Blinds Vs Shades: Make the Right Choice for Your Home
BWS Marketing • June 2, 2021

Blinds are made up of individual slats. They can cover the whole window, can be raised to cover a certain part of your window or fully raised to provide unobstructed views. The slats from the blinds can also be rotated to allow some light to pass through.

Rather than use slats, shades are made from fabric or woven wood. Just like blinds, you can adjust the shades to allow light to pass through, or not.

Since both shades and blinds offer almost similar services, how do you make the right choice for your home? What factors do you consider? What are the advantages and disadvantages of both window treatments? Find out the answers to these questions below.

What are Blinds?

Blinds are very popular. Many people prefer them because they are very easy to clean, are affordable, have better light control, and they can be adjusted easily.

However, blinds have their downsides as well. For instance, not many blinds designs are available. Users always feel like they are compelled to use some specific designs. Blinds are also less energy-efficient, have minimal privacy, and the slats accommodate a lot of dust.

More About Shades

The main benefits of using window shades include plenty of designs to pick from, last longer, easy to use, and some designs (the cellular shades) are energy efficient.

The downsides of having window shades include maintenance difficulty, are not affordable, and some designs are not easy to adjust.

Factors to Consider When Choosing between Blinds and Shades

Just because blinds worked better for your friend or neighbor does not necessarily mean that they will work for you. Consider the following factors when choosing your perfect window styles:

1.   Privacy and Light Control

Both blinds and shades have different ways of controlling light and maintaining privacy. Blinds are made of slats that can be tilted to allow some light to pass. Shades, on the other hand, have solid fabric that allows completing opening and closure.

Picking a window shade made from a light filtering fabric will allow you to control your privacy better.

On this front, shades have a slight upper hand over blinds.

2.   Design

Given the blinds’ natural design, you can adjust them accordingly. You can choose to partly open your blinds or keep them fully open/closed. On the other hand, shades are either open or closed, they do not have an in between.

However, blinds are limited in designs, styles and colors. Shades on the other hand are more flexible. In fact, you can customize your shades to match the other parts of your home.

3.   Ease of Cleaning

Cleaning blinds is easier because you only have to wipe them with furniture polish or wipe them with a clean cloth. Shades, on the other hand, require washing with warm water or vacuum cleaning.

If you stay in regions with high traffic or you own pets, opting for blinds would be a nice idea.

4.   Durability

 

The materials that make up blinds (wood and aluminum) are very hard and durable. This makes blinds more durable as compared to shades (made of woven fabrics).

Again, if you stay in a place with heavy traffic or own pets, blinds are the perfect choice for you.

5.   Safety

Safety in any house is mandatory. Always choose blinds or shades with shorter cords. They should be well insulated and should not hang loosely (keep them out of children’s reach).

Final Verdict

The comparison between blinds and shades is very tight. Both serve their purposes very well. However, after closely considering factors such as the designs, ease of use, privacy enhancement, and durability, blinds are the better choice.

Blinds are durable, easy to clean, and enhance privacy. However, you will have to consider the other factors discussed here before coming up with your perfect choice.

You can  contact us or read our blog for more information.

 

Expert Advice by Just Blinds

5 Ways to Beat the Summer Heat With Eye-Catching Window Treatments

June 18, 2025
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!

How to Use Windows to Make Your Home Cozier

May 29, 2025
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.