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.
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.
January 10, 2010
 
In homes in Florida aquarium windows often present a problem – how to dress the window to add beauty to the room and also solve sun and privacy issues. The biggest predicament is how to place privacy treatments so that there are no ugly and dysfunctional gaps at the corners. Hard treatments such as blinds and shades need to be overlapped at the “bends” in order to minimize the gap. This can be unsightly, especially if you are not adding a top treatment.
A client recently asked me to solve this particular problem. The morning sun was really annoying at the breakfast table, but for the remainder of the day she wanted to enjoy her view. In addition, she wanted to “finish” off her room with a decorative top treatment.
My solution was a bent rod with sheers operated with batons. The sheers were easily pulled to cover the opening but also provided a soft, decorative accent when pulled back. We added a box pleat valance which pulled the main colors for her room. The client was thrilled with the result. She has also found a bonus in the sheers – they help insulate all that glass during the cold snap we are experiencing in Florida!
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.
June 27, 2009
 Beautiful Science and Technology
Today’s makers of quality window fashions use the very latest and most protective high-tech materials in creating some of the most beautiful, durable and life-enhancing products ever. These take the form of innovative shadings, blinds and other amazing window treatments that give you almost absolute control of light entering each window, while adding the beauty and feel of true custom window fashions to any room.
This doesn’t, however, limit you to so-named “hard” window fashions like mini-blinds, etc., though these should be considered in some areas. “Soft” window fashions can do just as much damage control when fabricated from and/or lined with protective materials designed specifically to cut infrared and UV light. These can provide the tailored softness of custom draperies with excellent light control for more beautiful formal areas. You can even use both hard and soft treatments together for extra light protection, privacy and beauty.
Some treatments even combine two technologies to provide beauty and practicality. Imagine the softness of sheer fabrics paired with the privacy and light control of louvered window treatments… vertical OR horizontal. Products like these are available today, and are perfect for many areas and uses in your home.
Soft window fashions could include such products as Hunter Douglas Luminette, Silhouette or Pirouette fashion shadings.
For one window or many, I’m here to help!
Do you have a room full of windows that need to be covered quickly but beautifully? One window you have no idea what to do with? A special light-management problem that needs a solution? How about a decor issue that requires an expert eye and some knowledge of what’s available out there to solve it? I’m here and ready to help with all these window fashions needs and more. I provide the quality service you should expect from any true professional, and I’m happy to work within your budget, too. Just call me, and we’ll see how I can be of service to you!
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Please pass this on to a friend. They will thank you, and so will I.
June 25, 2009
Sunscreen for Your Home... Window Fashions can protect and preserve your beautiful rooms!
Now that high Summer is here, and the bright sunshine is particularly damaging to our funishings and raising our airconditioning bills, it might be a good idea to take a survey of places in your home that could use a good dose of “sunscreen”… rooms and areas that are prone to sun-fading. These places will be the first to show signs of premature aging in your valuable fabrics, rugs, carpeting, walls, and ever artwork, the things that make your house your HOME. And when it comes to sun protection, a little goes a long way. It can keep your rooms cooler, too!
Sunlight’s infrared and ultra-violet rays are the most damaging in the light spectrum, and since most every color contains a component that can be damaged by one or both of them, it’s best to keep control of the amount of sunlight that enters directly into your home. So, just like sunscreen on your skin, the proper use of window fashions can help you keep your home from getting sunburned!
One product that particularly addresses these issues is the solar shade or sheerweave. A sheerweave screen blocks the UV, blocks the heat, and retains some of the view. Contact us for more information on these fabulous window treatments. Follow along on the next blog for all the technical information on this product and why it is the ultimate solution for sun!
June 16, 2009
One window or a houseful…
That’s just the beginning! There are fabrics and coatings that repel sunlight, and new, man-made materials that make keeping rooms cooler in summer and warmer in winter a matter of course. I have literally hundreds of beautiful custom window fashion solutions for any and  all rooms of your home, since energy loss is likely to be different from one zone of your home to another. Together, we can coordinate them all, or solve one single window dilemma at a time. Regardless, working with a professional like me will save you time, effort and trouble, and save you money in so many ways. I will work within YOUR budget, and provide you with the most beautiful custom window fashions available, made just for you! Call me today for a free, at-home consultation!
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