Window Blinds and Their Uses

Beyond Blinds Creates Elegant Window Blind Designs

 A window blind is a window covering that could be made out of metal, fabric, plastic, or wood and serves to block light entering from a window.  Blinds come in a variety of shapes and sizes and the best choice for your situation will be driven by a combination of functionality and style.

There are two basic varieties of blinds; horizontal and vertical. Horizontal blinds typically use a ladder system that allows the blind slats to be tilted as well as drawn to an upper attachment rail. Horizontal blinds are most often used to cover windows.

Vertical blinds use a series of slats that hang from a top rail that allows them to be both rotated and drawn to the side or center.  This flexibility makes vertical blinds particularly useful as coverings over exterior doorways. The first vertical blinds were made by Edward and Fredrick Bopp in Kansas City, Missouri. The name of their company was Sun Vertical and in the 1960’s the company and patents were both sold.

The More Common Styles of Window Blinds

Slat or Persian

Slat blinds are the most common window blind. They consist of many slats that are horizontal. They are commonly made of vinyl or metal and are connected with a series of strings. Combined with a control mechanism the user can control the amount of light between each slat. The blinds also can be pulled up all the way to reveal the entire window if desired. Persian or Slat blinds can be made of plastic, stiffened fabric, or metal.

Venetian

Venetian blinds are made from plastic, metal or natural products such as wood and bamboo. These horizontal blinds can be rotated through almost 180 degrees. When being rotated, the slats will be in sync with each other. A cord or tape like a strip of cloth is used to open and close them.

Vertical

Vertical blinds tend to be stronger and more durable than horizontal blinds. They tend to get less dirty since there is less surface for dust and dirt to settle upon. Like horizontal blinds, vertical blinds can be made from a wide variety of materials. However, most commonly they are made from plastic.

Vertical blinds are frequently used for exterior doors. Even though they are durable, care must be exercised when choosing them for high traffic and high air flow doorways to prevent them from becoming damaged. Their thickness helps provide an insulating layer against drafts in the winter while they also excel in blocking sunlight, thus reducing your air conditioning load in the summer.

Cellular Shades

The most stylish and sophisticated blinds on the market are the Honeycomb Blinds and Cellular Blinds developed by Hunter Douglas and marketed under their Silhouettes and Duets product lines.

When you see the blind from the side it looks like a series of honeycombs. In addition to being beautiful, these blinds are extremely energy efficient. The cells create pockets of insulating air that keep the room more comfortable in both winter and summer.

Beyond Blinds’ design team has experience in developing customized window and door blind solutions for all different styles and budgets.  As a preferred Hunter Douglas supplier we can pass extraordinary savings on to you when you choose any of their styles.  Questions? Ready to get started? Simply call 630-232-9901 and let one of our designers know what you’re hoping to accomplish.  They’ll be able to give you the straight scoop and develop a project that fits you and your home perfectly.