One of the top reasons people shop for top down/bottom up shades is for privacy. Most people don’t want the inside of their home exposed to complete strangers, especially from ground level floors when it is easy to see inside. Window shades are often purchased to help remedy this. This brings up the dilemma of totally blocking out the light during the course of the day. With top down shades, you no longer have to pick between privacy and natural sunlight in your home.
Top down/bottom up blinds are shades that not only slide up from the bottom but also slide down from the top, hence the name. This allows you to block the view from outside on the bottom, and let in as much light as you want from the top. This is great news for those who have been previously frustrated at being forced to choose between having a dark room at high noon or a fully exposed room that one can peer into from a block away.
Available in a variety of colors, styles, functions, and fabrics, opacities, top down/bottom up shades are quickly becoming an ideal choice for every window in the house. Top down shades are available as cellular shades, roman blinds and even woven wood shades. These options allow you to combine your choice of color, style and texture with the versatility of a top down/bottom up system. Cellular top down/bottom up shades let you balance between letting in the sunlight during the day on the top while still getting some insulation around the window at the bottom.
Top down and bottom up shades are an inventive window treatment that basks in the glory of its flexibility. Windows can often open from the top which can help circulate fresh air throughout your home. A top down blind system can let you choose to open the top window a bit to let the hot air out and open the bottom a bit to let the cooler air in. It also reduces the risk of your blinds getting damaged from getting blown around if a light breeze picks up. There are dozens of arrangements available to meet your needs. Top down/bottom up shades are a jack-of-all-trades, or shall we say, a “jack-of-all-shades”?
Out of all the available window shade options, roller shades are among the most popular and practical. Roller shades are simple, affordable and convenient. Roller shades remain a best selling window treatment option consistently, year after year. Let’s take a closer look at these three advantages.
Simple yet Elegant
This timeless window shade design operates with a simple roller-based mechanism. The operation of roller shades hasn’t changed much over the years, except they have become more reliable and durable. The big difference these days is the plethora of fabric options available for a unique, contemporary look that can’t be beat. This simple functionality combined with a classic yet updated sophisticated look is just one of many reasons why roller shades remain among the top choices of window fashions. This style has been around for years and will continue to be around for many, many more. Clearly, this is a window treatment option that will never go out of style and can easily match any decor.
Inexpensive/Superior Value
Roller shades offer some of the highest value in window coverings today. This makes solar shades and other types of roller shades the choice of budget-conscious window treatment shoppers. Economic uncertainty makes price an important factor for most people and this type of shade is a great way to combine excellent value with unsurpassed, time-honored style. Roller shades are within most shoppers’ budgets and can vary in price to bare-bones to high end.
Motorized Option
Adding the motorized option to your new roller shade increases its convenience and functionality. Windows that are hard to reach can now also benefit from lighting control and add a splash of color. Whether you choose a solar shade fabric or something more opaque, a motorized lift system is the ultimate in convenience. Radio frequency motorization combines automated sophistication with an intelligent design. Is the sun in your eyes in that hard to reach window and you need your solar shades lowered? Remote-operated motorization is the ideal way to make life easier for you. With the motorized option, your roller shades are no longer a burden to put up or down.
- Heat Loss Shown
Sustainability has become a focus for most of us and today there are more products to choose from that are eco-friendly; especially when it comes to decorating. A good example is window coverings. There are actually many environmentally friendly window covering products made with recycled, recyclable and sustainable materials. There are also window coverings that help you save energy as well. Whether you want to feel good about being environmentally responsible or you want to save a few dollars a month on your utilities, buying energy efficient window coverings is a great idea.
As the push for more sustainable products evolves, companies are working hard to produce products with a wide range of colors, textures, materials and styles. One of the most popular choices is the sustainable product bamboo blinds. A reason bamboo is such a great material for window coverings is the rate bamboo can grow and the fact that it does not need to be replanted after it is harvested.
If your main concern is conserving energy, there are many different kinds of window blinds that will help insulate your windows or block the suns rays which help make them more efficient. It is important to remember that going green does not mean all or nothing. Choosing window coverings that help save energy is another step toward helping out the world become a little more sustainable.
For a list of all of our Eco-friendly window coverings, view our Eco-Friendly Blinds page.
Window coverings are a very affordable design staple that can have dramatic effects for interior decorators and budding Do-It-Yourself-ers. All visual appeal is based on light, and your windows and window coverings are what control the access of light in your room. They can therefore be very powerful in interior design, but some shoppers feel overwhelmed with the wide range of wood blinds, roller shades, sheer vertical blinds and other window coverings that are available.
Wood blinds are a classic and universally appealing window covering. Made from hardwoods, wood blinds are light and their louvers can be adjusted to let any amount of light in. These are the kind of blinds commonly seen in offices, studies and living rooms. Most people opt for a stained or natural finish in their wood blinds to show off the quality of natural wood. However these blinds can be matched to almost any interior because of their wide range of painted colors and stains.
Wood Blinds
Along with traditional hardwood blinds, you can also order faux wood blinds, which are less expensive and more weather resistant. Bamboo roman shades are another wood blind variant that use earth-friendly bamboo to give a soft filtered light when rolled down. Bamboo is a much more renewable resource than hardwoods, and can give a more natural, relaxed look to a room.
For those who want more light control out of their blinds, roller shades are a great choice. When rolled down, they present a solid face that effectively blocks sunlight. When you really need to block all light for work, sleep, or privacy reasons, honeycomb cellular shades are a great choice. Cellular shades are made of pleated fabric that forms pockets of air to insulate your windows. This double sided technology also makes the shades great at stopping light. In their original use, cellular shades drastically decrease heat transfer across the window. This leads to a more comfortable interior and reduced energy bills.
Less utilitarian, but more stylish are sheer blinds and shutters. Sheer blinds create a soft, romantic atmosphere in a room because all light is filtered through a silky cloth barrier. Shutters, on the other hand, are the oldest window covering. Some people still use storm shutters to protect from dangerous weather, but recently the plantation shutter has come into vogue. These classy shutters bring an air of old-time elegance to a home.
Decorating | BlindSaver | 
January 12, 2011 3:19 pm | 
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