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How to Create a Pet-Friendly Home
BWS Design • Sep 12, 2016
Most pet owners consider their pets as members of the family. And it’s no wonder, when you think of all the ways pets enrich our lives — making us laugh, comforting us when we’re upset or sad, teaching us about loyalty (dogs) and letting to (cats).
Naturally, you want to provide the safest living environment possible, and you also want to protect your furniture and floors from the damage pets cause, however innocently. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some ways we can make our homes safe and comfortable for our pets and find a few ways to keep the peace when it comes to our furniture.
How many times have you seen your cat climb your draperies? Cats are natural climbers and don’t understand the difference between an acceptable climbing surface and your expensive drapes. What’s more, cats are drawn to sunny windowsills, so keeping them as clear as possible is better for both of you. And what about your dog or puppy? Has he ever gotten tangled in a drapery cord? It’s an awful thought, but it happens more than you might think. A bored puppy or even a lonely adult dog can get into lots of trouble with your window treatments and more while you’re out. Sometimes, he might just be wanting to investigate a noise outside the window and that darned curtain or blind is just in the way!
Recommended Window Treatments
- Pull Down Roller Shades – Pull up at least halfway when you’re going to be out
- Motorized Blinds or Shades – raised and lowered by remote control (no cords)
- Bottom Up Top Down Shades – Leave the bottom up enough so dogs can peek outside and cats can bask on the windowsill. With the top down feature, you can still let light in to your room.
- Window/Blind Combo – Windows with blinds in between the glass solves the cord problem once and for all.
- Valances – Up high and out of reach of pets
Create Pet Spaces
Pets, especially dogs like to have their own safe places to retreat to when they’re feeling scared or want to take a nap. These can include:
- A window seat under a window with a cordless shade option. Your dog will go to this spot to watch the yard (his territory) or to investigate noises. Cats will prefer a cushioned spot to the windowsill too, since they like comfort as much as we do! You can put a washable pad on top to protect upholstery and have a spare one on hand to switch out when the other one is in the wash.
- A pet bed or built-in cubby that your pet will come to know as her own safe place.
- Give your cat something to climb and something to scratch and she’ll stop using your draperies and furniture.
- Install a pet door into a mud room, laundry room, cabinet or closet to keep kitty “bathrooms” out of sight.
- Add a recessed area for pet bowls so they’re not underfoot.
Limit Access
- Pet Gates – Make certain rooms like the living room or bedroom off-limits with a gate. You can even have a pocket gate installed to avoid having to put it up and take it down repeatedly.
- Add a fenced-in area with a dog house to your backyard to keep your pet dog safe when outdoors.
- An indoor crate is a great place to keep your dog when you’re having guests over.
There are so many great and creative ways to keep your pets safe, happy and out of trouble! And if you’re in the market for any of the window treatment solutions listed above, be sure to contact us. We’ve been providing quality window treatments in Central Alabama for more than 30 years!
Expert Advice by Just Blinds
Each year, styles in window treatments come and go. Trends that were hot last year may carry over to the new interior decor season or may be replaced by something new. In 2024, we are looking at a delightful set of trends in blinds, shades, and curtains that embrace the developing attitudes and popular colors that are already giving the year a unique stylistic personality. At Just Blinds, we are delighted to keep up with the trends, helping homeowners, designers, and property managers to create stunning spaces that align with the latest in window treatment trends. The Hot Trends of 2023 Blinds and Shades Last year in 2023, we saw a great collection of trends, many of which have evolved and strengthened with the new year. 2023 explored the innovations of cell shades and honeycomb shades for the benefits of insulation and light control. Motorization gained a prominant place in both home and office design, and decorators discovered the dynamic possibilities of shades that operate from both the bottom and the top on floor-to-ceiling tracks. Texture saw a real debut with natural colors like wood finishes, linen, dusty rose, and moss green. Though bold patterns also had their day in the sun. The Trending 2024 Window Treatments In 2024, you may recognize a few trends still going strong from the year before, which is good news for those who decorated last year because your style is likely still right on-trend. But we are also seeing new trends developing with elegant enthusiasm. Smart Home Blinds The trend for motorized shades has naturally evolved to favor smart home controls. With a simple voice command, you can take control of all the motorized shades in a room, in your entire home, or set each shade to exactly the height and opacity you desire. Warm Neutrals and Bold Natural Colors Color trends favor a more natural palette. Neutral colors are warmer, even the grays and charcoals have a honey undertone, while natural colors like mossy and forest green are growing stronger in hue paired with a jewelbox of flower petal colors. If you're following the Colors of the Year, you may have also noticed an adoration of ocean blues, and you can match those blues with slightly darker or lighter blinds for beautiful effect. Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Materials Natural materials and textures were popular in 2023, and 2024 takes this trend even further. Blinds made out of recycled materials are now on the rise alongside the growing popularity of blinds made from super-sustainable plants like bamboo, hemp, jute, and grass cloth. These offer natural colors, dynamic textures, and the delight of eco-friendly design. Gauzy Sheer Elegance Sheer curtains and semi-sheer blinds are also in fashion; a classic style that has been floating near the top of popularity for literal centuries. Sheer curtains and blinds maintain privacy while allowing sunlight into the room in a gently diffused glow. They also layer excellently with more robust window treatments. Creative Window Treatment Layering Speaking of layering, we are seeing an enthusiastic embrace of creatively layered styles. Wooden shutters, gauzy curtains, and black-out blinds are among the most popular layers, but decorators are getting creative with how they choose to to layer their window treatments, using both multiple fabrics and structures at the same time. Find the Blinds that Best Suit Your Needs How can you choose fantastic and on-trend blinds that perfectly suit your design needs? Fortunately, the diversity of this year's trends leave room for almost any personal sense of style and the individual needs of each room's windows. Start with the size of your windows and your room's existing color palette. Decide if you want to match, accent, or contrast the colors of the room. Then choose the opacity, privacy, and level of motorized control you desire. This should guide you toward a specific selection that will work well for your room. From there, it's a matter of specific features and your personal sense of style. Reach Out for Expert and On-Trend Advice If you are getting ready to decorate a room and want the perfect window treatments for 2024, we are only a phonecall or a visit away. Give us a call for expert advice in the right blinds or shades for each window in your home. Our on-trend window treatment experts will be glad to help tailor your window treatment design to your personal tastes, the latest trends, and the style of each of your rooms.
Is your AC bill keeping you down this summer? Is your home too hot? Window treatments can help cool your home, but you need to choose the right ones and use them correctly. Not all window coverings are made equal. Here are some of the best options to help keep your home comfortable and reduce costs this summer: Cellular or honeycomb shades. These are specifically designed to provide a high level of insulation that keeps the heat out of your home. They also don't block the view when completely drawn. As a bonus, you can get them in a wide variety of colors and patterns to match your home and in both top-down and bottom-up configurations. Drapery. Old-fashioned curtains can be surprisingly effective. Choose a medium color and have us add a white plastic backing to reflect heat out of your home. You can also use drapes to block some of the heat without excluding much light, allowing you to enjoy natural light flowing through your drapes. Fabric Roman shades. These are a distinctive option that really dresses up a room, and if you choose the kind with several layers they will definitely help keep the heat out. We have light filtering and blackout options and everything in between. Why Should You Use These Types of Shades or Blinds? The two reasons are to save money and help protect the environment. Good shades keep your home cooler and this means your air conditioning systems don't have to work as hard and use as much energy. In the northern hemisphere, it's most important to have heat-reducing treatments on your southern windows and you can allow more light in through windows that face north. Both cellular and Roman shades can also be motorized and even put on timers to close the shades when you are not there and then let light in when you return. The small amount of energy used by motorized shades is much less than that lost through naked windows. All of these shades can also add to the aesthetics of your room. Cellular shades are great to add a pop of color or a subtle pattern. Both drapery and Roman shades give a soft feel to your windows that then spreads to the rest of your room. What is the Best Choice? The best choice of the three depends on your personal aesthetics. Our designers can help you make the right choice. If you want motorized shades, cellular shades are the lightest and thus use the least energy, and can roll all the way up and down, leaving your windows completely unrestricted. Roman shades are more visible, but can be used to add fabric and color to a room. Many people still love the look of traditional window drapes. Note that you can also combine shades and drapes for the effect you want, both in terms of reducing heat loss and in terms of aesthetics. How Much Can I Actually Save? The amount you save depends on the kind of window covering you use and how much thermal gain your house typically experiences. The larger your windows, in general, the larger the benefit, especially south-facing windows. For example, medium-colored draperies with a white plastic backing can reduce heat gain by as much as 33% for that window. Most window treatments, though, reduce overall heat gain by about 10%. This can significantly reduce your bills, by $100 to $200 a month during the summer. Using the right window treatment can make your home more comfortable in the summer and save money while preserving the environment. For advise on which window treatments to choose for your home and to see our selection of blinds and shades, contact Just Blinds today.
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