The 5 Choices Of Window Blinds For The Home Owner

by Controliss Blinds smart way to shade

Window blinds are fairly ancient inventions. The Persians hung wet cloth on their windows to protect them from desert dust and to make indoor temperatures more bearable. The ancient Chinese fashioned bamboo slats to give them a screen of privacy. The Venetians, who traded with the inhabitants of the Middle East, borrowed this concept from the Persians and brought the invention to Paris because they needed to have a source of income by peddling their wares.

Modern blinds for windows resurfaced in the late 18th century, and the evolution of newer and stronger materials and production technology since then have made them as equally popular as their ancient cloth counterparts. The primary functions of window blinds - to provide a screen from external prying eyes, regulate external light, and lock in warmth - still hold true today as they did in the past.

Window blinds have become an essential household accessory, not only because the more modern home owner's needs have remained unchanged, but also because of improvements in technology that have made window blinds of today equally decorative and functional. Well chosen blinds for windows add a focal splash of colour to, perhaps, a bland living space, while doing the job that was intended.

Blinds for windows can easily be categorized into Roman, Venetian, vertical (often called louvre), roller and panel. While they appear to be interchangeable, they are actually designed so that each window blind is best applied to certain window styles.

· Roman Blinds, for example, are made of fabric so that they fold up when raised. A one-piece area of the material is mounted with slats on the back so the blind stacks neatly into horizontal pleats when pulled up by a chain or cord. This results in better insulation during cold months when lowered all the way down, lying flat as a single panel of fabric.

· Roller Blinds are also made of solid piece of fabric or other material that easily rolls up by means of chain or pre-loaded spring. There are no slats that provide the backbone of the blind, so that the material itself neatly wraps up around a lightweight, aluminium cylinder when the blinds are raised.

· Venetian Blinds are horizontal slats without the fabric. The slats are either made of wood, vinyl, or aluminium, and stack neatly together when raised. Venetian blinds allow light to pass through when the slats are rotated to open top to bottom. The slats can be set at an angle so as to regulate the amount of light entering the room.

· Vertical Blinds, also known as louvre blinds, are similar in principle to Venetian blinds except that the slats are, as the name suggests, hanging vertically, that is, top to bottom. While there are thin strips of vertical slats for smaller windows, vertical blinds are ideal for bigger windows or sliding doors. Buildings with expansive glass walls use vertical blinds to create an anti-glare screen when necessary while allowing as much light to the inside as possible.

· Panel blinds function in the same way as vertical blinds in that they screen large openings or windows. The difference is that panel blinds are mounted on a track system that glides to the left or right. A piece of fabric or other material built into the panel provides the screen. As such, they also function as temporary dividers for large spaces

Of the many varieties of window blinds that are available to the homeowner, even the most discriminating shopper is sure to find the ones suited to his or her taste.