How to Winterize Your Living Room In Style
BWS Design • October 9, 2018

The way we use our homes changes from season to season. In the summer, you want the lightest possible decor. Plenty of room to move around in, breezy curtains, and furniture that’s comfortable in warmer temperatures. You’re more likely to leave your windows open, lounge on deck chairs in the back garden, and use indoors as more of a staging point for warm-weather activities. However, as the seasons turn and the days get colder, so too does how we use the home. We stay inside, turn on the heat, and curl up with hot cocoa instead of lounging on the deck. Even the way we decorate changes as we draw the curtains against the cold and blankets start appearing draped over the backs of chairs and couches, not to mention actual holiday decor.

Most people go through this transition without noticing. They get colder, the holidays approach, and their behavior changes, but why not optimize the yearly reconfiguration? With a deft hand and a stylish vision, you can winterize your living areas and make them seasonally beautiful at the same time.

Custom Thermal Curtains
The curtains you want up in the summer and winter are very different. Films and bright, cheerful patterns are great when your goal is to let in the sunshine but windows take on an entirely different nature in the winter. Even insulated windows can get cold and the best solution to keeping your home warm is heavy thermally insulating draperies. While you can find off-the-shelf thermal curtains, if you want the winter window treatments for all your public rooms to match or complement each other, try ordering a set of custom drapes instead. You can choose a cheery holiday red theme, dark blues for a more somber tone, or pick a pattern that looks elegant in your home design.

Thick Carpets on Smooth Floors
What your floors are made of makes a big difference both in how cold they are to walk on and how much cold they can transfer into the home. Stone and tile floors may be nice and cool in the summer but they can become uncomfortably cold in the winter. Wood and linoleum are more resistant to cold but nothing keeps your home cozy soft, thick carpets. While you may not want them down all year long, the winter is the perfect time to put down some beautiful patterned rugs in any room with hard floors. Long rugs can be used for hallways and walk spaces, larger ones for open areas or even rearranging to be underneath your regular furniture. The best part is that, by working with your custom drapes team, you can find rugs that look superb when paired with your thermal curtains.

Matching Throw Blankets
Throw blankets or “throws” are those soft blankets that look nice draped over the back of a couch and can be snuggled under on a cool evening. They can be knitted, quilted, crocheted, or simply a double-layer of something soft and warm. They often feature fringe or accent colors and are best when used to compliment the design of the room. A dark gray blanket, for instance, might set off the blue-gray tinges of a subtly designed living room while a cheery red with tassel-fringe would look fantastic in a living area decked out for a family Christmas. These blankets are nice when you’re alone but are especially welcoming to napping children, blanket sharing, and older relatives when family comes to visit for the holidays.

Everyone makes changes to their living space in the winter, from putting up heavier drapes to decorating for the annual family holiday. Why not do it all in one stylish fell swoop with matching curtains, warm rugs, and comfortable throw blankets that pull the entire interior design of your room together? For more great winter style tips or to consult on making your decor dream a reality, contact us today!

