Category: Energy Saving

CUSTOM ROMAN SHADES offer beautiful solutions for your windows!!

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Colors + Fabrics + Drama = ROMAN SHADES.

Roman Shades Budget Blinds

A nod to their popularity for many years, Roman shades do have lots of names and, regardless of what you call them, they are sweet. Sometimes referred to as a combination of blinds and drapery, or even Roman blinds, Roman shades give the operational convenience of blinds or shades, with the opulent beauty of fabric drapery. With Budget Blinds® you can have elegant custom Roman shades by any name you choose:

  • Relaxed, Slouched or Soft
  • Classic and Reverse Classic
  • Balloon, Austrian or Cloud
  • Pleated, Knife pleat
  • Flat: Unconstructed or Constructed
  • Hobbled, Looped, Waterfall, Cascading or Teardrop

 

There’s a Roman shade for every need

Knife Pleat Roman Shade

Despite the wide range of names and styles, a Roman shade is basically a fabric window covering panel that folds up accordion style, creating even horizontal folds. When raised, a Roman shade stacks in folds at the top, providing the look of a decorative fabric valance. The amount of fabric and how the shade folds is what defines the design, from Flat to Hobbled to Balloon, and everything in between. Whatever you need covered, there’s a Roman shade to meet the need!

  • Narrow windows, wide windows, French doors and uniquely shaped or shallow windows can be covered with ease.
  • Available in endless fabrics and colors, you can create your unique fashion statement, including Shabby Chic, Modern, Traditional, Global Artistry, Romantique or Masculine Melange.
  • Roman shades can be cord operated, child-safe cordless lift, or motorized for ultimate convenience.
  • Light controls range from sheer to light-filtering to complete room-darkening, making them ideal solutions for bedrooms.

 

Roman shades offer benefits beyond beauty

Bamboo Shades

As fabulous and refreshing as beautiful window coverings are, ROMAN SHADES BRING MORE to your windows than just beautiful style, color and design. Energy efficiency is an important benefit, helping to control energy costs all year long. The insulation factor of Roman shades can be improved with heavier linings to keep out either cold or excessive heat, helping to maintain a consistent temperature.

Roman shades can increase the comfort and convenience of your home in other ways as well:

  • Top-down/bottom-up shades give light and privacy control beyond fully open or fully closed.
  • Enjoy the luxury of lush fabrics on your windows at a fraction of the cost of full-length drapes.
  • Cordless lift or motorization provides a safety factor for homes with children and pets.
  • Hard-to-reach windows are neutralized with motorized remote control Roman shades.
  • Go green with eco-friendly Roman shades made from 100% organic materials like woven woods, jute and bamboo.

If you’re considering new window treatments, Roman shades are an ideal way to bring LUXURY into your home, adding the richness of beautiful fabrics to your windows without the cost and volume of full draperies. The range of styles makes a Roman shade PRACTICAL for any room, giving a pop of color, embracing the latest 2016 fashion trends, or finding solutions for problem windows.

Window Designing 101

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* Turn Windows into Design Opportunities

Listen to me.  It’s simple (and affordable) to showcase your style in your home – in fact, it’s fun! Everyone has style – YOU ALREADY HAVE A STYLE!  If someone asked you your decorating style, what would you say? Do you have a ready answer like Traditional, Glam Couture, Vintage, Modern, Organic, Classic, Rustic, or…what?

Even if you can’t put a name on your style, you do have one. It’s defined by the things you surround yourself with in furnishing your home. Translating that style to your windows is one of the easiest and boldest design elements you can to do to improve your overall atmosphere – seriously!

