When it comes to dressing windows, layering window treatments can be a great option.  When you select multiple window treatments, you add interest to the room, while adding multiple ways to block light.  The best way to layer window treatments, is to add a functional treatment, with a decorative window treatment.

A functional window treatment, is one that actual provides a specific function such as blocking light, reducing sound, or adding privacy.  You can achieve this with blackout curtains which would completely block all of the sunlight from entering the room.  This will also serve an additional function by reducing heating and cooling bills.  Another example of a functional window treatment is a custom balloon shade.  By having the balloon shade custom made to the exact measurements of your window, you add a great deal of UV protection as well as privacy in the window.  Solar shades, plantation shutters, and other window coverings that will completely cover the window will all offer a degree of privacy.

A non functional window treatment is used for decorative style.  The window treatments serve as eye candy and add beauty to the room, without having any real functional use.  This can be achieved with decorative cornice boards, top treatments, and valances.  All of the mentioned window treatments will set above the window and cover just a few inches of the actual window.  No views, privacy, or sun will be blocked.  You can also add decorative drapery panels which stay open and do not completely cover the width of the window.

When you decorate your window, experiment with a functional and non functional window treatment.  You will experience the best of both worlds, receiving UV protection and privacy, and still having a nice decorative look as well.

Sunshine is an uplifting day-breaker, a mood-enhancer, and a free all-day source of light. Healthy sunshine is unfortunately now confined to shorter periods during the day and poses an increased danger of overexposure, even when indoors. Fitting your windows with solar shades will filter the brightness and the heat while still allowing you to enjoy the sunny view.

A Distinct Window Treatment

Solar shades utilize a thin material, a synthetic fabric often made of flame-resistant, PVC-coated polyester that lets you see outside minus the discomfort from glare. They also keep out heat and contribute in keeping your home cool, thus reducing energy consumption of your air conditioning system. Solar shades present as a flat window covering often, but not always, in neutral shades. They do not detract from or clash with colorful sofa covers or carpets. Not meant so much to be decorative on their own, they instead enhance what is outside the window: a view of a relaxing garden, city skyscrapers, or other panoramic vistas.

Useful Wherever It is Sunny

A trend in homes is the use of glass in large expanses of walls, in addition to windows and sliding doors.

·         Most houses in a tropical setting will benefit much from solar shades that filter the perennial heat and glare. A view of lush gardens or a teeming fish pond turns into a room’s focal viewing point, negating the need for paintings.

·         In temperate climates where a cottage’s entire wall is made of glass to showcase a dramatic perspective of mountains or the ocean, solar shades will do exactly that while also protecting from the brightness of a particularly sunny day.

·         Solar shades in a kitchen/breakfast nook that faces east provides cheerful backdrop for quick or leisurely breakfasts.

·         In a small bathroom, it gives much needed sunlight and may allow a potted plant to thrive on the window sill.

·         The sitting space of bay windows is maximized with thin solar shades. Select a darker shade to keep away more of the heat and the glare for prolonged sitting or reading.

·         Privacy is maintained for occupants in any home as solar shades reveal little to an outside viewer at night, even with the interior lights on.

Solar shades are a very welcome, fairly recent choice of window dressing treatment. A major feature of being able to see outside even when they are drawn boosts the interiors of any home by optimizing what is outside and making it part of your inside viewing gallery. In addition to enhancing aesthetics, comfort, privacy, and energy conservation contribute much to their value.

Solar shades have gained attention in the market for their ability to increase energy efficiency and to lessen the unjustifiable cost of cooling systems in the home. Looking at the core functional benefits of roll up solar shades, these types of window treatment go beyond the merely “pretty” and the instant “up style” they give in the home interior.

As with the majority of soft window treatments, the full functionality of roll up solar shades can only be achieved with the use of the appropriate materials for the structure, specifically the main fabric panel that will define the shading system. There are a lot of textile types in the market nowadays, but there is only a specific group which can effectively do the job intended for solar shade fabrics.

Tips for Keep When Choosing Solar Shade Fabrics

Almost any type of fabric can be used as a shade as long as it has the ability to block or filter the light. With the emergence of DIY solar shade projects, consumers are becoming more and more creative and resourceful in making the most out of the basic materials. The following are three essential tips which can point to the best textile to use for custom roller shades:

1.       Light and Easy – roller shades are not static window treatments. They are intended to be rolled up and down in a regular basis; hence the fabric should be lightweight enough to be easily maneuvered but crisp enough so as to avoid unsightly creases or crumples.

2.       Intended Use – fabric types have varying uses. Some are good light filterers while others boast of the 100% shade and privacy capability. Before choosing the specific textile to use, consumers have to be specific with the intended functionality of the whole shading structure.

3.       Existing Interior Style – fabrics for window shades should be chosen in accordance with the existing wall color and design to ensure that all elements in the room sum up to a coherent and uncluttered style.

Most Common Fabric Classes for Roll up Solar Shades

To help homeowners in the decision process, the following section is a brief rundown of the most common fabric types for custom solar shades such as roller shades:

·         Polyester (Trevira) – is a versatile fabric type which can be used either in light filtering solar shades or in totally blackout shades. Polyester has different versions in terms of texture, color and weaves and can range from semi-transparent to solid and opaque. Trevira is one of the brands or common trade name associated with this type of fabric.

·         Basketweave – refer to any fabric with the distinct knit associated with the surface of baskets. Polyester, vinyl and plant fabrics can be combined to create basketweave fabrics.

·         Grass Weave or Grass Cloth – is a combination textile primarily made of plant fibers. To reinforce the strength of natural fibers and to make the whole fabric more durable, plant fibers are often combined with synthetic polyester or paper.

·         Jute – is also a type of natural fiber known for its rough texture and high tensile strength. On its own, jute fabric can be stiff hence the material is often combined with softer fibers such as polyester.

Roll up solar shades are only as good as the fabric material used. Much importance is given on this aspect of the structure, not only because it defines the aesthetic appeal of the window shade but more importantly, the fabric defines how effective the reduction of the sun glare is, how much privacy is given and how easy can the structure be pulled up or drawn down.  In the most basic sense, well-made fabric roller shades satisfyingly balance the combination of these functional benefits.