Soft Treatments

Soft treatments have become more popular in the last few years. In fact, "curtains" and "draperies" led the key word search to http://www.bestbuyblindsinc.com/ two months out of the last six. Based on that, I thought it was a good time to describe our soft treatment offering and what we are seeing as being popular.

Mainly simple, monochrome fabrics (linen, silk and cotton) are popular. These are being done in pinched pleat on rings for the most part for more formal areas. More casual areas are seen with rings and fabric loops. Metal rods are the most popular (oil rubbed bronze and satin nickel). Although, we have seen some bamboo rods in more casual areas. In addition to the drapery panels, we have seen some layering with fabric roman shades underneath or perhaps on adjacent doors.

Our offering utilizes around 150 fabrics. The selection of fabrics is made by consultation with the major textile companies identifying their biggest sellers. This offering represents 80% of the actual usage. By limiting the offering to 150 fabrics, our fabricator is able to stock the fabrics more efficiently. This reduces the price and lead time to our clients. Lead times are in the 3-4 week average compared to 6-10 for custom work rooms. Our prices are often half that of a custom work room. It is certainly worth a look.

Inside Mount vs. Outside Mount

Inside vs. Outside mount refers to whether the application is mounted to the window jamb (inside) or out on the window trim or wall (outside). Technically, what the terms mean to fabricators is that they need to do a deduction on the width for an inside mount to accomodate for the bracket and allow for variance in the window jamb. What this means to most designers is how nice it looks. Most designers prefer an inside mount when available (for blinds, shutters, and shades). This provides a full reveal of the window trim and shows the desired architecture of the window.

There are several things to consider when deciding upon an inside or outside mount. For a hard application like shutters, you need to consider whether an inside mount will block the "tilt in" feature of the window (if it has one). For some, blocking the tilt feature is a compromise they are willing to make. Another thing to consider is how square the window jambs are. If they are not square (true), a rectangular application may accentuate the flaw. An outside mount may cover up the flaw.

A partial inside mount may be an option with as little as a 1/4" of depth to the window jamb. This varies by application and bracket options. For blinds, one should have partial returns on the valance that will cover the exposed brackets in a partial inside mount.

If you are unsure about the inside or outside mount decision, be sure to discuss with your designer or your blinds sales person.

Outdoor Porch Shades

The only warranteed for outdoor use (1 year) product I have come across in the U.S. is from a company called Aeroshade out of Wisconsin. They have a basswood slat in various styles and stains. They use fisherman's twine and resiliant hardware. The shades can be installed with sway cords to prevent them from flying around in the wind. They can be done in a rollup style or a roman fold style.

http://www.aeroshade.com

Alternatives include a solar roller shade. They are pretty resistant to the elements but not warranteed for outdoor use. Another alternative is to get inexpensive stock bamboo shades from a hardware store or World Market. The problem is that they won't likely fit real well. It depends on your needs.