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Why Cordless Blinds and Shades Are Exceptionally Popular
bwsit • Dec 22, 2016
There’s never been a time when there were more choices in home window treatments. Today you can choose from wood or faux wood blinds, vinyl shutters, wood shutters, honeycomb and many other types of window coverings. But just as it’s important to select a style, it can be even more critical to have the type of lift system that is best for you and your family.
More and more people are discovering the benefits of using cordless blinds and shades. A huge reason for their popularity is their ease of operation. You simply raise or lower them. Furthermore, you don’t have to waste time untangling cords and untying knots. These are only two of their advantages. Here are some of the other benefits of using cordless blinds and shades, along with a few considerations and warnings.
Safety
Probably the main benefit of cordless blinds and shades is that they’re safer than other window treatments. Tragically, many children are injured or even die from being strangled by window cords. Consider that it only takes less than two minutes for a strangulation to cause brain damage or even result in death.
Cosmetic Appeal
- Aesthetic appeal is another huge perk. Besides being safer, they’re more attractive as there aren’t any ugly cords that need to be hidden.
- Keep in mind that cordless window treatments can make windows look uncluttered and streamlined, giving them a modern, clean appearance.
- Additionally, cordless blinds and shades come in a wide variety of colors that can go with your home furnishings.
How Cordless Window Treatments Operate
There are three primary ways that cordless blinds and shades can be operated.
- One way is by lifting the blinds or shades, using a mechanism that’s built into the blinds. This device makes it easy to control the amount of light you want in your rooms.
- Some cordless blinds are operated from the bottom or the top up. This is ideal for allowing the upper portion of a window to usher in light, while the lower part gives you privacy.
- Another method is by remote control. When you press a button on a remote control device the slats can be adjusted for controlling light coming into a room. The remote control operation is particularly common with Venetian blinds.
Considerations and Warnings
- Because bored cats and dogs can use window cords as toys, pets can do significant damage when playing with them. Even worse, just as children, animals can die from strangulation from cords.
- Cordless window coverings are a good choice for rooms, such as bathrooms, bedrooms and media rooms where you need privacy and light control.
- Don’t install cordless blinds or shades on a window if furniture is front of the window unless you plan to move the furniture out of the way. You don’t want the bottom portion of your window to be obstructed by sofas.
- Cordless window coverings are not intended for high windows that are hard to reach. If you need a ladder to reach the top of a window, you shouldn’t use cordless blinds and shades.
- It can be hard to install cordless window coverings. That’s why it’s recommended to let a professional do the job. Unlike the average do-it-yourselfer, a window treatment specialist knows how to properly fit cordless blinds and shades so that they look stunning and work effectively.
Questions? Don’t hesitate to call the window treatment experts at Just Blinds. We’ve been serving homeowners in Central Alabama for more than 30 years and have a wide range of motorized window products, blinds, shades shutters and other window coverings. Please contact us and learn more about our many products and services.
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.