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9 Ways Blinds & Window Coverings Will Transform Your Home

by | Feb 15, 2016 | Decorating Inspiration, my house, My Seattle House

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9 Ways Blinds & Window Coverings Will Transform Your Home

inspiration: BHG

To order any window coverings from Select Blinds, be sure you use my special link HERE for the best possible discount! Plus if also put in my code INSP1RE5  you’ll receive an *additional* 5% off the very best price offered anywhere!

While I love the look of bare windows when the architecture and the view is beautiful, often a room can still benefit from just the right window coverings.

I’ve learned over the years that the right blinds and window coverings can:

-make a room quieter
-offer privacy
-contribute to a room’s style
-add texture
-add color
-soften the overall feel and ambience of a room
-make a window appear more substantially sized
-cut down on that afternoon glare (and the resulting faded fabrics!)
-make your house feel cooler or cozier, depending on the season or time of day

Window coverings are like miracle workers :).

So far in this new house house we have only hung ONE! window covering: the new curtains in our bedroom (and yes, my goal is to update you on the bedroom decor progress this week!). But other than that, we either have random bedsheets over the bedroom windows {GASP! Hangs head in shame, yes, I’m classy like that} or nothing at all covering the windows. Imagine me in my jammies and bedhead making coffee, awkwardly waving like HEY! at the construction workers outside my house. That’s everyday.

9 Ways Blinds & Window Coverings Will Transform Your Home
Our old house -Blinds via Select Blinds> color bamboo tortoise blinds

I don’t want to put up heavy blinds or fussy curtains, but the afternoon sun is blinding for an hour or so in the middle of the day (and probably will be really bright and hot in the summer). There are windows in our house, such as the bedrooms, where privacy is an issue, too.

I’ve also noticed that boy’s voices (and doggie barks) are SO LOUD when you don’t have much on the windows or walls and have hardwood or tile floors, too, so the more we can do to quiet things up a bit, the happier this mama is going to be.

9 Ways Blinds & Window Coverings Will Transform Your HomeOur old house kitchen -blinds via Select Blinds >>color bamboo tortoise blinds

Several years ago we bought bamboo blinds for our old kitchen and family room (see them pictured above and below).

NOTE: If you place an order for ANY window coverings from Select Blinds, be sure you use my special link HERE for the best possible discount! Plus if also put in my code INSP1RE5  you’ll receive an *additional* 5% off the very best price offered anywhere!

I was really happy with our blinds. I was hesitant to commit because I’d never ordered blinds online before! But they looked so great, fit the windows perfectly and functioned really well, so I definitely recommend them. It was really easy to customize what we needed and I was so pleased with the quality, too.

9 Ways Blinds & Window Coverings Will Transform Your HomeKitchen Sources

I’m getting closer to making a decision on window treatments for new house. I know hanging blinds is going to transform the feel of our home so I’m pretty excited to take this next step in cozying up this house. I’m not sure yet what style we’ll get but of course I’ll need to be mindful of the type of windows we have and the view. I’ll share inspiration pics soon. At least a few of our windows might need to wait until after the remodeling happens, but there are a lot of windows that we can proceed with.

9 Ways Blinds & Window Coverings Will Transform Your Home

And speaking of remodeling, thank you for all of your great ideas and input on our options for kitchen and dining room remodeling! You all are so smart. It was so fun to chat with you all about possibilities. I’ll have some answers to your questions soon.

Best of all, I think I’ve finally decided on THE BEST arrangement for our kitchen and dining room! EEEK! I feel like I’ve been thinking about this so long my head might explode, but it’s been worth it. I’m always glad when I take the time to consider ALL the options before moving ahead.

I can’t wait to share the new floor plan, new details and the design ideas with you. I think you are going to like the direction as much as I do!

Have a happy day, friends!

9 Ways Blinds & Window Coverings Will Transform Your Home

After years of being a happy customer, this year I’ve partnered with Select Blinds to offer TIR readers the best discount on all your window covering orders. I’ll make sure you get the best deal out there! I had such a great experience with our blinds and I’ve sent my readers to Select Blinds for so long, I’m confident you’ll have a good experience with your order, too.  

