Best Window Treatments for Large Windows
BWS Design • Oct 20, 2018

A home with tall windows are prized for their dramatic visual appeal and ability to fill a room with natural light. In apartment homes tall windows are usually present in rooms with 9-foot ceilings, making a small living area seem much larger and brighter. And when your home features window groupings that combine windows of different sizes or different architectural stylings – deciding how to dress these larger window designs can seem more challenging and may require a  custom-designed window treatment.

When choosing the right window treatments, the homeowner will naturally consider many colors, patterns, materials, and styles of window coverings. But aside from beauty, the best solution for large windows should also consider how much solar shielding, interior privacy, light infiltration, and heat conservation you need for each room’s orientation to the sun and to passersby. Here are 3 stunning window treatments that combine modern forms, multiple functions, and passive energy efficiency to finish exposed, tall windows.

An Economical Choice: Vertical Blinds

One of the easiest and most economical ways to cover tall windows is with vertical blinds. These easy to install and operate ‘vertical louver’ window systems are a practical way to cover an entire wall of tall windows with color or a distinctive pattern. When it comes to window treatments that provide optimal privacy while covering both expansive width and height, vertical blinds can’t be beat. Today’s vertical blinds feature “whisper-quiet movement”, and will give your home a modern, sleek appearance with current patterns and textures that remove the “office building appearance” while lending softness and creativity to modern decors.

Soften the look of vertical blinds with a swag and tail curtain treatment or a complimentary shade of sheer panels.

Creative Flexibility with Roman Shades

When you desire the feel of luxurious drapery fabric for tall windows, choose Roman Shades for a chic appearance without the heaviness and light-blocking effects of fabric drapes. Roman shades are used for sun-blocking while also having an adjustment means of controlling the amount of light that enters the home. Instead of mounds of drapery fabric, Romans shades will neatly stack upon itself, while the portion that is open flows smoothly to cover large window openings. Choose either a pleated, classical design or a Looped Roman Shade that create looped  folds down the shade panel.

Explore decorative patterns such as florals shades for a sunroom, pastel stripes for a child’s room, or an elegant silk for living/dining areas. For filtered natural lighting, consider  Bamboo Roman shades  for a natural, textured look.

Modern and Efficient Cellular Shades

To enhance a modern decor with clean lines and monochromatic color patterns, cellular shades are an energy efficient option that give you precise control of how much privacy or natural lighting you desire. This is accomplished with a top down/bottom up feature where lowering the top portion overnight allows for spectacular morning sunlight upon awakening. While the bottom and top portions of a cellular shade can move independently, they are also perfect for large windows or multiple side-by-side windows. Cellular shades are also know as Honeycomb shades because the two fabric layers will fold in opposite direction, which also works to block more UV rays and provides an additional layer of insulation.

Cellular shades can create a sense of calm and a touch of style within a room. These shades can be measured to fit within the window opening or span across and outside a large window frame. Consider small cells for smaller windows, but cells under 3/8″ will look to busy for larger windows – instead consider 3/4″ cellular shades for better proportion in larger windows.

Contact us  at  Just Blinds, Inc. to discover the many options for covering tall windows, large windows, or multiple-window groupings. We’ve been serving Central Alabama for over 30 years and offer free onsite consultation, expert measuring, and professional installations.

Expert Advice by Just Blinds

The Leading Window Treatment Trends of 2024

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.

Beat the Heat: Best Choices to Keep The Interior of Your Home Cool

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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