Window Treatments- what is popular these days?

[LetItShine]

Hi Pricescopers!
I would appreciate some advice on window treatments. My family is moving shortly into a new home. Well, old home but new to us I haven't bought window treatments in a long time and am just curious what others like. I plan on getting a decorator but would like some ideas. The house is a traditional 2 story with a row of windows across the upstairs (bedrooms and bath) and a row of windows across the main floor (living room and den). Those are the windows that face the street. Do I want the same treatments on all windows so that it looks uniform on the outside? My girls probably want drapes in their rooms, but can be convinced otherwise. I could do wood blinds but those are a pain to dust. I was thinking maybe a neutral textured Roman shade but that might be boring. I also read that aluminum blinds are making a comeback? I wonder if I should do different window treatments in each room or keep it the same and simple. What do you suggest? Thanks for your help!

 

[JGator]

Hi, we are in the market for window treatments also for our house which we bought last summer. We went to Next Day Blinds to look at the options. We are leaning towards honeycomb blinds for our main living areas and possibly roman shades with a blackout liner for our bedrooms. The honeycomb blinds are insulating and also allow light in so those are probably better for the living vs. sleeping areas. We already have some honeycomb blinds in our sunroom. I ordered a bunch of free sample swatches from Blinds.com recently to help make the decisions, and there are a ton of other similar websites out there which seem to be about 1/3 less than the prices at Next Day Blinds. I will keep an eye on this post as I'm interested in what others are doing.

 

[baby monster]

I like curtains. Blinds always look like a rental to me. YMMV. As far as uniformity, my rooms are decorated differently so curtains are different. It's very hard to discern from the street.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

I would value the internal over the external, choosing whatever treatment best fit each room and its occupant.

 

[chrono]

I find wood blinds far easier to dust than aluminium blinds.

 

[mypatience]

As far as 'What's popular".... I think that drapes/curtains are very popular and in style. They let you get creative with adding in color or patterns to a room with neutral furniture.

 

[pregcurious]

If you are having curtains made, or even buying them, you can make sure that they are lined with a white cloth so it looks uniform from the outside, if that is important to you. The lining does not have to be very heavy, and it can even be something very thin that is not perfectly white, but just gives the appearance of looking white from the outside.

 

[chemgirl]

The company I work for manufactures fabrics for blinds. I think the biggest seller right now w are pleated shades. Cellular without a cord are also in right now.

All of our styles are available with a non woven white backing material to ensure they are uniform to the street.

 

[sugarpie honeybun]

Plantation shutters are very pretty, easy to clean, classy & elegant looking. We love ours.

 

[AprilBaby]

Around here 2 inch wooden blinds rule.

 

[Gypsy]

Woven wood shades!
They are clean, neat easy to maintain and they add texture and interest and warmth.

 

[pregcurious]

The company I work for manufactures fabrics for blinds. I think the biggest seller right now w are pleated shades. Cellular without a cord are also in right now.

All of our styles are available with a non woven white backing material to ensure they are uniform to the street.

What are pleated shades? Can you most a pic?

What are the options without a cord? I like the look of no cord because it looks "clean".

 

[chemgirl]

I did a quick Google search and realized that most of the image results were made at my workplace so I don't know about posting pictures...

Pleated shades are just a fabric that has been heat set to have an accordian style pleating. Popular at the moment is 2 inch pleat, so the folds are 2 inches deep. New designs (Ie not on the market yet) have smaller pleats.

The major blind companies have a cellular shade where the cord is incorporated into the cells. Usually have the word invisible in the name.

 

[MishB]

It also depends on the style of your house and your furniture.

My house is a period weatherboard cottage with a modern extension at the rear.

All of our windows have off-white roman blinds.

In the front, original part of the house I also have drapes - a drop of blockout drape on either side of the window. These are a neutral taupe colour, shantung with a ring top. I don't draw these blinds but close the blind for privacy and light control. In between the side drapes is a white sheer concealed tab top curtain which allows the blinds to be up during the day yet still providing privacy from the street. All the curtains are floor length even if the windows are not, short curtains are just wrong.

The windows in the rear, modern part of the house has only the roman blinds, I never lower these as these windows only face the garden which is completely private.

 

[movie zombie]

I must admit curiosity....
but I also admit I haven't had any window covering since May 1993.........
let the sun shine in, baby!
of course, it helps when one lives in a forest......

 

[LetItShine]

Thanks for the input everyone! You have definately given me options to consider. Right now I'm leaning toward plantation shutters. I can always add drapes to those. Thanks!

 

[Tekate]

In Austin Texas no window treatments.. wood blinds still seem to be in.. the largest size blade.

Hi Pricescopers!
I would appreciate some advice on window treatments. My family is moving shortly into a new home. Well, old home but new to us I haven't bought window treatments in a long time and am just curious what others like. I plan on getting a decorator but would like some ideas. The house is a traditional 2 story with a row of windows across the upstairs (bedrooms and bath) and a row of windows across the main floor (living room and den). Those are the windows that face the street. Do I want the same treatments on all windows so that it looks uniform on the outside? My girls probably want drapes in their rooms, but can be convinced otherwise. I could do wood blinds but those are a pain to dust. I was thinking maybe a neutral textured Roman shade but that might be boring. I also read that aluminum blinds are making a comeback? I wonder if I should do different window treatments in each room or keep it the same and simple. What do you suggest? Thanks for your help!

 

[asscher_girl]

When we built our house 2 1/2 years ago we opted for plantation shutters throughout. I absolutely love them. They are really easy to clean and look great. We went with the hidden closer so there isn't a large vertical bar in the middle that connects all of the slats together. Our slats are 3" wide which I love. We also did an open bypass plantation shutter on our sliding glass door. I'm super happy with that as well.

 

[LetItShine]

Asscher_girl, did you go with wood or faux wood? I have a friend that has both and prefers faux wood. Do you remember the company that manufactured yours? There are so many different brands out there. Thanks

 

[asscher_girl]

Hi Let it Shine,
The brand is Norman. They are faux wood which I prefer - they don't expand/contrast and from what I've heard will hold up much longer. You really can't tell the difference since ours are white. I'm trying to remember the actual type, I know they are not hollow. They have a solid core and they are vinyl wrapped I believe. We worked with a small mom and pop shop that came out to do all of the measurements, then he ordered them and came back to install them. They were made in China, typically I wouldn't go that route, but they were so much cheaper than other quotes I received and they turned out beautiful.

Here are 2 photos, one from our family room and the other is our guest bedroom. We have 24 plantation shutters total in our house. We also have 2 cats and it's so nice not to have to deal with them trying to play with blinds or pull/scratch or get hair on any curtains.