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Home Decorating

Are honeycomb shades durable with kids?

13 years ago

We are going to get blinds for our 12' front window array in the house we bought this summer. (We currently have the curtains left behind, which I think are lovely, and white sheers, but hate dragging them across the windows for a semblance of privacy when they don't cover it all). We have a nearly 4 year old who doesn't mess with household things or pull or climb, but with another on the way and another 18 years of kids in the house, I don't want to make a shortsighted decision based on price.

Anyway, we priced out Kirsch woodgrass-type roman blinds with cordless mechanism at $1000-$1200 depending on style, and Kirsch honeycomb shades with the same mechanism for about $600 or $1200 (we'd get the woven wood before the pricier honeycomb). These are initial quotes from a high end curtain shop; we haven't price shopped yet.

How durable are those honeycomb shades? They seem to be made of a woven paper/Tyvek type material. All of the samples at places like Bed Bath & Beyond are torn and ripped and I wonder if they are fairly delicate and tear or crunch easily with kids around. Thanks for any advice!

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Comments (4)

graywings123
13 years ago
Honeycomb shades are a fabulous product and hold up well over time; I had them for 13 years in a house, restrung once, and they are probably still going strong. As the displays show, they don't take abuse well. And as far as I know, they can't be repaired. If you were to distort them by pushing with your hand, I don't think you would be able to straighten them out again.

Maybe nice roller shades?
rlthomas7
13 years ago
I got some fabric ones from blinds.com and I'd think they'd hold up better. They were very inexpensive and I was confident using them with an almost-three year old.
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annzgw
13 years ago
I don't know what BBB are carrying but the ones I own are very durable. I believe they're by Hunter Douglas. One set is behind the kitchen sink and I've washed spaghetti sauce off with no problems plus when they've gotten crushed from the cat lying against them they pop right back into position.
I highly recommend their UltraGlide cord system. Personally, I wouldn't want to go around everyday raising and lowering 12' of cordless roman shades.

Keep in mind that when the cellulars are down you have total privacy but no control of light as you do with blinds.
bobtheblindguy
13 years ago
Cellular shades are very durable. While shade is hanging you can grab and crush some material in your hand and it will spring back into place. One of the most energy efficient shades on the market. The cordless option is very nice, clean look and safe for children. Drawback is like annz said, not as versatile as a blind for light control. The top down bottom up feature will allow you let light in and maintain your view while keeping your privacy. More money but if thats important to you will be worth it.

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