Budget Blinds Window Treatments

One way to discover your style is by collecting pictures of window treatments you like. Cruising online sites like Budget Blinds.com,Houzz.com, and even your friends’ Pinterest accounts will put hundreds of options before your eyes. Eventually you’ll begin to see a pattern of what you prefer:

– Neutrals, bold colors or muted tones

– Coordinating or contrasting elements

– Florals, stripes, geometric prints or solids

– Large patterned prints or small designs

– No curtains or drapery due to allergies or minimalist tendencies

– Layered window treatments like valances over blinds or shades

– Singular treatments like blinds, shutters, Roman shades or a full-length drapery

            

Of course, you don’t have to select just one type of style for all the rooms in your home.  At Budget Blinds of Stillwater we love assisting you in completing the look of your overall home, not just one room. We know what colors, textures and patterns will bring out your style, and we work with you every step of the way (expert measuring, professional installation, best warranty).

> INNOVATIVE PRODUCTS AND SOLUTIONS (STILL WINDOWS!)

Create privacy while letting in light and desirable views with custom woven wood sliding panels, perfect for large windows and doors. I love the fact that the panels stack off to one side for an unobstructed view, or can be staggered for varying degrees of light and privacy.

Layering window treatments like draperies over Roman shades allows for a classy chic style. Shades can be pulled up for a completely unobstructed view, lowered for filtered light, view and privacy, or both shades and drapes can be closed for complete privacy and blackout. With dual window treatments, energy efficiency is maximized by reducing heat gain in summer and holding warmth inside when the weather is cold outside.

For an artistic flare, enchanting results can be accomplished with realistic-looking faux iron accents and decorative window film. Used alone or with additional window treatments, both of these options provide a degree of privacy while still allowing in natural light.

Decorative Window Film

Any hard-to-reach windows or heavy treatments like floor-to-ceiling drapes or wood blinds can be motorized for ease-of use. It saves the wear and tear that manual operation can inflict by continual opening and closing. Somfy® motorization is available for most of our window treatments, with control options including wireless wall switches, hand-held remotes and timers.

Let’s get started finding your style with a FREE design consultation (seriously, FREE!) Shoot me an email – pbrown@budgetblinds.com and let’s connect! For inspiration, view the online galleries of our extensive window coverings and turn the digital pages of the new Inspired Drapes Lookbook for the latest trends, colors and styles in home window fashions.

Cabin Life

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The Right Window Coverings Make Your CABIN the Perfect Home Away from Home

Many of my clients have a vacation home – more so than often its called a cabin. From what I hear from my clients the main purpose of a cabin/vacation home is for rest, relaxation and fun. Not surprisingly, such a place could vary greatly from person to person.  It may be the beach, the mountains, a high-energy city that never sleeps, or a remote cabin with no neighbors for miles. Wherever or whatever is your idea of paradise, you want to be as comfortable there as you are in your everyday home, if not more so… and we have you covered!

1. showcase panoramic views

If you require no barrier between you and your view, window coverings that “disappear” are what you need.  Cellular shades (and many other shade styles) retract so you’ll have a completely unobscured view until you require privacy. There are even top-down/bottom-up options that allow for partial coverage to block glare or provide privacy while still enjoying a captivating view.

Unique windows like skylights and arched windows can be outfitted with shades, blinds or shutters to provide coverage when needed. Motorization will make any hard-to-reach windows completely manageable with the touch of a button.

Outdoor patios, decks and porches can be kept cool and comfortable with Solar Shades and screens that enhance the view while helping to manage sun and weather as well as deterring uninvited pests.

2. Harness natural light

Windows provide natural light which is good for the body and the soul. Whether you have one window or a wall of windows, maintaining the right balance of light at any given time is important.

    

3. motorization – improve privacy

Motorization of window coverings is another way to improve energy efficiency.  Timers and sensors are available to automatically respond to temperature and time settings so you can pre-program window coverings to close and block the sun during the hottest parts of the day. This reduces dependence on air conditioning systems and gives UV protection for your furnishings. Or, if the weather is cold but the sun is shining brightly, you can open the blinds or shades to take advantage of solar heating. In addition to hand-held or wall-mounted remotes, you can control all your window coverings from a smartphone or tablet with the myLinkTM app from Somfy® while at home, work, or on vacation.

Custom window shades such as Pleated shades, Roman shades and Cellular shades range from light-filtering to room-darkening. Combining the characteristics of blinds and shades, Sheer shades are louvered fabric shades that, when open, have light-filtering tendencies and then provide complete privacy when closed.

