The Benefits of Blinds
By: Leslie Plummer Clagett (Page 1 of 12)
Courtesy of Smith & Noble
Courtesy Smith & Noble
Functional as well as decorative, shades, blinds and shutters can be used on doors as well as windows to direct, filter or block out light.
Courtesy of Hunter Douglas
Honeycomb shades in drop-down installation
Cross-sections of single-, double- and triple-honeycomb shades show the structure of their insulating channels.
Courtesy of Smith & Noble
Horizontal blinds in wood
Courtesy Smith & Noble
Window Shading
Select the louver size not only in relation to the dimensions of the window but also in relation to the view.
Courtesy of Hunter Douglas
The wide slats of some window shadings (left) don't obscure the outdoors as much as narrower ones (above) do
Courtesy of Smith & Noble
Roller Shades
Courtesy of Smith & Noble
Vertical Blinds
Courtesy of Pinecrest
Shutters as Bifold Doors
Courtesy of Smith & Noble
Plantation Shutters
This side-by-side comparison of vane widths shows how much light and air different shutters let into a room.
Photo by Geoffrey Gross
Outside mount:
Measure the height and width of the window, adding enough to overlap the casing and sill (if your window doesn't have a sill, the blind must still extend past the bottom of the window to avoid light leaks).
Photo by Geoffrey Gross
Inside mount:
Measure the window's width at three points, then take the narrowest dimension and round down 1/8 in. You also need to measure the height of the window.
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On their own, windows are really just holes in the walls. But add a window covering like shades, blinds or shutters and you suddenly have privacy, control over the amount of sunlight that fills the area and a better-looking room. Whether you're picking window coverings for one window or for an entire house, you'll need to consider window shape and size, how you use the room and the amount of sunlight you want to let in and keep out.
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