Vertical Blinds vs. Horizontal Blinds: Choosing What’s Right for Your Space
BWS Marketing • January 14, 2020
When it comes to finding the perfect window treatments to complement your home, there are countless options of blinds available on the market to meet your space’s style and functionality needs. Before you start comparing colors, patterns, and materials, however, it’s important to consider whether the windows you are designing would benefit most from vertical or horizontal blinds. While they share many similarities, becoming familiar with the differences between the two can make all the difference in getting the most out of your window coverings. Here are some critical factors of each style to keep in mind when shopping for blinds.
Vertical Blinds
- Window Size: Ideal for sliding glass, patio, or particularly large doors and windows, vertical blinds work well in filling out wide spaces nicely.
- Maintenance: Vertical blinds should be cleaned regularly and are slightly easier to maintain than horizontal if done consistently. Because they move on a single track, they may need to be replaced more frequently than horizontal blinds.
- Privacy: While vertical blinds are more effective at blocking sunlight than their horizontal counterparts thanks to their large slats, they still tend to let in some amount of sunlight. For this reason, they may not be the best option for a room that requires total privacy, such as a bathroom or bedroom.
- Positioning: Windows that face east and west are most suitable for vertical blinds.
- Size of Slats: Vertical blinds tend to have larger slats that hang from a head rail at the top of the door or window. They can be easily closed using a wand or chain pulley system.
Horizontal Blinds
- Window Size: Perfect for small, narrow, or unusually tall spaces, horizontal blinds work well in small or medium sized windows.
- Maintenance: Like vertical blinds, horizontal blinds are easier to clean if done frequently, rather than trying to deep clean them when they are quite dirty. While they tend to last longer than vertical ones, horizontal blinds can be hard to reach and have additional strings that make cleaning more challenging.
- Privacy: When privacy is a top priority for your room, horizontal blinds can’t be beat. They are very effective at blocking out sunlight when closed, and don’t pose a risk of being accidentally pushed open like vertical ones.
- Positioning: Windows that face north and south are most suitable for horizontal blinds.
- Size of Slats: Horizontal blinds tend to have smaller slats that do not touch the floor, while vertical ones do. They are also less noisy, especially if they will hang in windows that will be left open on windy days.
Similarities
Now that you are familiar with the strengths and differences of vertical and horizontal blinds, you can focus on how you want your window treatments to look in the room you are designing. The good news is that no matter which style you choose, both options are great at blocking out harmful UV rays from the sun, can help keep your home cooler, and can be made from numerous materials, such as aluminum, wood, vinyl, and more, to meet your unique needs.
While many retail stores offer a decent selection of blinds for doors and windows, not all blinds are made equally. Inexpensive blinds may save you a few bucks upfront, but what they save in cost they will lack in durability and attractiveness. To get the most out of your window treatments, it’s best to invest in blinds that will serve you well for years to come. Just Blinds, Inc. are experts at providing custom window coverings to make even the most challenging of spaces inviting and functional. Serving the River Region and Birmingham areas for over 30 years, Just Blinds, Inc. takes pride in offering homeowners and contractors quality products and superior service. Our large selection of custom blinds, free in-home consultations, and knowledgeable design experts will make the process of selecting the perfect window coverings to complement your space a pleasure.
Expert Advice by Just Blinds
When the mercury soars, never underestimate the power of blinds, shades, and other window treatments to keep your living space cool. With the techniques that follow, you can limit demand on your air conditioner, lower your energy bill, and maintain stunning aesthetics both inside and out. 1. Go For the Layered Look If you don't want blackout blinds that completely block out light and heat, consider layering your window treatments for the summer months. This is a great way to add depth and texture to your rooms while still maintaining a tight home envelope and limiting solar heat gains. Use wood or faux wood blinds to create a solid base layer. Then, add sheers and custom curtains to finish the look. Layering creates levels of flexibility and adaptability that single window treatments cannot match. You can close all three layers for maximum heat blocking, slant your blinds and close your sheers to let limited sunlight in, or open your drapes and your blinds and use your sheers for light filtering. 2. Beat the Heat With Outdoor Window Treatments Some of the best window treatments for blocking heat and light during the summer months belong on the outside of your home. If you haven't done so already, consider investing in shutters. Shutters can vastly improve the efficiency of your home while providing excellent UV ray protection. This will keep your flooring and furnishings from fading while offering a fair amount of skin protection. In addition to tightening home envelopes, shutters provide excellent noise reduction and offer added protection against the natural elements. With your shutters standing guard as your home's first defense, you'll still have one or more window treatments at the interior of the building during the next big heat wave. Outdoor Shades Work, Too If shutters aren't the right look for you, opt for lightweight, retractable shades. Installing outdoor shades gives you yet another way to safeguard your home from solar heat gains whenever temperatures spike. You can use outdoor shades with layered indoor window treatments to create an airtight space and reduce stress on your AC during the hottest portion of the day. Once the sun sets, you can easily draw them open. 3. Optimize Airflow According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoor air can be up to five time more contaminated than outdoor air. Even