4. energy-efficiency

Wherever your personal paradise is you will want to be able to control the inside environment so that it’s as comfortable and energy efficient as possible. Any window covering provides some level of insulation, but certain styles of window coverings significantly improve energy efficiency. Layering or pairing up treatments such as drapery over shades or blinds, and shades over window film can result in even greater energy cost savings.

[ DID YOU KNOW? ]

  • Solar shades and screens block up to 99% of the sun’s heat and glare.
  • Cellular shades (light-filtering to blackout) reduce heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer helping to maintain indoor temperatures.
  • Blinds and shutters completely block the sun when closed and reduce heat gain or loss. Window film and tinting provide UV protection and minimize heat and glare.
  • Drapes add color, texture, privacy, noise reduction and insulation.
  • Adding lining to any window treatment style improves its insulation properties.

Let’s go!

The range of styles and textures available with Budget Blinds encompasses everything from filmy or voluptuous fabrics in custom shades and drapes, to real wood, faux wood, vinyl and aluminum blinds and shutters, to eco-friendly woven wood shades made of 100% organic materials such as reeds, grasses and natural woods.  Your design possibilities are seriously limitless.

Let me help you to create the perfect environment for indoor/outdoor living in your vacation home.  With custom window coverings for every need you can showcase a panoramic view, harness natural light, improve privacy or make your vacation home more energy-efficient. Our comprehensive product lines, including our exclusive Signature Series® and Inspired Drapes® collections, offer custom blinds, shutters, shades, curtains and drapes and decorative drapery hardware to satisfy any design preference and accommodate any budget.

Let’s connect and schedule your FREE, in-home consultation. There are so many ways to save and be stylish, and so many easy customizable solutions to make your second home as comfortable as your first!

interior sun solutions

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“The sun tends to fade my furniture and my carpet!” i love natural light but i hate what it does to my furniture and floor! can you help me?

– Well, of course!” 

– I hear so many of my clients (and friends) complain about interior fading (furniture, walls, carpet, wooden floors, etc.) More times than often, I connect their comment with the level of their window treatments – they don’t have any (or they aren’t using them appropriately!)

Sunlight through your windows can cause color fading and deterioration of fabric over time (& it does!). Ultra-violet rays (40%), visible light (25%), and solar heat (25%) each play a factor. UV radiation degrades materials, while visible light and solar heat cause damage at a slower rate.

Window treatments from Budget Blinds block harmful UV rays and prevent fading. Blinds, shades, and shutters are designed to block unwanted light, protect your privacy, and maximize customizable light control.

 Budget blinds window coverings EFFECTIVELY FILTER LIGHT while maximizing light control

Check out this awesome video I found – there are SO many ways to customize your window treatments (stylish & classy!) Protect your interior furnishings from unwanted sunlight by choosing the perfect fit for you!

energy saving window treatments

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Did you know that window treatments can actually save energy? Seriously, that’s what I’m talking about!

As much as 50% of a home’s heating and cooling energy can be lost through its windows!

Rather than cranking up the heat or air conditioning to avoid uncomfortable temperatures inside your home, you can avoid those costly energy bills through energy-saving window treatments.

  • Energy-saving window treatments provide effective insulation, offering your home increased protection against heat loss during the winter and heat gain during the summer.

    

Honeycomb shades (above) are designed with honeycomb-shaped pockets or ‘cells’ designed enhance your home’s energy efficiency by keeping air from escaping or entering your home.

 

  • Hardwood shutters (above) provide an insulating design that makes indoor spaces cooler in summer and warmer in winter- keeping your room at an ideal temperature!

 

  • Optional motorization options allow your blinds to become energy-efficient blinds, as they can be set on timers to maximize or minimize heat gain as needed.

I love energy-saving window treatments because they help to create a comfortable environment  family and guests – and reduce heating and cooling costs for your long-term energy savings!

Contact me today – let’s connect and schedule your complimentary in-home consultation!