Customers who are thinking about interior shutters for a room in their home are often worried about what to do about an exterior door in that same room. I tell them it’s no problem—we can put shutters on the door, too.
One thing to consider when looking at shutters for doors is where and what type the door handle is. Is there enough room between the handle and the edge of the glass to install the shutter? Or, as is often the case with lever handles, will the shutter need to be modified to clear the handle?
How Will the Shutters and Door Interact?
Consider also how you want the door and shutter to interact. Do you want to be able to open the door without adjusting the shutters? If so, you will want to mount the shutter on the door.
If you want the shutter to cover the entire door instead of just the glass, you may be able to install bypass shutter panels that can be pulled across when the door is closed. These work best when you have a sliding door. Then you simply slide the shutter out of the way when you want to open the outside door. Hinged (?) and bi-fold shutters are also an option.
Hunter Douglas shutters come in unlimited stain and paint colors to match your room’s décor. If you have an unusually shaped window, we can usually handle that, too. Hunter Douglas can create blinds for oval, half round, slanted, arched, and triangular windows. I love their new motorized tilt option, especially for hard-to-reach windows.
Hunter Douglas shutters were customized to clear the handles and lock on this double door.
The top panel on this bypass shutter slides out of the way when the door needs to be opened.
If you want more information on the Hunter Douglas line of wood shutters for doors or any of the other ideas here, contact Kim for your free in-home consultation – 513-398-5798 or email klyon@windowaccentsinc.com
Finials are decorative end pieces most often placed on both ends of the curtain rod. You’ve probably seen them all your life, but not realized you had the option of many choices of design.
Here are some the basic types of finials to help you better understand:
Ball Tip Finials – from the word itself ball, this type of finial is round and it looks like a doorknob. You can also see ball tip finials on some flagpoles or bed frames.
Acorn Tip Finial – surprisingly… this finial is shaped like an acorn.
Steeple Tip Finials – these are triangular shaped finials that have pointed ends. If inverted they would resemble a church steeple.
Neo-gothic Finials – these are designed like steeple tip but with a medieval vibe though the design looks more complex compared to the other types of finials.
Contemporary Finials – comes in a number of more streamlined contemporary styles. Simple basic shapes and materials.
Swirled Finials –designed to look like a swirl and it creates an illusion of the rod extending through the swirls.
Stemmed Finials –may be mistaken for a swirled finials but stemmed finials looks like a tree branch and same as swirled finials, it creates an illusion that your window rods extends to the finials and you are not using one.
Square Finials –comes from the word square itself, square but of course, they have different structures but the main body looks like a box.
Bird Cage Finials –looks like a round cage that can be compared to a bird’s cage. It creates an architectural look of patterns shaped like a ball but hollow on the inside.
Crown Finials– from the name itself, crown. These types of finial looks like a crown in different designs and styles may it be a king, a queen, a prince or a princess these types of finials, give a Victorian vibe to your windows.
Trumpet Finials – compared to the steeple finials, the trumpet finials have the pointed end on the rod and the wider part faces outwards.
Finials are made from different materials, which provide an endless list of choices. It can be made from wood, different kinds of metal or even plastic. There is always a finial that will fit your design style and if you notice that your windows don’t have finials, maybe it’s time to consider upgrading and include finials. See how much décor and style it adds to your windows.
To learn more and see a variety of options for your Finials – just call 513-398-5798
Window Accents offers such a broad assortment of options and our expertise to choose the right finial. The best way to explore is to visit our showroom in Loveland or invite us to your home to discuss the options. We work hard to work within your budget, reflect your style and thoroughly embrace your goals. We’d love to work with you, just click the button below to initiate the scheduling process. We’ll bring all we need with us!
Thinking about blinds and worried about child safety? We have solutions.
We’ve all heard the tragic stories about children getting strangled in cords from window blinds. I was greatly relieved when the industry responded with a variety of solutions to reduce or eliminate the risk of strangulation from cords.
Before I tell you about those solutions, let me remind you that cribs, beds—and even furniture—should not be placed next to windows if you have youngsters in the house. If you have older window coverings with cords, please consider replacing them with new window coverings designed with child safety in mind.
Here at Window Accents, we sell Hunter Douglas window coverings with a variety of safety options. The simplest are breakaway cord stops or rigid wand controls that can’t tangle. Other options include retractable cords or cordless systems where you just move the bottom rail to raise or lower the shade, and no cords are exposed. Another popular option is a motorized shade that is operated by a hand-held remote. No external cords needed!
Even if replacing your window treatments is not in your plans for the near future, you can take steps to increase the safety of your existing window coverings. Visit www.windowcoverings.org for information on how to make your blinds and shades safer, including how to get free retrofit kits.
These Hunter Douglas Duette honeycomb shades are raised and lowered through the PowerView motorized system instead of by external cords, making them safer for homes with young children.
