Hattiesburg Blinds vs. Shades: Deciding Which is Right for Your Home
Window blinds and shades come in a number of styles, so no matter which one you choose, you’ll always have a lot of options. Understanding the difference between Hattiesburg blinds and shades and the advantages of each will help make your original decision much easier to make. At Magnolia blinds & More, Inc., our Hattiesburg blinds experts can help you make this decision, and we've compiled the main differences between these two types of treatments.
- Blinds are window treatments made out of a series of slats or panels. They can be made of wood, aluminum, vinyl, or a composite. These could be horizontal or vertical.
- Shades are typically made of fabrics, vinyl, or woven wood. They can be pulled up or rolled down, but the amount of light they let in cannot be adjusted otherwise. They can have customized levels of opacity.
When you’re deciding on which of these two are right for your home, there are few things that you’ll need to consider:
The Architectural Details of your Home
If you have big, bold architectural elements in your Hattiesburg home like a bay window, for instance, you may want to shutters or blinds, which can complement architecture that has a more classic feel. The clean, horizontal lines can accentuate the contemporary & sophisticated look of some interiors.
You should also consider your room’s interior decoration style. You should try to create a balance with the interior design of the room and your window treatments. For instance, if your room has tile flooring and hardwood furniture, the softness of roman shades can help make the room feel comfortable.
The Climate You Live In and Natural Light
One of the most important things to consider when you’re deciding between window treatments is how they can affect your Hattiesburg home’s energy efficiency. In the area, your main energy efficiency concern is keeping your home cool, and that’s certainly something that your window treatments can help out with.
If you have windows that face west or south, they’ll receive a good amount of warm light, so it’s important to make sure that they’re able to have extra protection. UV shades may be your best option in these parts of your home to keep it cool. UV light damage can also fade or darken hardwood floors or furniture, and these shades will protect against that as well.
Privacy and Light Control
Think as well about how you’ll use the room your treatments are going into:
- Bedrooms and bathrooms need treatments that can provide full privacy.
- Rooms in which you’ll watch TV or work at a computer will need treatments that give you full control of the light that’s let in.
If you use shades in either of these two parts of your Hattiesburg home, you may have problems with both light control and privacy. Shades can have any opacity you should, so they can let any amount of light in when they’re closed, but you won’t have the same amount of control over the amount of light you let into your home or over privacy that you’d get with blinds.
Our professionals offer free in-home consultations to help you decide on which window treatments and which specific models would be best for your home. Call us today, and we’ll be looking forward to working with you.