bamboo window treatments? woven? wood blinds???

Im a big fan of the cellular shades that you can both raise and lower. They work like Mini Blinds but are fabric that can be either sheer or privacy and also can have a blackout fabric added.

I know that Home Depot now carries them and you can get custom sizes, also I believe hunter Douglass originally introduced them but their prices are much higher,

Our biggest concern was stacking height. If you open wood/metal shades, they take up almost a foot of height at the top of the window on our 8' windows. Drapes were widely used when the houses were new, but they are expensive and not always as durable with kids.

We chose cellular shades (Hunter Douglas Duette in Linensoft Silverpine) for our bedroom. They add a great deal of insulation, the color closely matches our original stained ceiling, and when open they virtually disappear. I love them. We chose the "PowerRise" remote control option and it was well worth the extra money. We bought them off the net and were able to get them at something like 1/2 off retail. It's a very competitive business. I also like the way the pleats are crisp and geometric, they really complement the house.

Roller shades seem to be the other way to go, and we're looking at them for the dining/living spaces. Again, they virtually disappear up top, but cover the whole window nicely, there are even roller shades that mimic the look of bamboo blinds pretty well.

Good luck!

Duet blinds stack up at the top and virtually disappear when they are open. They also can be installed with remote controls--pretty neat. The main disadvantage would be that they don't block out the light much, but if that is not an issue, it might be worth a try.

There are also restaurant style shades that roll up and are available in synthetic materials that look just like bamboo. We used them (in a plain non-bamboo style) for our kitchen and they have been great. I know a good window covering place in San Jose and they have a fair amount of Eichler experience. If you are down here and interested, send me an e-mail.

Cathye

Actually you can get the duettes or one of ther competitors with a black out option. It looses alot of the pretty factor but it will get the job done. Its been a few years since I saw th epresentation on them ut I think that one side is the normal sheer fabric and the other is a foil lined white or black. So it also offers some added insulation.

Beyond that they also offer a 3 cell version of them which in normal fabric will offer the ultimate privacy but still will let light through unless the blackout fabric is applied.

There are also restaurant style shades that roll up and are available in synthetic materials that look just like bamboo. We used them (in a plain non-bamboo style) for our kitchen and they have been great. I know a good window covering place in San Jose and they have a fair amount of Eichler experience. If you are down here and interested, send me an e-mail.

Cathye

Sorry to bump this up to the top, but does anyone know of the window covering place referenced above or others with Eichler experience? We are searching for two window treatment solutions.

1) Living room - We have a sloped-roof Eichler and would like to get window treatments that take into consideration the angled windows in the living room. The house came with original drapes across a single linear track that did not take the upper angled portions into account.

We know that Hunter Douglas Duets can do this, but frankly, outfitting the living room would cost as much as the windows (ok a little exaggeration, but not really - the quote we got was over $5k!!!)

2) We have a very large Royalite skylight 10' x 11' that we would like to outfit with a motorized solar shade to block some summer heat. Anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks!!!

You can email me at cathyelynn AT comcast DOT net, for the information you are looking for.

Cathye in Willow Glen

I do not recommend wood blinds. The collect dust and are difficult to clean. It was an $800 mistake I wish I could take back. :(

I like the look of bamboo roller blinds, but unfortunately, they do not offer much privacy at night. See right into a lit room from the outside :shock:

We ended up with canvas panel with we hand on hooks. cheap, clean looking. Can take them down easily when we don't need them. :)

why would you want to cover up the upper trapezoid windows?

Also, consider proper landscaping where you can to avoid covering your windows. If you are applying window treatments for the sake of window treatment, you don't need too. Limit where you can. Cover where you must. Less is best. :wink:

It is almost always simpler to keep your window treatment simple and easy. In case you need a much more personal privacy along with lights in your own home you'll need not necessarily be concerned as you can in addition abandon the specific window found together with add-on related to areas as well as windowpane window valances. The specific real cellular shades are a fantastic option that will come inside contemporary colors in addition to designs, which blends properly together with your complete home décor.

Cindy, all of your examples are good ones, but I would recommend having wooden blinds put up. They are appropriate for a guest room, office or bedroom and there is no need for a bulky valance. They aren't hard to clean at all, just wipe them with a damp cloth. You can also have them made to measure to fit your large windows. I am posting this paragraph that tells you more about wooden blinds: Available in four different slat widths (25mm, 35mm, 50mm and 63mm) this natural product provides a warm and contemporary look to any room. Like its sister product the Venetian, a made to measure wooden blind is also extremely versatile and allows excellent light control as well as complete privacy. We have a wood colour to match any furniture and also now available in the ultra modern and funky gloss black and white. Direct Blinds also now offer the new and innovative privacy range exclusively to you, not readily available online. I think they would make a really good choice for your house!