3 Steps to Being Your Own Designer

Sometimes, the world of window coverings can seem intimidating- especially when you are ordering online. The prospects seem beautiful, but you are afraid of ordering a blind, hanging it in your window, and discovering it doesn’t suit you at all.  Take a breath- we are here to help you recover your Zen with these three easy steps to window coverings harmony.

1. Find Your Style.

Take a look around your home, making note of what you love and what you don’t.  Are you redecorating? What do you want your home to look like? This is the easiest time of year to do this, as you clear out the clutter from winter and open your windows for some fresh air at long last. Now choose the group of words below that best describes you and your ideal home.

1. Clean, Cool, Simple
   

 


2. Timeless, Soft, Warm
   

 


3. Textured, Bold, Energetic
   

We won’t dig into all the myriad of different “style” labels out there- because this is about simplifying your decision, not stuffing you in a box. Instead, we’ll stick to three basic categories of styles- Contemporary, Classic, and Adventurous.

If you chose “a”- you like more contemporary styles. You want all the clutter of life neatly concealed and in its place. You favor clean lines, cool colors (or grey scale), and simplicity. You have a hard time resting when you see knick-knacks taking up space, and don’t want anything that feels fussy.  Some great choices for your windows would be:

-Solar Shades

-Simple Roller Shades

-Cellular Shades

-Pleated Shades

-Panel Track Blinds

If you chose “b”- you like more classic styles.  You love small personal touches in your décor, and want your home to be inviting to anyone who enters. You favor timeless patterns, soft neutrals (or earth tones), and a sense of warmth.  You don’t like it when things feel sterile or impersonal, and want the room itself to invite you in. Some great choices for your windows would be:

-Roman Shades

-Dressed-Up Roller Shades

-Sheer Shading and Draperies

-Vertical Blinds

-Wood Blinds

If you chose “c”- you like adventurous or funky styles. You love a room that pops with personality and provokes thought and creativity. You favor textures, bold colors (or fun prints), and a sense of energy. You don’t like being tied to one theme, and often mix multicultural influences from around the world with your own personal flair. Some great choices for your windows would be:

-Bamboo/Woven Shades

-Fabric Verticals

-Colorful Mini Blinds

-Bali’s Diffusion Blinds

-Textured or Printed Roller Shades

-Bold Colored Cellular Shades

2.  Take Your Measurements.

You still have a lot of choices in front of you. Taking your measurements before you look at each individual brand can help narrow things down, because some products have size limitations. Use our printable worksheets and easy-to-follow measuring videos to measure each window with confidence

3.  Order Samples

Now comes the fun part. You’re armed with measurements and a list of products that seem interesting and will work in your windows. Now you can order samples! Go to our “Order Samples” page and select samples for any colors that seem interesting to you. We’ll send 10 samples for free, so pick whatever you like! When you receive your fabric samples, you’ll be able to see the quality and colors of the fabrics, hang them on your wall, and compare them to other things in your home.

How do you choose? The best advice we can offer is to go with your gut. Always pick “love” over “like”- if you are true to your vision for your home your purchase will bring a smile to your face for years to come.

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Ordering a Perfect Fitting Roller Shade

Roller shades can bring style to any room with these three to help you order the right size.

1. Roller Shades are Ordered “Tip-to-Tip”

When you order a roller shade, the width you are ordering is that of the roller tube itself, from one tip to the other- even on an outside mount shade. This also means all inside mount roller shades, like the ones above, will have light gaps on the sides. These light gaps are typically more noticeable on blackout fabrics.

2. Even Outside Mount Shades Have Fabric Deductions

Since roller shades are ordered tip-to-tip, the fabric will always be about 1.5″ narrower than the tube. When you order a roller shade to be mounted on the outside of the window opening, you will need to add 1.5″ to the width of the window opening- then add the amount of overlap you would like to have on the width and the height. For example, if the window you are covering is 30″ wide and 30″ high, and you want to have 2″ of overlap on each side, you should order the shade in the dimensions 35.5″ wide and 34″ high.

3. Always Measure the Width at the Top of the Window for Inside Mount

Because roller shades have minimal deductions taken to the width of the roller tube, and the fabric is narrower than the roller tube, you only need to worry about measuring one place in your window for the width of your shade: the top of the casing. Measure the top of the window opening and round down to the nearest 1/8″, and use that measurement as your width. Since the bottom of the window is sometimes a different width than the top, measuring the top will give you the best fit for your width.

So pick up your metal tape measure, pencil, and paper. By remembering these three things, you can order a perfect fitting roller shade in a snap.

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