Why Bamboo Shades Are an Excellent Window Covering
bwsit • May 29, 2017

When you move into a new home, one of the main decisions you have to make is your type of window treatments. With all the various window covering materials and styles, it can be confusing when trying to find the best ones for a home. However, you can’t go wrong with bamboo shades as they offer a wide range of benefits. Although bamboo shades have been around for many years, it’s only recently that they’ve surged in popularity. Here are some of the main benefits of bamboo shades, along with a few considerations and warnings.

Durability

These window shades are exceptionally sturdy as bamboo is one of the most durable raw materials you can find. Consider how bamboo is also used in making furniture and in building constructions. Furthermore, they do an excellent job of handling continual sunlight exposure, making them more durable than other products.

Privacy

One of the main reasons for the popularity of bamboo shades is their privacy feature, making them ideal for bathrooms and bedrooms where privacy is especially important. When you need to have maximum light control, choose shades that have a light darkening backing that is used for keeping a bedroom dark. This feature can be especially helpful when you’re sick or if you work at night and sleep during daytime.

Environmentally Friendliness

The eco-friendliness of bamboo shades is a huge perk. Being environmentally friendly is a desirable feature in all industries, but it’s even more needed for window coverings. This is because window coverings have the job of controlling light and heat coming into and out of a house.

Affordability

If you’re on a tight budget, keep in mind that bamboo shades are considerably more affordable than other custom products and materials. Unlike steel and hardwood, which are more expensive and less available, bamboo grows extremely fast, so there’s a bigger supply.

Other Advantages

  • As bamboo shades have a delicate appearance, they can go with just about any type of design style.
  • You can choose from various colors, ranging from light to dark shades. As a result, it’s easier to select just the right color that is best for any room in your house.
  • Another significant benefit of bamboo shades is that they’re very easy to clean, so maintenance is simple.
  • Bamboo shades can be installed anywhere in your home.
  • Bamboo has the ability to enhance lighting in a house, which is something that ordinary shades cannot do.
  • Because of their simplicity, roll-up bamboo shades do exceptionally well for windows with small panes. Just be sure you measure your windows so that you buy the correct size.

Lining Options

You can choose from four lining options.

  • Privacy lining is sewn to a shade’s backside, giving you full privacy and uniform light.
  • Blackout liner is a lining that’s sewn to the back of the shade that has the ability to block nearly all light that comes through the material.
  • Duo shade lining features lining that’s white to the outside.

Considerations and Warnings

  • Bamboo blinds come with several options, such as colored tape used for trimming the sides, privacy backings, motorized mechanisms and others. Before determining which options you need, think about how you plan to use them in a room as well as consider your lifestyle.
  • When selecting your bamboo shades, chose ones that are also suited for outdoors as this can enhance a patio door or porch. Outdoor shades should have non-rusting metal components that can withstand outdoor conditions.
  • If you live in a humid, rainy climate, don’t buy outdoor shades made of a natural fiber because they won’t be able to endure the weather.
  • Choose colors that go with your décor. Besides coming in natural colors, there are also bamboo shades that are light brown, parchment, mahogany and honey-colored.
  • Dark hues, such as olive or mahogany, are excellent choices for roll-up bamboo blinds, while cream-colored hues are better for letting in a lot of light.  

Are you in the market for new window coverings? Visit the window covering specialists at Just Blinds. Please contact us  and find out more about our wide selection of products.

 

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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