Window Blinds, Shades, Shutters, Oh My!: Which Option Is Best for Your Home?

While a home full of natural light is desirable, the UV rays can cause damage to furniture such as fading over time. Unless you are willing to have some furniture pieces with antique look like antique item you can find at Fireside Antiques website, you should protect your furniture from extra light. That's why window blinds shades, shutters, and treatments are so essential for a home. They allow you the ability to choose how much light you let in while also protecting the integrity of your fixtures and furniture. Natural light seeping into a house is undoubtedly beautiful, but for it to perfectly reflect off of a glass canopy, the glass canopy must be maintained regularly. So make sure to hire experts from the best window and glass cleaning service company like www.saswindowcleaning.com.au/glass-canopy-cleaning/ or a one near you to get the best service for your money.

They allow you the ability to choose how much light you let in while also protecting the integrity of your fixtures and furniture.

They also have become an essential part of interior design. Their ability to add a new dimension, color, and shape to a room makes them a lot of fun to work with when redesigning. 

But what are the main differences and which one is right for you?

Choosing Between Window Blinds, Shutters, and Shades

Every time you consider re-doing a room, it's important to look into three main things for the window treatments:

1. Aesthetic
2. Functionality
3. Longevity

Sure, you want to have something that makes the room look good. But, if you hate working with strings or pulleys then you'll get annoyed with your choice pretty quickly if it has them. 

You also want to ensure you buy high-quality products that can withstand all those harsh tugs to open and close every day. Even if you spend a little more now, it will often always be less money than paying for cheap products every few years after they break. 

Since we spend over 85% of our time indoors, the best thing to do is look for strong positive reviews to ensure you'll get a professional service and trusted products. 

With this in mind, it helps to know the specific differences that will help you make the decision that is right for you.

Window Blinds 

There are many ways that you can use blinds to adjust the amount of light in your home depending on the style you opt for. 

The slats used in blinds can be long, short, thick, thin, and can be hung to work across the window or from the top. These variations change the aesthetic of the blind as well as the view you get when they are open. 

Whereas shades are simply up or down, blinds swivel to change how sunlight enters the room. On a traditional blind where the slats are horizontal, you can block direct light from above while still letting it into the room.

Another alternative to this is using blinds with slats that hang vertically. They are great for adding a sense of shape to your windows and height to the room. For example, if you have a large window that takes up a whole wall, horizontal blinds would make the room feel squat and compressed. Long blinds draw the eye upward creating more space aesthetically.

Blinds can also be made of wood and faux wood to help elevate your home's aesthetic. The real wood blinds work for larger, more open spaces where you have guests. For private rooms such as your bedroom or where guests don't go, faux wood is a good alternative. You can get it to match the real wood blinds for a fraction of the cost. 

Window Shades

When you're looking to give yourself complete privacy and block out all light or filter, intensity shades are an excellent choice. From pleated styles to motorized, solar, and cellular, the way the shade folds and unfolds can be a design feature all in itself. The uses of solar energy, are obviously, something to be delved in profoundly and researched upon. Renew Energy, which believes in this very motive, has inculcated that as their vision and has been providing with the best solar products and promulgating their potential in the prospect.

In terms of functionality, these you raise up or lower to adjust how much light you let into your room. 

For a room like a bathroom, you will want to allow some light in through the window without having to be completely exposed. If you get shades which are made from a thin material then you can enjoy the best of both worlds. This way, some light will still come through but you will be obscured from view.

There are also styles of shades which open from the top down. So you can still enjoy a lot of light while managing what anyone outside may and may not see.

Window Shutters

When you look at classical architecture and homes with historic style and sophistication, shutters are often there.

Thicker and more robust, shutters are the most expensive option out of these three. However, their longevity and design make it a choice that many believe is worth taking.

One style of a shutter is called the 'plantation shutter' which features slats that are a little further apart than typical designs. The advantage of this is that they add a good deal of style but also plenty of light making them ideal for living areas and kitchens. 

You can also try 'shaker' shutters if you want to block light completely and enjoy privacy. These essentially work like doors but you can get versions with slats on the top or bottom depending on where you'd like to direct light. 

Another good style for shutters is the 'cafe' which prevent direct sunlight from shining down into the room. This is ideal for any areas of the home where you or a guest will be sat down near a window. The angle of the slats is great for allowing light into the room while still blocking views like a neighbors house or an alleyway. 

The good news is that technology now allows you to get very customized shutters which will go perfectly with your home's decor.

Picture the Different Styles

Between window blinds shutters shades, the right choice will add to the overall look rather than distract from it.

When designing your room, think about where furniture will be, where the light comes from, and how easy it will be to access for adjustments. 

Try our free interior design consultation services for professional advice on what could work for your home.