I have never thought much about window treatments for my home until I had to plan for my renovation a few months ago. In fact, window treatments are the most underrated part of home renovations, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this.
What most of us do not know, is this: window treatments – such as blinds, curtains, and shades – are more than just dressing for your window. With the right consideration and planning, these treatments are functional and essential in privacy control, and filtering natural light (and sounds!) for your homes.
Based on the style of your home decor, budget, and needs, we give you the lowdown on everything you need to know on window blinds and clue you in on what’s best for your home.
1. Wind Protection & Home Privacy
For homes located in breezy areas, curtains will be a less ideal choice for your windows, unless you enjoy the sight of your curtains being blown out of the window every now and then. Even if your curtains are made of a thicker and heavier fabric, it still may not be completely immune to strong winds.
Horizontal blinds are a better choice in this aspect. Made up of horizontal slats, these blinds are usually controlled by a classic chain pulley system, and each piece of horizontal fabric is spread apart to provide complete shade for the window. Horizontal blinds are also an ideal choice for window privacy.
ensure that these blinds can be secured to the end of the window frame so that they do not cause a racket and flap around in breezy conditions.
2. Interior Style
While interior style is subject to personal preference, there are a wide variety of styles to go for. By default, window blinds are easily suited for the different interior styles as it comes in varying thickness, patterns, fabric, and colour. The clean-cut look of window blinds helps to imbue a sense of structure to your space, and blinds are often incorporated in Scandinavian-style homes. White blinds exude a classic and clean colonial aesthetics, while wooden accents portray an exquisite minimalist look.
Do experiment around with the fabric and colour of your window blinds!
3. Light & Sound Insulation
Insulating sound and filtering light in homes will probably be the main reason what most people will use window blinds for. Indeed, having too much sunlight can be detrimental to your furniture, space, and even flooring. Window blinds are perfect for keeping out the heat, especially those made of light-coloured fabrics as they are ideal for reflecting the heat away from the interior of your homes. Alternatively, wooden blinds are another option for redirecting sunlight. To control the amount of light filtering, simply adjust the slats accordingly.
For those whose homes are situated near train tracks or construction works and major roads, these noises can be greatly reduced by using blinds made of wood or bamboo.
4. Maintenance
If you prefer a hassle-free way of maintenance, window blinds are the perfect solution. Cleaning your blinds once a month is sufficient for most homes, and vacuuming the blinds and wiping the specks of dust off each slat with a cloth is all that you’ll need to do. This is significantly less laborious and time-consuming as compared to washing curtains and fabric shades. As such, window blinds are also much more durable and long-lasting than curtains or window shades.
For a much more convenient way of maintenance, opt for roller blinds: these are less demanding with its cleaning regimes as you can simply hand-wash or spot clean them.
5. Cost-Effectiveness
Where costs are concerned, window blinds may not be the cheapest option, but it is the most cost-effective one as a long-term investment for your homes. Prices may differ based on the choice of fabric or type of blinds. In terms of affordability, materials like vinyl are generally more affordable than heavier or fancier designed ones, such as wood or aluminium.
Do consider the different materials and types of blinds for your home carefully – it is easy to settle with a cheap one that may not address the needs of your home.
Smart Blinds Giveaway
In collaboration with mc2 and Brand Cellar, we are giving away (3) Rainbow Blinds’ smart blinds worth $159 each!
Earlier this year, mc2 has recently launched Singapore’s first-ever smart blind fashion gallery. Spanning over an area of 4,200 square-foot, it is a one-stop space for all your home furnishing needs, such as smart blinds, wallpapers, and more.
To stand a chance to win, simply: share this article on Facebook (make sure you’ve set your post’s privacy settings to ‘Public’ so we can see it), like our Facebook page, and follow our Instagram (@danamicorg).
About Rainbow Blinds:
Rainbow Blinds is a fantastic modern look for any contemporary home. The translucent sheer fabric vanes of Rainbow Blinds Shadings can be positioned fully open, fully closed, or anywhere in between for the privacy control you want. Featuring its versatile double layer fabric, Rainbow Blinds do what it does best, to whichever height you set it to. Due to its unique double layer fabric system and its uniqueness in the weaving, Rainbow Blinds can provide subtle sunlight into the room, and provide good coverage of light as long as its fabric pattern is set to .
Draw ends on 31 October 2018 and winners will be picked by random.
mc2 Pte Ltd
33 Ubi Ave 3
#01-28 Vertex
Singapore 408868
Tel: 6634 7333
Website: http://www.mc2.com.sg/
Photos courtesy of mc2 Pte Ltd.
