Different Types of Window Shades – How to Choose

Living Room With Roller Shades

Types of Windows Shades

Great window shades provide sunlight control and privacy while enhancing elegance and style. You can use many different types of window shades around your home, including:

  • Roller Shades: Roller shades rely on a hollow tube to hold and roll the shade material up and down on demand. You can easily adjust and set the shade height using the locking mechanism. Roller shades are great for: 
    • Clean lines
    • Adaptability
    • Timeless aesthetic
  • Roman Shades: Roman shades provide a unique folded fabric look that is luxurious and functional. This window shade style can help insulate specific rooms from unwanted solar heat and offer several benefits, including:
    • Beautiful
    • Durable
    • Luxurious
  • Solar Shades:  Solar shades are ideal for reducing solar heat and preventing UV damage to your flooring and furniture. You can rely on solar shades for:
    • Cooling
    • Darkening rooms
    • Reducing glare
  • Cellular Shades: These are uniquely adaptable window treatments with a top-down and bottom-up function. You can easily adjust the positioning to maximize your privacy and minimize natural light. Other perks of cellular shades in Washington, D.C. include:
    • Versatility
    • Insulation properties
    • Honeycomb or pleated structure
  • Vertical Shades: Vertical blinds and window shades are a fantastic solution for covering tall windows and glass doors or making the most of your vertical spaces. They are also great for:
    • Accentuating height
    • Vertical orientation

Best Fabrics for Window Shades

Each of the above types of window treatments is available in various materials that feature multiple fabric colors and patterns to enhance your interior style. Explore some of the most popular fabric choices for window treatments.

  • Cotton: Cotton is an opaque fabric that is versatile due to the varying levels of thread count, weave design, and overall weight. This natural fabric is a stunning and adaptable choice that doesn’t always require additional lining.
  • Polyester: Polyester can imitate almost any other fabric on the market with the benefit of being cost-effective. You can find synthetic polyester alternatives to mimic more expensive fibers to enhance elegance around your home or business.
  • Silk: Silk fabrics are alluring and decadent with shimmering colors that provide a sense of luxury and class. However, this natural fabric is delicate and requires professional dry cleaning. Additionally, silk is particularly vulnerable to UV fading.
  • Wool: Wool is a natural fiber that is fantastic for insulating windows in cold climates. However, this fabric is often quite dense and thick, making it difficult to wash and affecting how the wool curtains hang.

There are many additional fabric choices on the market, including sheer shades like voile and lace. The options for different types of window shades are nearly endless. Ask your interior designer or decorator about the fabrics that best suit your tastes and lifestyle.

 

Tips for Choosing Window Shades

 Are you wondering how you can choose the best types of window shades for your home or business? Use these tips to help you find the perfect window treatment.

Choose the Right Style

The right style of window shades will provide beauty and maximize privacy while allowing you to control the amount of light in each room around your home.

Consider Your Window Shape and Size

Windows for homes and businesses are available in multiple shapes and sizes. You’ll need to evaluate the shape and size of your windows to determine the best style of treatments to install. Some of the most common window styles include:

  • Bay windows: typically feature three or more windows to add depth to the area.
  • Single or double-hung windows: use a vertical slide to open and close
  • Sliding windows: has a horizontal slide that is standard for patio doors
  • Awning windows : relies on a hinge at the top that allows the window to open from the bottom
  • Casement windows : use a side hinge to open the window like a door

Consider the Material

Window shade materials provide varying levels of UV protection and visibility. Carefully choose the right fabric and design that meets or exceeds your needs to create the look and functionality you want.

Consider the Price

Washington D.C. window treatments are available for every budget, but you must choose carefully and conscientiously to ensure that you make the best investment for your home or business. Find a balance between practical and visual goals.

Learn More About Window Shades from Couvrant

Couvrant Interior Window Fashions offers Washington, D.C. window treatments to optimize your interior spaces. We create our design plans with your wants, needs, and goals in mind. Allow us to help you transform the inside of your home or business.

The Couvrant team can help you explore different types of window shades to find the perfect match for your unique style. If you are looking for beautiful and customizable window shades in Washington, D.C., call Couvrant Interior Window Fashions at (202) 952-2204   and schedule your free consultation.

One Response

  1. Cotton window shades definitely look like they’re the best option for our upcoming window needs. If we can get some for our large window installations, it could be a great way for us to get some additional decorations for those areas without having to commit too much money. I’ll make sure I look for a window shade provider in the area and ask for these kinds of installations.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


Search

MORE ARTICLES

Request a consultation

We'll bring the showroom to you and give free advice, tips and ideas. We'll have fun, NO pressure to buy, NO obligations!