Your Window Covering Wish List.

 

I was looking at the sunrise schedule yesterday, and I see that within six weeks, dawn will be about 4:30 IN THE MORNING. The sunset times which accompany these early days drive me NUTS because early to rise means early to bed and it’s tough to nod off when the light is so bright.

I know this is something which bothers so many of you, too. I know because you tell me. Often. I’d say that about 75% of the people I talk with about window coverings for bedrooms mention the early summer sun.

You have a very definite wish-list about your bedroom window coverings:

You want a darkening solution for the early sunlight in the spring and summer.

     – this one is the day/night shade. The top is sheer and the bottom is blackout. You can cover the window with all sheer, for daytime and cutting the sun, and use the blackout for night time privacy and to knock out the strongest sun during the day.  

    – because these are cell shades, they also offer a wonderful insulation value, both for keeping heat in, and keeping heat out. 

Without a doubt, these are my current pre-made favourites. Get them from a supplier like me if you have a weird window or particular color requirement. Get them from the big box store if you are budget-hunting.

You want the option of full or partial light reduction.  — see the day/night shade above.

You want insulation for heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.  — see the day/night shade above.

You don’t want cords on the window coverings. — see the day/night shade above.

You want ease of operation. — ditto.

You want reliability.  — ditto

You want reasonable prices. — ditto

You want a decent guarantee. — ditto

Ahhhh, my dear clients — you don’t want much, do you?  As you can see, this one blind – the day/night shade – will solve almost all the problems you face with sumer sun and heat, privacy, light control and winter heat loss. This is a humm-dinger of a window shade. 

The good  thing is that I know how to get you what you want. There are products on the market which will do almost everything on your list; by combining some options, we can do it all. No kidding. 

That’s what a professional window covering specialist should be able to do for you. Or a professional whatever, actually.  One role of a professional is to present a range of solutions to your problems, and help you make a wise, informed decision.

 See the day/night shade above for the first part. The second part could be a functioning drapery system for additional insulation, and even a valance to prevent heat loss from the top of the treatment. 

Here’s an example: I recently had an owner who needed blinds for a whole house. It was a rental and cost was a consideration because the owner had just done a serious renovation. There were privacy and light issues; insulation was a consideration. Ease of operation and replacement costs were important, too. The solution: a combination of ready-made blinds from a big box store. The client saved thousands of dollars; I did the installation and received a consultation fee.  I could certainly have tried to sell them some custom-made coverings, but I know the costs would have been prohibitive and the client would have gone elsewhere.  As it turned out, I know they will be back to do further business with me because I was able to get them exactly what they wanted and needed without a second mortgage.

So, back to the sunrise. Find a window covering specialist who is on your side and not just the side of profit. It will be worth the effort.