What is the latest trend in window coverings?
When it comes to window coverings, there is an extensive list of options available for homeowners to choose from. These window treatment options have varying abilities to add aesthetic appeal, control natural light, ensure privacy, and enhance your home's energy efficiency. Popularity of certain window covering has also changed over the years, some treatments have faded out of favour, while others have remained in demand or have gained in popularity. Whether you want to create a formal, modern, romantic, or elegant atmosphere in your home, there are suitable window coverings that will help you achieve your desired look—something a real estate agent may even highlight when showcasing your home’s interior.
When it comes to what is currently on trend for window coverings, we looked no further than our own order sheets. We took a look at our orders from the past 15 months an outlined what our client’s preferences have been. This list is in no particular order.
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Roman and Roller Shades
Both of these window covering options have been available and popular for some time and they are still trending as some of the most popular window treatments today. They are simple, clean and come in a wide range of colours to match any interior decor or theme. Although Roman and roller shades may be thought as a traditional window covering option, they are both still a popular choice today. Colour options and fabric options have also changed over the years, giving you more choices when it comes to either of these treatment options.
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Shutters and Blinds
Talk of elegance and character, shutters and blinds will provide both to any space in your home. They are easy to operate and offer a high level of flexibility in controlling light and ventilation as well as maintaining privacy. Both come in various materials such as wood, faux wood, and composite or vinyl that can withstand moisture damage and other fend off other potential damage such as staining and warping.
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Retro Curtains and Decor
Another trend in window coverings right now, is the use of floral and botanical prints to create a nostalgic look and feel to a room. The use of curtains with prints that are associated with past decades have shown to improve ones overall feelings of positivity and happiness. This is another great trend in window treatments.
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Incorporating Technology
The latest trend in window coverings is the use of technology to simplify and manage the operations of the curtains, drapes, and other types of coverings. With the automation and motorization of window coverings, opening and closing your window covering has become more flexible and convenient through the use of a remote or an app installed on your smartphone.
Trends come and go, when it comes to selecting window coverings for your home, look at the options that meet your needs and expectations. If you are looking at incorporating some on trend elements but don’t want to risk having to change your treatments in the coming years due to the trend fading. Consider prioritizing the type of hardware installed with your window coverings. Whether you are looking to make a statement or create visual appeal, there plenty of options available. And if they fall out of trend, they are much easier and less costly to replace than the entire covering.
How To Choose The Right Window Coverings?
When looking to enhance your home’s aesthetic appeal, the right window coverings can go a long way in pulling a room together. Window treatments have the ability to emphasize the architectural uniqueness or create a focal point in your home or office. There are a wide variety of window coverings you can choose from to accentuate your home decor design and aesthetics and provide additional functional qualities.
Window coverings help to keep out light, protect your home against heat gain and loss, protect carpets and furniture from fading, and reduce the noise level coming from outdoors. To achieve these benefits, choosing the right coverings for your home is important. This will enhance your home's aesthetics and functionality.
Follow the tips below to choose the right window coverings for your home.
1. Window Design
When looking for the right window coverings, first consider the window’s architecture. Check how the windows open (outwards or sliding) and if there is molding surrounding the windows. This will determine the type of window treatment that best suits your window design and style.
2. Style
Window coverings come in many different styles, and choosing the right style will complement and or emphasize your window’s architecture. Many coverings such as blinds, drapes, sheers, and valances come in different layers. You can also make a statement by choosing bold colours, neutral colours, and patterns. Keep in mind that your window covering style for different areas of your home do not necessarily have to be the same. You are able to create different ambiances in your different rooms with a variety of window covering styles.
3. Purpose
In choosing the right window coverings, you should determine the purpose or goals you want to achieve. If, for example, your goal is to block out the most amount of light or if you want to enhance your privacy or if you want to have a view of the outdoors will all lead to different window covering styles and designs.
Draperies, Roman Shades, and Roller Blinds can all open and close completely, providing privacy and reducing light depending on your wants and goals.
4. Type of Fabric
Another factor you may want to consider when choosing the right window coverings for your home is the type of fabrics used. There are a wide range of available fabrics from all-natural organic fabrics to synthetic materials to choose from. Just keep in mind where these fabrics will be used and the type of maintenance required. Selecting a high-quality, washable fabric that can be ironed easily may help reduce time and effort put into keeping your coverings looks fresh and new.
