What is the Best Window Covering For a Child’s Room that Also Provides Safety
bwsit • Oct 25, 2017

In today’s market, many window treatment options exist that fit a wide range of personal styles. However, when deciding upon a window covering in your child’s room, the abundance of options is confusing. However, this is a minor concern considering some of the options still available are actually harmful to children. Based upon  the Federal Register , the most at risk are children between 7 months to 9 years old.

Statistics on serious injury or death from cords noted  in Parents magazine  clearly highlights that safety is a more important concern than style or even price. Shockingly, according to the  US Consumer Product Safety Commission  (CPSC), the statistics of children who strangled in window cords was underreported by 50%. They also noted in the cases reported, 85% of the time parents were home. These are terrifying statistics; however, safe options that protect your child from harm are available.

The first step suggests eliminating older products recalled or identified as hazards to children. Window blinds sold prior to November 2000 are most likely to have inner cords. However, many blinds still come standard with easily accessible cords that pose a threat. The  CPSC identified  the leading cord hazards listed below:

  • Older products with continuous loop or chain of vertical blinds and draperies.
  • Multiple cords terminating in a single tassel (typically horizontal blinds).
  • Loop formed by a knot tied in the lift cords (horizontal and vertical blinds)
  • Inner loop of horizontal blinds

Of course, by removing these hazards, a need arises to replace the window covering with something more child-friendly.

So how do you decide which window treatment is best for your child? Below are options that offer the most protection in keeping your child safe from harm. All of these options offer a cordless feature so be sure to ask  a professional  before buying. These options also offer simplistic cleaning to sustain their beauty.

Plantation Shutters

  • Offers a more modern elegance not seen in traditional shutters.
  • Constructed with a wide louvered shutter that is easily opened and closed.
  • Consumers can customize the shutter width to best suit their personal preference.
  • Able to open just the wide louvered shutter or fully open the panel to access the entire window – great for window cleaning.
  • Construction of plantation shutters offer energy efficiencies for your home.
  • Shutters are cordless and easily adjust to achieve desired light, airflow, and privacy.
  • Material provides an added layer of protection against heat or cooling losses.

Woven Wood Shades

  • Offered in various wood options.
  • Uses a handle/pulley type of operation to open and close the shade.
  • Lays flat when fully closed and stylish even, overlapping folds when open.
  • Bamboo options offer anti-fungus, natural material which is ideal for a child’s room.

Vertical Blinds

  • Uses a wand type of operation.
  • Typically an affordable option that is still child-friendly.
  • Available in various material options such as fabric and vinyl.
  • Wide selection of shading from light to dark for customization.
  • Flexible options for smaller to much larger windows and even sliders.

Roller Shades

  • Coordinates well with other window treatments such as a valance or drapery treatment.
  • Versatile, custom options on styles, textured material, and colors.
  • Offers varying filters of light from soft to room darkening.
  • Uses a hollow tube with a coiled spring inside to raise and lower the shade.
  • Another affordable option that fits most budgets.

Cellular Shades

  • Most fabric colors come in neutral earth tones.
  • Option of insulation aids in lowering utility bills.
  • Brackets allow for easy installation.
  • Can use a vacuum for easy clean up.

Thankfully, many elegant options are available that focus on protecting your family while still retaining a stylish appeal. Because the options are endless, a professional is a wonderful option that can help you find the style and option that best fits the needs of your family. Please  contact us , if you’d like to learn more.

