Today’s blinds have it all.
Story by Tracy Dickinson
Photography Courtesy Forget me not Design
Featured in September/October 2020
For too long, selecting window coverings meant choosing between beauty and function. You could have lovely, stylish curtains or shades. But they blocked little light or all of it. Caring for them was a project in itself. Or you could have blinds that offered more options for light filtering and adjustability. But they added little to the decor of your home.
Today’s blinds have it all: gorgeous materials, low maintenance, stylish design, and brains, too.
What’s your style?
“Companies like Hunter Douglas have so much to choose from,” says Melinda Seeman of Forget Me Not Design in Ankeny. “Whether it’s wood blinds, which are still popular, or a fabric style, it’s not just the honeycomb or flat options. The material selection has something for every decor.”
One of Hunter Douglas’s latest offerings is a dual-opacity product that includes two panels on a single roller, one for light filtering and one for room darkening. “When the blind is open, you get a soft, filtered light in the room. But you still have the view,” Seeman explains. “When you want privacy or to block bright daytime light, you can close them, but they don’t have the strong blackout effect.”
“Slat blinds are still higher maintenance because they have to be dusted or cleaned individually, but most other products just require a light cleaning with a duster.”
Melinda Seeman, Forget Me Not Design
The design is available in Roman-style shades, honeycomb blinds, a silhouette style, and even vertical blinds. “Many of the products we offer are available in complementary vertical designs so that homeowners can maintain that style throughout the room, no matter what types of windows they have,” Seeman says. Some of the styles, like the honeycomb options, are even compatible with nontraditional windows, such as half-moons.
“The fabric selection offered today is huge, with so many colors and textures to choose from. You also have the option of getting extra fabric to add matching accents, or we can do throw pillows and cushions to match,” Seeman adds.
She says choosing a window covering is about so much more than how much light to allow in the room. A well-designed solution involves layering colors and materials, accenting the room’s decor, and filtering the light to provide comfort as well as protection for furnishings in the room.
“Not everyone wants layers of window coverings,” she says, “so it’s important to get a sense of the homeowner’s taste and make sure the products support that.”
What do you need?
In addition to offering a look for every taste, today’s blinds are available with more technology than ever before.
“More and more homeowners value the smart technology and automated features,” Seeman says. “Hunter Douglas’s system—PowerView Automation—allows you to control your shades from your phone or computer whether you’re home or not.”
The PowerView system and similar products from other companies can be set much like a programmable thermostat or smart lighting. The blinds can be programmed to open and close at different times of the day. “That’s a wonderful feature, not just for convenience and to maintain comfort in the home but for security, too,” Seeman says. “The soft-touch control wand also allows you to be much more precise with your controls. And it even remembers favorite settings. If you frequently set the blinds at a certain angle, the system will automatically go to that setting when you touch the control.”
In addition to smartphone control, some products on the market today also allow for voice control through a voice-activated device like Alexa or Google Assistant.
Inside and out
With the popularity of fully outfitted outdoor living spaces, the need for outdoor-quality window coverings and shades has also grown. “There are almost as many options for outdoor use as indoor,” says Seeman. “Whether it’s a shade to protect your patio or deck from afternoon sun or you have a three-season living space for which you want to be able to control light and temperature, there are products and materials that are designed for those outdoor living spaces.”
As with the indoor products, complementary fabrics make it possible to coordinate furnishings with window coverings. That means your outdoor space can be as comfortable and attractive as the interior of your home.
“The other thing that’s changed a lot—with indoor and outdoor products both—is the maintenance,” Seeman adds. “Slat blinds are still higher maintenance because they have to be dusted or cleaned individually, but most other products just require a light cleaning with a duster.”
Like lighting and hardware, window coverings are often treated as an afterthought by homeowners. So many of us just want something that does the job while looking nice.
But if you haven’t shopped for blinds lately, you don’t know what you’re missing. And your definition of “doing the job” is probably long out of date.
Today’s blinds don’t just put on a pretty face. They enhance your home’s comfort, security, and style, too. •
Resources
- Melinda Seeman Forget Me Not Design