5. Longevity and Durability
When selecting window coverings, it's important to consider their longevity and durability. Some materials, like natural wood or high-quality synthetic fabrics, hold up well over time, while others may fade or wear out quickly due to sun exposure and daily use. Investing in durable window coverings ensures that your home maintains its aesthetic appeal and functionality for years to come. Additionally, if you're planning a window replacement in the near future, choosing adaptable and long-lasting window treatments will help you seamlessly transition to new windows without the need for additional upgrades.
With the right window coverings, you can improve your home's energy efficiency, increase your privacy, and create an eye-catching focal point in any room. Regardless of your goals, you are sure to find attractive, functional window coverings that meet your goals and beyond. Make your home beautiful and comfortable with the right window treatments from RSWindow Fashions, to schedule your free in-home quote today, call 705-794-9428.
Benefits of Motorizing your Shades
We often get asked; “Are motorized shades really needed? After all, it is pretty simple to adjust your shades manually.” And to this, we normally respond with a question like “is your television remote really needed, or is it necessary to have a remote to unlock your car doors? The simple answer to these questions and many more regarding automated products is no, they are not needed but they are important in our lives. Like many items, the technology around window coverings has grown over the past several years, providing us with more freedom and flexibility to control the amount of natural light entering our homes and better control of our privacy.
If you are still unsure about motorized shades, below we outline several key benefits they offer.
1. Convenience
Motorized shades will allow you to open and close all the shades in a room simultaneously with just a touch of a button. This comes in handy, especially if you have windows located behind large pieces of furniture such as couches or side tables. With motorized shades, there is no more climbing on and over items to open or close your shades. With many units, you will also be able to set a timer to open and close specific shades at key times during the day, providing maximum amounts of natural lite and increasing your privacy.
2. Energy Savings
Having your shades automated or installed with a light/heat sensor will ensure that your shades are open or closed during the warmest parts of the day. This improves the energy efficiency of your home and helps you save money on your energy bills. You will be able to reduce the heat gain to a minimum in the summer and increased it to the maximum in the winter reducing your reliance on your HVAC system throughout the year.
3. Security
Motorized shades help to increase your home’s safety and security by setting the automatic control system to follow a random pattern for opening and closing your shades while you are away. This gives the impression that someone is home to neighbors or anyone that is potentially watching your neighborhood helping to reduce the chances of a break and enter.
4. Elegance
Motorized shades are available in a wide variety of elegant materials and colors adding to your home’s overall aesthetics. With no chains or strings dangling from the shade itself, they are more appealing than standard manual shades.
5. Protection Against Ultraviolet Rays
We already know that window shades will help protect your home against excessive sunlight and harmful UV rays. But, motorized shades take it a step further when it comes to protecting your furniture, carpets and other important items placed close to your window from fading and the damaging effects of UV rays. Setting your shades to automatically close when you are not home or when the sun is at its highest point, it will reduce your personal belonging’s exposure to direct sunlight and harmful UV rays.
6. Part of a Complete Smart Home
Motorized shades are easily connected to your smart home system opening up the ability to set scenarios that will cause your shades to automatically go up and down as well as give you the ability to control your shades remotely from your smartphone. You can even take it a step further and connect your motorized shades to your smart home speaker allowing you to use your voice to control your shades.
There was a time, not so long ago that motorized shades were reserved for only the homes of the wealthy, well this is not the case any longer. With advancements in technology and the reduction in manufacturing costs, motorized shades are available for any home and in a range of budget-friendly options. Opening up the benefits of motorized shades to all neighborhoods across Canada.
At RS Window Fashions we specialize in modernizing your living space with window coverings. Serving Barrie and surrounding areas, call (705) 794-9428 to schedule a free in-home quote today!
Window Treatments that Best Control Sunlight
Having a naturally lit home or even an area in a home is a must-have for many homeowners and understandably so. Natural light is more welcoming than artificial light and it has a way of adding warmth to any space. However, the direct sunlight also has some negative effects, such as increased room temperatures (a plus in the winter, but a drawback during summer months) and potential sun damage to furniture and other belongings. Understanding the direction your home is situated and the best types of window coverings that will help control the sunlight will help protect your belongings as well as help you reduce your energy consumption and expenses.
Below we highlight some of the top window coverings that you can rely on to help control the sunlight that enters your home.
1. Shades
Window shades are one of the most popular window coverings on the market and perhaps one of the most effective when it comes to controlling the sunlight that enters your home, at least when they are closed. For the best result, install your shades as close to the window panes as possible. This reduces the chances of sunlight and heat reflecting off the window frames and sills and entering your home. To maximize the efficiency of your window shades, opt into a model that utilizes a dual layer of fabric or more. These extra layers of fabric provide better insulation reducing heat gain, and heat loss when your window shades are drawn.