Expert Advice by Just Blinds

March 13, 2025
We all know and understand the concept of installing outdoor shades on a patio. It is the classic way to create a cool and comfortable space for yourself and your friends to spend some quality time together outdoors. There is nothing wrong with that, but it is limiting to think that the patio is the only part of one's property where outdoor shades are appropriate. There are some surprising and unexpected places where homeowners have taken to installing outdoor shades recently. We want to take a look at some of these to provide you with ideas for your next home improvement project. 1) Balconies Some homes are built quite close together, and some homeowners naturally feel like they would like to do more to protect their privacy. Although their neighbors might not intentionally be looking through their balconies, it is easy for the human eye to drift. Thus, some city-dwelling homeowners have made the choice to install outdoor shades in this area. On top of keeping prying eyes off of your property, outdoor shades also block the sun rays from your balcony as well creating a more comfortable space to spend some time. 2) Outdoor Kitchens One of the most delightful social experiences that someone can have is to invite over a large group of friends for a meal cooked outside. It gives everyone the opportunity to share stories, laughes, and a bit of food all at the same time. Of course, this is best done in an outdoor kitchen. Your outdoor kitchen is a space where you should feel comfortable and have the ability to entertain a large group of people all at the same time. This means looking at installing outdoor shades to provide an extra layer of protection from the heat of the sun. Thus, this has become another area where homeowners are quickly installing outdoor shades. 3) Poolside Lounges Now we are really talking! Who doesn't love to kick back with their favorite cold beverage and spend some time relaxing next to the pool? That is what you can enjoy more completely when you set up a poolside lounge with outdoor shades. Poolside lounges are meant to be a place where you can spend several hours at a time. However, it can get pretty hot while doing so if you don't put some outdoor shades in place. Get those shades up so you can let all of your worries melt away as you take in the smell of pool water and sunscreen. 4) Garden Areas Do you enjoy a little gardening in your downtime? You might like it even more after setting up outdoor shades that protect you from the excessive heat of the sun. Gardening is labor-intensive work and can take several hours of diligent labor to do it properly. However, you don't want to overextend yourself and end up getting physically overworked. Keeping some of the sun away is an excellent way to ensure that you don't overdo it. Just make sure that you check up on the sunlight needs of the various plants that you intend to put into your garden before installing outdoor shades. 5) Exterior Windows Did you know that it is possible to reduce your energy bills by installing outdoor shades? It's true! If you place outdoor shades on the exterior windows of your home, you can reduce the strain placed on your air conditioning by naturally reducing the overall temperature within your living space. This means less money out of your pocket and more money for working on your next project.  There are many interesting places where homeowners are installing outdoor shades these days. For more creative ideas on what you can do with yours, reach out and contact us now.
February 7, 2025
One of the most frustrating things that can happen to someone trying to improve their home is to find that they have somehow made a common mistake. That person will be upset that they didn't stop and do a little research prior to making a change. That is why you are here today, and that is why we want to provide you with some details about the most common mistakes that people tend to make when putting up blinds in various rooms. Let's also examine how you can avoid making those same mistakes. Living Room - Let the Sun Shine In! A major mistake that many people make when setting up blinds in their living room is that they select an option that does not permit enough natural light to enter the room. Heavier blinds like this might have a look that you like, but you certainly don't want them to block out all of that natural light. That is just setting yourself up for a living room that is gloomy and unnatural. Go with a more lightweight option that allows plenty of light into your living room. Bathroom - Avoid Moisture Sensitive Blinds Do you know what there is a lot of in any bathroom? Moisture! From the water running in the faucet to the moisture that gathers in the air after a shower, there is plenty of moisture in the atmosphere in any bathroom. Therefore, you must make sure that you don't use any kind of material that is moisture sensitive when it comes to your blinds in the bathroom. Kitchen - Keep it Easy to Clean The blinds that you set up in your kitchen should be easy to clean. These blinds are more likely to attract things that you want to clean off of them. Why? Because you will be doing all of your cooking in the kitchen, and it is all too easy for things to splatter or otherwise cause issues for you while you are working in the kitchen. Make sure you use blinds that are straightforward and easy to clean when you set them up in your kitchen. Make things as easy as possible on yourself. Home Office - Watch Out for Glare Many people have a home office set up so that they can get things done even while they are at home. That is a wonderful thing, but you also need to think carefully about your lighting needs when it comes to this. This is to say that you should look for blinds that do not cause excessive glare on the screens that you have in your home office. When you have blinds that keep the glare off of your screens, then you won't have to strain your eyes quite as much as you might have otherwise. Dining Room - Don't Forget to Keep it Stylish One room where you can truly focus on the stylish nature of your blinds is in the dining room. In fact, this is one area where style outweighs so many other considerations. You want blinds that go well with the other colors and styles that you have set up throughout your living room. It is very easy to fall into making common mistakes when selecting blinds for different rooms in your home. Don't fall into the same traps that others have before you. It is now clear and obvious what you should do for each room in your home. Keep these tips in mind as you begin the search for the blinds that you require. For more detailed information about the mistakes that people commonly make with this purchase, reach out and contact us today.