September 3, 2012
Have tricky to reach places? Tired of climbing over the bathtub or moving furniture to reach a lift cord? Power Rise from Hunter Douglas is a great way to solve the problem.
Motorization has come along way from having to pull wires through dry wall – and here in Sarasota there are no basements and attics can be “interesting.” Yes, there are hard wired motorized systems that work well when you can install them during construction. These systems are also ideal if you are planning for whole house automation. But for most us, these are not an option and Power Rise with Platinum Technology, which is battery powered, provides a perfect solution! And it is so darned convenient.
Power Rise is available in a number of Hunter Douglas products such as Silhouettes, Duettes, Designer Screen and Roller Shades to name a few. The recent advances in this product has increased the sizes available which is particularly important for those of us in the Sarasota-Bradenton area as our windows are usually large to let in all that lovely sunlight and so that we can enjoy our great views. Additionally, there is a sun sensor available so that the shades will be automatically lowered when the sun hits the sensor – if you forget to lower your shades before you leave for the day they will still lower when the damaging sun turns onto your windows.
At Blinds Unlimited, we have really noticed an increase of interest in the product – in fact I am about to install some in my own home.
October 31, 2011
Large sliding doors always present problems for our clients. For one, they are alot square feet which ineveitably translate into multiple dollars. Here in Florida where light and an open air lifestyle is optimal there can be as many as 6 or 8 in a home – and this just piles on the cost for window treatments.
There are several factors to consider, apart from price, before making a decision. What is your tolerance for stack into the window? Do you want the treatment to go up and down or traverse side to side? What is your decor – contemporary, transitional or traditional? What do you want the treatment to do for you in terms of function – light control, privacy, etc. That’s alot to take into consideration before making a decision on the right window treatment for you.
So that being said, here are some ideas – minimal stack, middle price range is the Hunter Douglas Vertiglide. It is available in both their premium Duette line and the price point Applause line. The stack is only 6 1/2 inches! This is one of its main selling points, but in some of the fabrics available it is also very energy efficient.
Last, but not least are vertical blinds. Now don’t say “I hate verticals“. They really do have a place in the decor. They look terrrific in contemporary enviornments and their functionality is hard to beat. They also are the best choice for those with a tighter budget. Good luck on your window treatment hunt for those pesky (and expensive) sliding doors.
October 25, 2011
The window fashions industry is now pushing its manufacturers and retailers to pay more attention to child safety. All those dangling cords are a real hazard to young children and there are several deaths each year in the United States related to window treatments.
Hunter Douglas has led the way in making everyone in the industry, as well as consumers aware, of the potentially dangerous features of some window fashions. With their bent for innovative design they have introduced products with child safety in mind.
The main issue is the cords. So cordless options are a must in households with young children (including grandchildren). Some products to bear in mind – the wood/alternative blind category all have cordless lifting options. Add a tilt wand and all cords are elminated. Their honeycomb offerings, Duette, Duette Architella and Applause also come with cordless literise lifting systems. Vignette Tiered Roman Shades replicate a traditional roman shade, but with a cordless lifting system. If the shades do not have a cordless option, most are available with battery operated motorization, a relatively affordable approach to motorized shades.
The latest introduction to the cordless shade scene is from B & W Window Fashions in Gurnee, Illinois. The Vitale line of roman shades is truly a first on the market – beautiful fabrics, 6 shade styles and all with the One Touch Control. Check out the video below to see this amazing shade in operation!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eubQLGFnOto
August 23, 2010
A fabulous look – why change?
The client created this fabulous look in her home – custom made draperies and an elegant rod and then she added the Mackenzie Childs scarves to tie together the decor in her living room which featured the Mackenzie Childs line.
Four years later it was time for a little fine tuning and a room refresh. She wanted to hide the security system sensors in the windows and requested roman shades inside mounted into the opening. We suggested mounting the roman shades outside the window and near the top of the existing drapery pole in order to increase the height of the window and ceiling and tie the 2 window treatments together. She had originally planned to keep the scarves in place.
However, there are 2 slliding glass doors on the opposite side of the room to which we added Hunter Douglas Duette Vertiglides. We suggested to complete the look and enhance an already elegant room, we should add side panels and elegant rods. Now we will need the scarves to use as holdbacks. The result will be a beautiful room that highlights the client’s collections.
August 12, 2010
IIt’s August and the sun is blazing down. That is particularly the case here in Florida – we are in our dog days that for sure.
In our homes we have some intriguing window shapes that are architectural gems that add light to the house and give fabulous views.
These raked windows at the end of a family room are a great example. They overlook the intercoastal – a scenic view – but they also face west. In the summer months the heat is brutal and you cannot see the television for the glare. My clients called and asked what can we do. They requested an operable shade that could be lowered during the winter months. Unfortunately there are no options that do not leave quite a large portion of the shade in the opening. The client did not want this. So I came up with this is the solution – a sheerweave solor shades in a 3% openness factor.
Sheerweaves allow for some view but the 3% prevents 97% of the UV entering the room and the light color sheerweave reflects heat and the glare is non existent. I had the shade custome made to fit the opening and mounted them with tension rods. If the client wanted to remove them in the winter months he could, store them and then put them up again for the summer. What do you think of the final result?
August 5, 2010
Do you live in a highrise with large windows to make the most of the view? How do you control the heat and light, especially if you live in the southern half of the country?
