Blinds vs. Shades-OpenConcept-Sunlight&Windows
sbch2014
6 years ago
I'm looking for some help with decision making for choosing between blinds vs. shades. Moving into a new house with an open concept living room, breakfast area, kitchen. All the windows are in a row for all three rooms and they face the West side where the sunlight will be coming in starting in the afternoon. I'm new to Texas heat. I like the windows and would like to be able to look out and want something that is easy to maintain and clean. I like the honeycomb or roller shades due to the clean and modern look and I heard they are easy to keep clean. But I'm concerned that I will have to keep them closed due to the heat and to make sure the sunlight doesn't damage the floors. Some are recommending I go with blinds due to the Texas heat and sunlight so that you can keep them open and tilted and prevent the floors. I do not want to do drapery. What are some other options that people have done where there is a lot of sunlight coming in without breaking the bank. I'm attaching the pictures here of what it looks like when sunlight is coming in at 6PM...I don't have pictures of afternoon yet. I want to make sure the hardwood floor doesn't get damaged either.
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Comments (17)
sbch2014
6 years agoRelated Discussions
Greige paint color question
Comments (72)Also check a swatch of your actual paint on a white card against the SW swatches and make sure it's a match or near match (there will be slight variation between the way they print the swatch cards and actual paint and your card vs theirs, etc., but it shouldn't look like a different color). If it isn't right, have SW correct it. How much has been painted? The process changes the look of things. It can look great, awful and great again as the old color influences and gets covered up. Second coats can make a big difference too. What kind of lighting do you have in the room? That can make a big difference. I changed light bulbs in a couple of rooms to help get rid of a purple cast. I'm surprised you are seeing too much gray. Accesible Beige is more beige than my FR walls (Agreeable Gray at 150%) and they read a softened beige -- but I have a lot or warm tones in the room (dark wood floors like you do, but mine are warm and hickory can have a lot of gray). You might start a new thread and include a photo(s). More people will look at a new thread than a years old one and photos will help....See MorePlease help me choose light fixtures open concept space
Comments (13)A floor plan will really help. It will let us see what lights you can see from where. Is your faucet and your hardware both chrome? and your door handles the dark finish. I can't tell if it is antique brass or not? What is your DR chandy - is it brass? You need to figure out, if you are following the article that you posted what category each of the above elements fall into. (the faucet, hardware, etc.) My feeling is that you have already mixed your metals. For example - in the kitchen you have chrome hardware/faucet (step 1). Step 2 would indicate picking a matching metal which you did with the island light and either of the window lights. (I prefer A2 as it adds another element - the white glass shade - into the mix while retaining the metal. Where I am bogging down is in the transition areas between the rooms which is why a floorplan would be helpful. For the foyer/LR I would pick H2 and J1 but that is subject to change depending on the floorplan and how the rooms are connected. Edited to add: Don't forget, unlike a bathroom, a kitchen comes with other metals. What are your appliances, pots/pans, cutlery. What are your plans for your stools - any metal there? In your foyer, LR and GR - does any of the furniture have any metal in them and if so - what type. Are any of your accessories metal. How about your backsplash. This thought and question was triggered while I was just in my kitchen and happened to notice my copper backsplash which is behind and underneath my stainless steel range and vent. My hardware and faucets are brushed nickel while my lights in the eating area and family room are aged bronze. My pendants are a mix of the two and act as a transition. I treated each `area of the house as a separate area. Kitchen/eating area/family room is one area while the DR and LR was treated as a separate area. Because the Kitchen/eating area/family room had a mix of metals I felt comfortable using either of those 2 metals in other rooms. The copper backsplash was my jumping off point for using copper in a variety of accessories throughout the house.. So, 3 metals throughout the house. This post was edited by blfenton on Wed, Nov 5, 14 at 18:30...See MoreAnyone have living room with three exterior walls?
Comments (22)I would consider not doing windows on the western wall. There is no way to shade that late afternoon sun. Especially in summer when it will be hot. My DH's office has windows on the south/east/west walls but he tends to like his rooms dark so keeps his blinds mostly closed. He also is always cold, so doesn't mind when the room heats up a bit more than the rest of the house in the late afternoon. My studio has windows on the north/south/east walls and is absolutely ideal except for about 20 minutes in the morning. It's bright and sunny all day and because the main axis is north/south, there isn't the issue of excessive heat. In our bedroom, our walls are south/east/west. In that case because we live in FL, we purposely chose not to put any windows on our west wall. It was a good decision. On the back of our living room which faces south, we have a covered lanai that is about 9' deep. In summer the sun doesn't penetrate any part of the lanai or living room, yet the living room is still bright all day long. In winter, the sun streams into the living room too which is ideal for warming it on those cold, FL days. (Hey for us 68 is cold!) Upstairs and around the rest of the house, our eaves are 32" deep which help shade the house all year round. We minimized windows on our west walls....See MoreChallenging Drapery panel situation, would love input
Comments (15)For the two windows next to the door, you could use one long rod, with a shorter end turning the corner for the adjacent window, with an L shaped rod. Then use two separate rods for the two windows closer to the dining area. The problem is that the drapes will be in the way of the door, and will tend to blow toward the door when it's opened. One other option may be leaving the largest window bare, and just putting drapes on the 4 smaller windows, using an L rod for the two corner windows with 3 panels around the windows, and two rods for the dining area windows. For any of the options, I wouldn't use finials on the rods - just a simple turn back to the wall from the rod. But I would try talking to her about drapes not functioning well in the space and see if you can convince her when she's in the space looking at the windows. Order the bedroom ones and wait on the others....See More
PROGordon's Window Decor
6 years agoRoller/Solar shades would be IDEAL for your space.
I would suggest picking a fabric that has a metallic backing to it. This will reflect LOTS of the heat gain, and preserve your view. Clean, contemporary, and the sheer amount of opacity/patterns available is astounding.
From WOW!
To rich grey tones.
sbch2014 thanked Gordon's Window Decor
PROsbch2014 thanked Michelle Scott for Ethan Allen - Laguna Niguel, CAsbch2014
6 years agosbch2014
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6 years ago- PRO
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6 years ago 
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3 years ago
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