How to Create a Cozy Sleep Environment
bwsit • Feb 24, 2017

The main thing about a bedroom is sleep. Although most people think decorating is all about color, the truth of the matter is that light, scent, texture as well as color contribute to a good night’s sleep. Custom window treatments ensure it looks cozy and inviting as well.

Light

It is now common knowledge that the blue in the light spectrum disrupts efforts to sleep. Removing the TV from the bedroom, closing down the computer for the night and shutting down the cell phone all play a part in removing this blue light from a room ready for bed. However, are you aware that simply  reducing the strength of your light bulbs helps the body prepare for sleep ? Putting a dimmer on the light switch is also beneficial to a body that yawns when the sun goes down. If you’re the kind who needs absolute blackness in which to sleep, might we suggest custom blinds, plantation shutters or blackout curtains? For a pretty and attractive look, match the color of your blinds, plantation shutters or blackout curtains to your bedding.

Comfort

Here are some things you can do to make your bedroom more comfortable:

  • Adjustable blinds and shades allow star gazing before falling asleep.
  • Most people sleep better in cooler climates, and they make it so with ceiling fans.
  • De-cluttering a bedroom gives it space, so its inhabitants can relax. To that end, you can buy bedroom furniture with storage included, such as drawers in the bed frame and storage devices beneath the eaves combining shelves, drawers and open spaces for knickknacks.
  • Noise is jarring. It disrupts sleep patterns, causing fatigue and mental disorder to the body the next day. Soothing sounds like water trickling in a stream, the sound of the surf against the shore or the trees moving with the breeze on a mountainside can be obtained through CDs playing softly in the background.

Scent

The aroma of certain foods brings back memories. Perfumes instantly take us back to a time when the ladies who wore it taught us or took care of us. It’s not too difficult to make potpourri. Slip it between the pillow and its case, put it in a bowl on the dresser or a shelf, or place it close to a vent. Sachets can be pinned to custom shades and curtains; the scent will waft through the room with each breeze. Perhaps you wouldn’t mind a pot of flowers in your loft or attic bedroom. Some scents, like vanilla and lavender, induce relaxation and reduce stress. Here are some more scents that will make your loft or attic bedroom stand out:

  • Valerian is well known as a sleep aid. Its flowers might not smell as sweet as daisies, for instance, but if you can handle the smell, the sleeper enjoys deeper more restful sleep with greater efficiency the next day.
  • Jasmine is a sweet-smelling flower with pretty blooms. Sniffing this scent will not only put you to sleep, but give you more restful, better quality sleep.
  • Chamomile is a very small daisy-like flower, whose calming effects are very well known. Stress is a goner, and chamomile’s anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral effects promises a body well-rested and able to take on the world the next day.
  • Lilac is a delicate little flower, but its scent induces sleep, relaxes and kicks insomnia to the curb.

You can also experiment with essential oils to make your own scent that makes your loft or attic bedroom smell nice as well as inducing a restful night’s sleep.

Plants

Nothing says home as much as plants, animals and kids.  Plants double as décor throughout the house, but their main function is to condition the air.   Removal of detrimental things from the air contributes not only to a healthier body and good sleep, but also to indoor air quality. If homeowners are selling their homes, then make sure you have plenty of plants on hand!

  • Aloe plants produce oxygen at night, making sleep more natural and restful.
  • Gardenias are good for those suffering anxiety and insomnia.
  • English Ivy not only purifies the air, but asthmatics and allergy sufferers benefit from its presence in their bedrooms
  • Gerbera daisies also produce oxygen at night as well as helping asthmatics and sleep apnea sufferers

Plants need plenty of light in order to live. Make sure your custom blinds, shades and curtains are open where the plants are placed for the necessary light. The other parts of the blinds and shades can remain closed or adjusted as you see fit.

While the purpose of a bedroom is to sleep, it should wrap you in cozy comfort to invite that sleep. It should also make people who see it want to stay in it. Homeowners redecorating their homes want to use their available space to best advantage as well as making it look nice. We can help with custom window treatments when you  contact us   to learn more about it.

By Autumn Hooper 07 Feb, 2024
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.
20 Jul, 2023
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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