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By Autumn Hooper 07 Feb, 2024
Each year, styles in window treatments come and go. Trends that were hot last year may carry over to the new interior decor season or may be replaced by something new. In 2024, we are looking at a delightful set of trends in blinds, shades, and curtains that embrace the developing attitudes and popular colors that are already giving the year a unique stylistic personality. At Just Blinds, we are delighted to keep up with the trends, helping homeowners, designers, and property managers to create stunning spaces that align with the latest in window treatment trends. The Hot Trends of 2023 Blinds and Shades Last year in 2023, we saw a great collection of trends, many of which have evolved and strengthened with the new year. 2023 explored the innovations of cell shades and honeycomb shades for the benefits of insulation and light control. Motorization gained a prominant place in both home and office design, and decorators discovered the dynamic possibilities of shades that operate from both the bottom and the top on floor-to-ceiling tracks. Texture saw a real debut with natural colors like wood finishes, linen, dusty rose, and moss green. Though bold patterns also had their day in the sun. The Trending 2024 Window Treatments In 2024, you may recognize a few trends still going strong from the year before, which is good news for those who decorated last year because your style is likely still right on-trend. But we are also seeing new trends developing with elegant enthusiasm. Smart Home Blinds The trend for motorized shades has naturally evolved to favor smart home controls. With a simple voice command, you can take control of all the motorized shades in a room, in your entire home, or set each shade to exactly the height and opacity you desire. Warm Neutrals and Bold Natural Colors Color trends favor a more natural palette. Neutral colors are warmer, even the grays and charcoals have a honey undertone, while natural colors like mossy and forest green are growing stronger in hue paired with a jewelbox of flower petal colors. If you're following the Colors of the Year, you may have also noticed an adoration of ocean blues, and you can match those blues with slightly darker or lighter blinds for beautiful effect. Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Materials Natural materials and textures were popular in 2023, and 2024 takes this trend even further. Blinds made out of recycled materials are now on the rise alongside the growing popularity of blinds made from super-sustainable plants like bamboo, hemp, jute, and grass cloth. These offer natural colors, dynamic textures, and the delight of eco-friendly design. Gauzy Sheer Elegance Sheer curtains and semi-sheer blinds are also in fashion; a classic style that has been floating near the top of popularity for literal centuries. Sheer curtains and blinds maintain privacy while allowing sunlight into the room in a gently diffused glow. They also layer excellently with more robust window treatments. Creative Window Treatment Layering Speaking of layering, we are seeing an enthusiastic embrace of creatively layered styles. Wooden shutters, gauzy curtains, and black-out blinds are among the most popular layers, but decorators are getting creative with how they choose to to layer their window treatments, using both multiple fabrics and structures at the same time. Find the Blinds that Best Suit Your Needs How can you choose fantastic and on-trend blinds that perfectly suit your design needs? Fortunately, the diversity of this year's trends leave room for almost any personal sense of style and the individual needs of each room's windows. Start with the size of your windows and your room's existing color palette. Decide if you want to match, accent, or contrast the colors of the room. Then choose the opacity, privacy, and level of motorized control you desire. This should guide you toward a specific selection that will work well for your room. From there, it's a matter of specific features and your personal sense of style. Reach Out for Expert and On-Trend Advice If you are getting ready to decorate a room and want the perfect window treatments for 2024, we are only a phonecall or a visit away. Give us a call for expert advice in the right blinds or shades for each window in your home. Our on-trend window treatment experts will be glad to help tailor your window treatment design to your personal tastes, the latest trends, and the style of each of your rooms.
20 Jul, 2023
Is your AC bill keeping you down this summer? Is your home too hot? Window treatments can help cool your home, but you need to choose the right ones and use them correctly. Not all window coverings are made equal. Here are some of the best options to help keep your home comfortable and reduce costs this summer: Cellular or honeycomb shades. These are specifically designed to provide a high level of insulation that keeps the heat out of your home. They also don't block the view when completely drawn. As a bonus, you can get them in a wide variety of colors and patterns to match your home and in both top-down and bottom-up configurations. Drapery. Old-fashioned curtains can be surprisingly effective. Choose a medium color and have us add a white plastic backing to reflect heat out of your home. You can also use drapes to block some of the heat without excluding much light, allowing you to enjoy natural light flowing through your drapes. Fabric Roman shades. These are a distinctive option that really dresses up a room, and if you choose the kind with several layers they will definitely help keep the heat out. We have light filtering and blackout options and everything in between. Why Should You Use These Types of Shades or Blinds? The two reasons are to save money and help protect the environment. Good shades keep your home cooler and this means your air conditioning systems don't have to work as hard and use as much energy. In the northern hemisphere, it's most important to have heat-reducing treatments on your southern windows and you can allow more light in through windows that face north. Both cellular and Roman shades can also be motorized and even put on timers to close the shades when you are not there and then let light in when you return. The small amount of energy used by motorized shades is much less than that lost through naked windows. All of these shades can also add to the aesthetics of your room. Cellular shades are great to add a pop of color or a subtle pattern. Both drapery and Roman shades give a soft feel to your windows that then spreads to the rest of your room. What is the Best Choice? The best choice of the three depends on your personal aesthetics. Our designers can help you make the right choice. If you want motorized shades, cellular shades are the lightest and thus use the least energy, and can roll all the way up and down, leaving your windows completely unrestricted. Roman shades are more visible, but can be used to add fabric and color to a room. Many people still love the look of traditional window drapes. Note that you can also combine shades and drapes for the effect you want, both in terms of reducing heat loss and in terms of aesthetics. How Much Can I Actually Save? The amount you save depends on the kind of window covering you use and how much thermal gain your house typically experiences. The larger your windows, in general, the larger the benefit, especially south-facing windows. For example, medium-colored draperies with a white plastic backing can reduce heat gain by as much as 33% for that window. Most window treatments, though, reduce overall heat gain by about 10%. This can significantly reduce your bills, by $100 to $200 a month during the summer. Using the right window treatment can make your home more comfortable in the summer and save money while preserving the environment. For advise on which window treatments to choose for your home and to see our selection of blinds and shades, contact Just Blinds today.
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