NOTE: If you place an order for ANY window coverings from Select Blinds, be sure you use my special link HERE for the best possible discount! Plus if also put in my code INSP1RE5  you’ll receive an *additional* 5% off the very best price offered anywhere!

24 Comments

  1. Patricia Harmanci

    Melissa, I agree with you on all counts. One area you didn’t cover is window coverings at night. At night light will escape out of a window, darkening the room and giving a cold feeling. I have never experienced a comfortable feeling, even in a beautiful room, when windows were not covered at night.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      So true, I agree! I think window coverings definitely make a room especially cozy at night!

  2. Jann from Newton Custom Interiors

    Love this post! I have designed and fabricated window treatments for my clients for the last 15 years, and I always love seeing how they enhance a room. I think many times that they make a room feel more finished and homey.

  3. Allie

    My entry way has the metal door with a window…I have Kirsch window coverings in my adjacent living room, with panel drapery on sides of windows.. Could you recommend for me what I might use on my entry way door and the sidelight window for privacy and still allow sunlight ? keeping in mind, I have a metal door…I like the look of the roman shades….but can I install them on a metal door? Are their magnet hardware for window blinds?

    • Kathleen

      Allie, you have several choices. Magnetic curtain rods would work and are available in stores and on Amazon. Another option is to consider using a window film. One thing to think about is how often this door is used and if the curtains or roman shade will get in your way.

  4. Cindy Franck

    Thank you for sharing floorplan! Your idea of creating kitchen in current dining room makes the best sense to me, too. Would cutting a nice size doorway to living room from hall/foyer give a way to enter living room more directly without going into kitchen area first? You would lose wall space but open up the area where the view may invite guests to enter that room first. Your idea for adding tall cabinets/ shelves on that end of kitchen sounds like a terrific idea!
    You are soooo smart not to add window treatments too quickly like I did. I love our plantation shudders but they do cut light and lack the warmth of pretty draperies. I have 2in. white wooden blinds on all other windows. We live on corner lot on a busy street (here in Greensboro, North Carolina) so I immediately wanted privacy. I like the idea of a sheet better, to buy time to make best decision while living in the house. I am learning alot from you! Thanks so much for your great blog!

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Thank you Cindy! Yes, I definitely want to open up that passageway if I can, I think I have a solution! I should have an updated post soon with more specifics and what I think might be the best solution yet! It’s definitely been like a puzzle to figure out :)!

  5. Joanne Taggart

    Good morning Melissa and thanks for the post. I am eager to hear of your final decision on the layout of your dining room and kitchen. The excitement is evident in your writing of how happy you are. You are right that some views are too beautiful to cover up but there is the element of privacy and echoing of voices and dog barks. And sometimes sheets make great curtains! Thanks for your humor when talking about the construction workers seeing you with bedhead and making coffee. I laughed out loud! And a question if you don’t mind. In a picture of your old house with the white couch in front of the window, to the left there is a white frame with what looks book pages inside. Is that what they are and do they signify something special? I would like to try to do it in my home. Thank you.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      Yes, I made that art with book pages years ago. It was so easy, just tack the pages to the backing of the frame (I think there’s a post on it somewhere, or maybe I never posted about it! I can’t remember). It is fun to pick a book or pages that are special to you so the art feels more meaningful!

  6. Candice from Georgetown, Ontario

    I am waiting installation of my Hunter Douglas blinds for the LR bow window. I first fell in love with the use of blinds while in the UK and now have them in my kitchen and 2 of my bedrooms. So many materials to choose from make them appropriate for all decors. Love, love, love them.

  7. Debbie

    I’m the one sitting in my great room with no window coverings in sight! We have in the past had some treatments but they were strictly valances for a time and then later some panels on the outside. My Anderson Windows require any treatment be on the outside of the window which makes it difficult for a clean look in blinds, though I do have them in our bedrooms as well as stunning Plantation Shutters. I consider blinds all of the time…especially right now when there is little sun but lots of cold…the whole back of my home is windows and one side as well. Our view is private and lovely but I agree that adding something can elevate a room to the next level and it is another layer in decorating. I have really wanted the honey comb shades because they practically disappear when open and then my view is not disturbed…interested to see what you decide on.