2. Blinds
Window blinds offer flexibility that you do not get with shades, however, they do not control heat gain or loss as well either. Because you can adjust the opening of the horizontal slats of blinds, you have the option of controlling the amount of sunlight and ventilation that enters your home versus just having an open and closed solution. Blinds also allow you to adjust the direction the sunlight is deflected, in the summer angle your blinds upward to have the light reflected into your light-colored ceiling and in the winter have the slots angled downward to direct extra light and heat into your living space.
3. Drapes
Drapes are often lined with a fabric heavy enough to block sunlight from entering your home. They will also provide additional insulation and enhance your privacy. Reduced heat gain during the summer months and heat loss during the winter months is an added benefit of lined drapes, the value of reduction depends on the fabric weight and color.
4. Curtains
Curtains may not be as protective against sunlight as other window coverings, but they do offer some control against the sunlight that enters your home. As with drapes, the fabric type, weight, and color play a role in the effectiveness of curtains in limiting the amount of sunlight that enters your home.
5. Reflective Window Film
If you don’t like the idea of completely blocking the sunlight from entering your home by closing your window coverings then perhaps installing a window film may be the solution for you. These films will assist in controlling the sunlight that gets into your home as well as block solar heat, ultraviolet rays, and glare. The one drawback of these reflective films is that they may also distort your view.
If you are looking to reduce the amount of sunlight that enters your home throughout the day or reduce your potential heat gain and heat loss from your windows during the different seasons of the year, you have plenty of options to choose from. Just remember that color and material do play a big part when looking to buy your new window coverings.
At RS Window Fashions we specialize in modernizing your living space with window coverings. Serving Barrie and surrounding areas, call (705) 794-9428 to schedule a free in-home quote today!
5 Reasons Window Shades are Better than Curtains
There are endless options when it comes to window treatments and at times it can seem a bit overwhelming when having to choose new window covering from all of the available options. Shades and curtains are some the most commonly used window coverings today. Both window shades and curtains are excellent window treatment options, and no matter your feelings or thoughts on either style, they each have some benefits over the other.
Before we highlight 5 reasons why window shades have an advantage over curtains, let’s have a look at each covering individually:
What are Window Shades?
Window shades are soft fabric panels attached to a frame or rod at their upper edge to help move them up and down to expose or cover your windows. They are available in different colours, materials, lengths, and widths to fit within your window frame. Window shades move vertically through the use of either a roller, a cord or lifting mechanism.
What are Curtains?
Curtains are made up of sheets of fabric, flat, and or pleated that cover your window and frame entirely. They are hung on and move horizontally across a rod, which is installed on your wall or ceiling above your windows. Curtains come in a wide range of colours, fabrics, styles and thicknesses and can be customized to match the interior decor of your home.
Without any further delay, below are 5 reasons why window shades are better than curtains;
1. Extremely Versatile
Both Window shades and curtains come in a wide range of beautiful designs, styles, and patterns, and both have the ability to enhance the aesthetics of any room. However, shades have the ability to be used in a wider variety of scenarios. They work well with narrow windows, on windows that are situated up high, and those that are in a tricky location of your home. Window shades have the ability to be the focal point of any room, in areas that are smaller or oddly shaped, a vibrant window shade can help enhance the room’s décor.
2. Simple Installation
Window shades are simpler than curtains to install. They do not require feeding many layers of fabric through a rod, or finding anchor points in a wall. Many shades utilize brackets, which get fastened to the inside or outside of your frames or on your wall or ceiling. Once the bracket is secure, the shades just clip in.
3. Efficient Light Control
Window shades go up and down easily, making it easy to control the amount of light that enters the room. Due to their quick adjustability, window shades block out sunlight quickly and can even help reduce heat gain/loss.
4. Cost Efficiency
In most cases shades are more cost effective than curtains, and can be installed at a fraction of the cost of curtains. They are the perfect home decor improvement and a cost-saving option. Just because they cost less it doesn’t mean they offer less aesthetic appeal as they can still brighten up any room.
5. Low Maintenance
For the most part a duster or a vacuum is all that is needed to maintain your shades. If you find any stains on your shades, dab them out using a mild detergent. Some fabrics are able to be washed, but this is not necessary in most cases.
Both window shades and curtains are great window covering options you can choose for your home. The above are just a few advantages window shades have over curtains. When looking to replace the window coverings in your home, take the time to research your options to better make an informed decision and improve your comfort.
At RS Window Fashions we specialize in modernizing your living space with window coverings. Serving Barrie and surrounding areas, call (705) 794-9428 to schedule a free in-home quote today!