I had just such a problem to solve for a client and we decided on Hunter Douglas’s Pirouette Window Shadings as the perfect solution. Blackout to control the light and heat - and also so that the client could sleep-in in the morning. The the multi-functional Pirouette takes care of the rest. It can be fully lifted into the cassette to make the most of a fabulous view. Lower it and get complete privacy and blackout and then all those stages in between….operate the lifting system a little and there is a roman shade. The open a little more and you achieve the interesting effect my client has in the photo shown above. Completely open the shade and there is an elegant slat with a sheer which still shows off the view but filters and softens the light.
My clients were thrilled with their new window treatments.
April 14, 2010
I don’t want to block my view! This is a comment frequently heard when clients are considering a window treatment - whether a privacy shade or a decorative treatment - or both. Elegant window fashions, well designed, are a complement to any view.
The picture above is a good example. The client has a fabulous gulf view from her master bedroom window. She had selected a soft coral as the main color for her decorating scheme. We chose a small pattern for the pleated valance - with a curve added to soften the rectangular window – and then side panels in a silk/linen fabric. This room has an eight foot ceiling and the valance was 22 in high at its tallest point – yet the view is preserved, in fact, it is highlighted!
The client chose a motorized Silhouette for a privacy treatment – again even at the sun’s most ferocious with a blinding glare coming off the water – the view is still fantastic!
August 19, 2009
There’s more than one good reason why selecting custom window fashions makes the very best sense when you remodel or redecorate your kitchen or bathrooms. The obvious one is that once you’ve spent that load of cash on your walls, counters, fixtures, cabinetry and appliances to make these rooms exactly what you desire them to be, the windows should reflect that same level of detail to make the rooms look unified. But that’s not he only reason…
 Excellent Value for Price.
Did you know that when you remodel a kitchen or bath, the actual final value of your effort is 125-150% of the investment? That means that if you ever decide to move from your home, you can expect to redeem that extra value at sale. Custom window fashions in these rooms add value at the same rate. They also improve your overall design by adding the custom-tailored finish only they can provide, just as with all of the other custom work required. A case in hand – yesterday a client called and said “the window treatments are fabulous – I can’t believe what a difference they made to the room. They made the whole room pop and tied together all the other things we had done to the room.”
If you are not ready for a full remodel, one of the smaller investments you can make to enhance any kitchen or bath design is in window fashions, even when choosing from the most lavish and decorative fabrics, or from the most innovative and technologically-advanced motorized blinds and shadings. A change in window fashions and a fresh coat of paint can brighten up any room and make you feel as if you just finished a complete redo but not with the same price tag!
Here at Exciting Windows! by Blinds Unlimited we can help you freshen up any room. We offer a free color consultation with the purchase of window treatments. Call today! 941 359 8800!
July 16, 2009
Keep the Dog Days of Summer Outdoors with Beautiful New Custom Window Fashions!
August brings with it the long, hot, sultry days of summer, which often stay that way well into evening and nighttime. It can feel like no air is moving at all, inside or out, and that the strong daylight sunshine might just never settle down and be civilized again. Here in Florida, summer feels like it will never end. Where can you go to get away from such oppressive conditions? Indoors, of course!
Your windows provide a perfect place to allow just as much of summer in as you deem fit, keeping out the rest, and saving yourself some money to boot! Beautiful new custom draperies, blinds, shadings, shutters and more will control that hard Florida light, and insulate against the outdoor heat. In doing so, they protect the other valuable furnishings, walls, artwork and fabrics you’ve selected for your home, and help keep the cooler air inside, too. This translates directly into dollars and cents.
 Cool Air In; Hot Air Out… And Vice Versa!
By selecting window fashions made from materials with appropriate thermal qualities, you can actually save money by beautifying your rooms. So many beautiful high-tech window fashion fabrics and other innovative materials now exist that you won’t believe you’re looking at something that will enhance your lifestyle while helping you save energy and adding value to your home! You needn’t go running out to find any of these marvels either… I’ll be happy to drop by and should you the full range of what’s possible whenever it is convenient!
Layering Works in Summer, too!
Just as layers of clothing keep us warmer in winter, layers of window fashions add warmth in winter, and cool in summer by adding even more thermal protection at your windows. By simply adding one of the new woven, see-though solar shadings below your  existing window fashions, you can add up to 95% to 98% UV protection from damaging sunlight without blocking your outdoor views, and keep your rooms cooler at the same time! Conversely, beautiful blinds and shadings work well beneath draperies, valences and cornices to bring privacy and thermal protection to your rooms, year-round.
July 13, 2009
Almost every home in Florida has one… an arched, angled, raked window that seems to defy all window covering logic, one that stumps you on how best to treat it for both sun protection, privacy and that looks drop-dead gorgeous as well.
Fear no more! As homebuilders and architects added window design elements outside of the typical squares and rectangles, your faithful window coverings industry kept in step with great and beautiful product solutions that enhance ANY window, no matter the shape or size. I know all about these problem-solving window fashions.
Imagination and Artistry in Window Treatments
 Can you imagine a pleated shade that can cover a round, or half-round window? How about an highly-placed asymetrical window with motorized louvered blinds that you can open and close remotely, without a cord? What about skylight, greenhouse or solarium windows you can cover with blinds or shades on tracks, in soft or hard materials? All of these design innovations are available RIGHT NOW, and are in use in thousands of homes across the country.
As well, soft fabric solutions as unique as any window itself are created every day by custom window fashions professionals who have the expertise to cover ANY kind of window. No retail store can provide this kind of service or creativity, and your solution will be yours alone.
 For one window or many… I’m here to help!
There are many solutions to these “problem” windows depending on the decor of your room, budget, etc. Get in touch and we can discuss your needs and come up with some great ideas within your budget!
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