though air conditioners and heat pumps filter the indoor air during operation, they don't extract volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or other gaseous chemical contaminants. When the sun's out and you're running your air conditioner non-stop, all the contaminants introduced into your home by off-gassing building materials, cooking, room freshening sprays, and chemical-laden self-care products and cleaners remain trapped indoors. Blinds are great for optimizing airflow. When the sun sets, the mercury dives, and a cool breeze rolls in, you can turn your blind slats upwards to reflect light from the setting sun and slightly crack your windows. This technique works well for giving ACs an early evening break. It's also an excellent strategy for improving indoor air quality (IAQ). As natural light decreases, you can open your blind slats wider and let more fresh, outdoor air flow in. This easy air exchange will get your home and your IAQ ready for the challenges of the next sweltering day. 4. Keep Indoor Moisture in Check With Shades With a high-functioning air conditioner or heat pump, you'll get reliable humidity regulation whenever your cooling system is on. The right shades can support this by keeping outdoor moisture outside and preventing the buildup of condensation on your windows. Cellular shades are made for high-moisture areas, and they're the perfect addition to any other southern home. You can get similar benefits from faux wood blinds, vinyl blinds, and aluminum blinds. Moisture-resistant blinds or shades are an essential upgrade if you currently have heavy fabric drapes or multiple layers of sheers. Some materials capture and retain moisture. They're also prone to problems like mold and mildew and can lower IAQ as a result. 5. Go Motorized Don't worry about dragging your ladder out to draw your outdoor shades or running through your home to manually adjust your blinds. Shop for motorized window treatments that you can open, close, and adjust with just the touch of a button. This way, as lighting and temperatures change, you can quickly adapt your window treatments to reflect your most current needs. At Just Blinds, we're all about comfort. We want your window treatments to look amazing, but believe that you should feel amazing too. We offer a fantastic selection of blinds, shutters, shades, and custom draperies to help our clients beat the heat in the summer months . Let us help you stay cool in style. To speak with our design consultants, contact Just Blinds today!
Windows give a home warmth, light, and a view of the outside world. But with the right treatments, you can also use your windows to make your home feel cozy. Coziness is a semse of comfort and familiarity. It defines a charm that feels like home, whether it's the coziness of a warm room in winter, your movie den in the summer. When we think of coziness, we often think of couches, candles, and throw blankets. But your windows play an equally important part. After all, it's your window treatments that frame the light, add softness to your walls, and set the mood for every room. The right window decorations can make your home feel warm and inviting. Using Windows, Drapes, and Shades to Create Coziness Window treatements create a vibe for your entire room. Drapes, shades, and shutters can be used to create a backdrop of texture, color, and style. They also allow you to control the light levels in your home and even the color of the light. This means that your windows are the best place to start when making a room feel cozy. Layering soft drapes in rich colors is a great way to add that sense of comfort and warmth to a room, while cheerful blinds in soft neutrals can help a room to feel relaxed and welcoming. You can also use drapes or blinds to add a splash of color as a bold accent in any room. These touches combined with glowing sunshine during the day create a cozy and comfortable space. Plants as Cozy Window Decor You can use other types of decor to evoke a sense of coziness, too. We particularly love plants. Leafy green plants love the sunshine as much as you do and thrive when placed in a sunny window. Place an elegant snake plant in the windowsill or hang creeping ivy from a hook near the top of a window frame to make your room feel cheerful and alive with green energy. Plants make a home feel natural and vibrantly lived-in which is perfect for your cozy vibe. For a cozy kitchen, you can even grow fresh herbs in a box on the windowsill that add a delicious aroma and tasty fresh seasoning along with their natural visual appeal. Enhance Your Space with Aromatherapy Speaking of aromatics, you might be surprised how much your windows can take part in cozy aromatherapy. Window treatments like drapes and blinds are fabric that can help purfumes and essential oils linger in the room for days. Cozy scents are often warm aromas like cinnamon, vanilla, lavender, almonds, and coffee. But fresh fruit or floral scents that smell like "home" to you can also add a sense of coziness to each room. Simply spritz your curtains with your favorite scents and each room will subtly carry that comforting smell of home that makes you want to snuggle into the couch and relax at the end of each day. Moody Shade and Maximizing Light When we visualize coziness, light levels often play a role. Your minds eye may see a sun-drenched cottage or a gently lit library as your mental idea of a room that is perfectly cozy. Window treatments allow you to set the mood by reducing or maximizing light to the perfect levels. Well-designed shades and drapes can pull back attractively to maximize light, bathing your room in the warm welcoming glow of sunshine. Or if you prefer a more relaxed coziness, you can use translucent drapes or cellular shades to filter the light exactly the right amount. Diffuse and reduced light filtered through fabric of a warm color can make you feel safe and at peace. Increase Your Happiness with Window Design Your home should feel welcoming, relaxing, and cozy. The right window treatments can help set the stage for a delightful welcome home each night, rejuvinating weekends, and an overall feeling of at-home coziness when you are relaxing in your favorite place. To achieve this goal, you can experiment with home decor changes, including your windows, to achieve your ideal at-home bliss. Contact us today for custom drapes and blinds to complete your cozy room design.