe to your young children. Be a smart Venetian blinds owner!!
Fri 18 Aug 2006
How to update the look of your outdated Venetian blinds and choose new Venetian blinds that are fashionable and stylish. Most of us are familiar with Venetian blinds, those difficult to clean, laterally slatted strips of plastic with their annoying dangling cords that constantly seem to be caught up in a tangle. There is nothing that makes a room look messier than Venetian blinds that are hanging in a crooked or haphazard manner. Thankfully, Venetian blind manufacturers are making this type of window shade more functional, more attractive and easier to clean.
The key to using Venetian blinds successfully as a window covering is to make sure they are hung properly. If they 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.
In interior design, 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.
To make a truly unique fashion statement you might also consider buying hand painted Venetian blinds. These blinds reveal an image when they are shut. Sometimes you can find these in the Chinatown area of your city or at specialty interior design outlets. Often the themes on these plastic slatted blinds are Asian in flair making them ideal for room with an Oriental or bohemian design scheme. Source:searchwarp.com