  8. Debby

    I loved your tortoise bamboo blinds so much that I put them in my office/guest room and then accented with linen drapery panels on a bronze metal rod. I keep the drapes open, but they add some extra warmth to what is the coldest room in our house. Like Debbie (comment before mine), the whole back of my house is windows and I have no window coverings on the first floor. At night I feel like I’m on a stage. I would love to add tortoise bamboo blinds, but my husband refuses because he likes the open look. It’s beautiful during the day, but I feel so exposed at night! I don’t know what to do…usually he goes along with my decorating choices. Hmmm.

    • Melissa @ The Inspired Room

      That’s so true, at night those beautiful views through open windows become black holes. I love bamboo blinds, but maybe there are other options that would be a good compromise so you can feel cozier at night!

  9. Dee

    For temporary window coverings I discovered recently the paper, pleated blinds in light filtering and black-out found at Lowe’s, Home Depot and online. They are cheap, work really well, look good and the perfect solution. They don’t have the cords to open/close. You just gather up to level you want open in the day and clip with plastic clips provided. I’m in a new construction house and everyone that has seen these blinds is amazed. A new neighbor in another new construction was puzzled I had pleated blinds up on the first move in day. I too live in the PNW and even here the sun fades furniture and wood floors so I have to decide on coverings for sun control and privacy for some rooms.

  10. Jill Corbett

    I find window coverings to be so essential, but they can make or break a room. Love your post, great images and it will be interesting to see what you come up with.

  11. Rhonda

    Love, love Select Blinds. Was not disappointed in the 2″ wood blinds I ordered! A better value then Bali or Hunter Douglas, even on sale! Blinds definitely help add that extra layer to a room and here in the NE they help insulate against the cold. I love lots of Windows but at night -10, BRRRR! People who don’ t love blinds haven’t found or seen the right combo.

  12. Christine Aldinger

    I used bamboo blinds in my LR and kitchen 2 yrs ago and love them but in the fall I just felt I needed to cozy my rooms up some I found at Christmas I took the kitchen/dr down and just left rod up and put some berry garland up I also have in my bedroom they leave just enough light in, I love your decorating style and the ease of understanding your blog THXS for that!!

  13. Karla @SmallTownRambler

    I really like the look of these bamboo shades! I have been wanting to get rid of the heavy blinds throughout our entire house for some time now. These look like a better option and would open the view a lot more. I only close ours at night, but in the day time, I want to see outside and let as much light in as possible.

  14. Kari

    I love white blinds that are not see through but still let some light in. Sometimes a diffused light is the best!

  15. Erik Brenner

    That’s why I make it a point to install blinds in my home. They give a good, cozy feel.

  16. John Donovan

    Blinds are one of those window coverings that people often underestimate. The truth is, they can really transform your home! There are so many different types out there that it is possible to find one that will perfectly match your décor.

  17. Kim

    I have a bow window in my LR I need to find a treatment for, but I want to leave the top four panes open to let in the light. All I’ll see is treetops and sky. The middle four and bottom four panes I’d like to cover with something, probably cafe shutters. The problem is I really want them to follow the curve-out of the window, not easy to fit! Then I need to come up with an idea to soften the top edge.
    But I wanted to offer this suggestion for windows we don’t have to cover but still would like to ‘soften’ or ‘decorate’ somehow: find thin wooden (more lightweight than metal), decorative brackets to fit in a corner or two of the window, paint them to match the frame, and nail in. I’m looking for some that aren’t too ornate and are the right size, can’t wait to try it!

  18. Hazel Owens

    When I think of blinds or window covers, I usually think of them as something that offers privacy, shade, and color. However, I never considered that they could also make a window look larger and even make a room quieter! I might have to get some nice curtains to put in the kids’ play room so they don’t sound quite as loud! Thanks for the information.

  19. Noor

    I have a bow window in my LR I need to find a treatment for, but I want to leave the top four panes open to let in the light. All I’ll see is treetops and sky.

 

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