We often are experiencing fabulous fall weather here in the Greater Cincinnati area. I love being out visiting neighborhoods in Mason and Maineville and other areas throughout Cincinnati. People have their windows open and enjoying the warm days and cool nights. But this weather won’t last forever. Cold is coming and this year more than ever we need to be conscious of our energy dollars going out the window – literally! Now is the time to replace older blinds with the newer highly energy efficient shadings of today. Hunter Douglas is even offering a mail in rebate to consumers who purchase many of their products. Over the next few days, I will talk about the products that offer the highest in energy efficiency. Stay tuned.
Probably the first reason you selected your window coverings was because they look great! But did you know they can also help with your energy bill?
Your curtains, draperies, shades, shutters, and blinds can help keep the summer heat out and the winter heat in. How much depends on where you live, the direction your windows face, and whether nearby trees and buildings shade your windows. But any savings is good for your budget, right?
As much as 50% of your home’s heating and cooling energy can be lost through your windows. Use your window coverings to block out that hot sun in the summer, especially on windows that face south or west. In the winter, open the shades during the day to let the sun’s heat in. Then close them at night to keep it in.
Window coverings come in all kinds and provide varying degrees of heat management. That’s why Hunter Douglas uses a 5-star rating system to indicate the insulation and solar heat control provided by each of their products. Their new Duette Architella shades, for example, have a 4 to 5-star rating on both insulating and solar heat control properties.
Layers are key. The Duette Architella has an extra layer inside the honeycomb. Some Hunter Douglas products can be ordered with a rear shade that can be operated independently, providing an extra layer of light and heat control. Combining shutters, shades, or blinds with draperies that can close will also create insulating pockets of air and help reduce your energy bills.
Of course, you can add other heat control options like tinted window coverings or exterior awnings and shades. But why not take advantage of the window coverings you already have?
Draperies are combined with shades. The draperies can be pulled shut to add an extra layer of protection from the outdoor temperatures.
Two layers of draperies provide light control as well as some insulation from the outdoor cold and heat.
Roman shades on the door and blinds combined with draperies add decorative accents that will help keep the room more comfortable while providing privacy.
Understanding Energy Efficiency of Draperies and Curtains
Draperies – How They Reduce Heat Loss and Keep Your Home Cool
A drapery’s ability to reduce heat loss and gain depends on several factors, including fabric type (closed or open weave) and color. With such a wide variety of draperies available, it’s difficult to generalize about their energy performance.
During summer days, you should close draperies on windows receiving direct sunlight to prevent heat gain. Studies demonstrate that medium-colored draperies with white-plastic backings can reduce heat gains by 33%. Draperies also stay cooler in the summer than
some other window treatments because their pleats and folds lose heat through convection.
When drawn during cold weather, most conventional draperies can reduce heat loss from a warm room up to 10%. Therefore, in winter, you should close all draperies at night, as well as draperies that don’t receive sunlight during the day.
How to Hang Your Drapes to Promote Energy Efficiency
To reduce heat exchange or convection, draperies should be hung as close to windows as possible. Also let them fall onto a windowsill or floor. For maximum effectiveness, you should install a cornice at the top of a drapery or place the drapery against the ceiling. Then seal the drapery at both sides and overlap it in the center. You can use Velcro or magnetic tape to attach drapes to the wall at the sides and bottom. If you do these things, you may reduce heat loss up to 25%.
Two draperies hung together will create a tighter air space than just one drapery. One advantage is that the room-side drapery will maintain around the same temperature as the interior space, adding to a room’s comfort.
Shades – A Simple Way to Reduce Energy Costs
When properly installed, window shades can be one of the simplest and most effective window treatments for saving energy.
Shades should be mounted as close to the glass as possible with the sides of the shade held close to the wall to establish a sealed air space. You should lower shades on sunlit windows in the summer. Shades on the south side of a house should be raised in the winter during the day, then lowered during the night.
For greater efficiency, use dual shades—highly reflective (white) on one side and heat absorbing (dark) on the other side—that can be reversed with the seasons. The reflective surface should always face the warmest side—outward during the cooling season and inward during the heating season, and they need to be drawn all day to be effective.
Quilted roller shades and some types of Roman shades feature several layers of fiber batting and sealed edges. These shades act as both insulation and air barrier, and control air infiltration more effectively than other soft window treatments.
Pleated or Cellular Shades
Several manufacturers have designed two- or three-cell pleated or cellular shades with dead air spaces, which increase their insulating value. These shades, however, provide only slight control of air infiltration.
We’re so glad you stopped by to read our blog. If you need custom window treatments in the Greater Cincinnati Area, Call Window Accents or stop by our showroom in Loveland, OH. Want to shop from the comfort of your home? Check out our Shop at Home service!
