Discover the Best Window Treatments for 2021 on Maui
If you live on the island, you realize that Maui has sunny days most all year round with about 276 sunny days per year. Even though the temperatures hover around the mid to high 80’s and they aren’t intolerably hot, you do still have a lot of sunshine coming in the windows of your home, business or rental homes. Window treatments are necessary to block the heat and sunshine out of your indoor areas to save you on your utility bills year-round.
Window Shades and Blinds Ideas for 2021
The two most popular window treatment ideas on the island are window shades and blinds. Each has its own great benefits and each has different appearances that are determined by the manner in which they are manufactured. You can find shades or blinds that fit your decor perfectly and give you all the benefits of custom window coverings.
Benefits of Window Shades and Blinds
Window shades and blinds have many benefits for you. Your choice in window treatments can convey anything from warm and cozy to airy and light or elegant and romantic. Window coverings when closed can block out the sunlight for an afternoon nap or let the sun shine in when opened so you don’t need to turn lights on in your living room. Blocking the warmth from the sun not only helps save you on your HVAC bill, but it keeps harsh sunlight from shining in and fading your textiles in your home or business. This means that when closed, your window shades and blinds keep the UV rays from shining on your furniture, floors and valuable artwork on your walls so all of these items will last longer before needing to be replaced. Choosing custom window shades and blinds ensures that you have the most choices available in durable products and that they will all fit perfectly, no matter what size or shape your windows happen to be.
What are Window Shades?
Window shades can be made from any type of fabric that you truly love. They are considered soft window treatments because the fabrics are soft to the touch and they give a lot of interest and depth to any room in your home or business. Window shades are generally made on a continuous roll of fabric that rolls upward and wraps around the roll at the top of the window when you open them. Shades can be drawn up and down with a spring roller device or they may be cordless and operate simply by raising or lowering the bottom rail. Shades don’t have slats or vanes like shutters and blinds and they are usually mounted inside of the window casing to give you a smooth and warm feeling to your areas. The most popular types of window shades for 2021 are woven wood shades, fabric roller shades, Roman shades and cellular shades.
4 Window Shades Ideas for 2021 in Maui
The four main types of window shades each have the same purpose, although each is made differently or operates differently.
Wonderful Woven Wood Shades
Perhaps the most popular window shades on the island are the beautiful woven wood shades. This type of window shade is made from all-natural products, such as bamboo and other grasses, which are woven together into a sheet of material. Woven wood shades are available in many different color choices all of which have great interest and fit in with the island theme here on Maui. The warmth of nature’s organic textures is amplified by a wide range of colors for a relaxed and casual style. You can choose from bright coastal whites to dark exotic stains and anywhere in between for natural tones that add depth and natural beauty to any color palette you may have.
Fine Fabric Roller Shades
Fabric roller shades are any type of fabric that you choose that operates on a roller mechanism to lift and lower them. They are generally mounted inside the window casing for a crisp and clean installation. When they are down fully, they appear as a solid sheet of fabric. Choosing a fabric shade gives you literally thousands of different fabric types, thicknesses, colors and patterns from which to choose. For windows that don’t get a lot of sunlight in them, you may want to choose a lacey and airy lightweight fabric that will filter the light coming into your spaces. For windows on the east or west of your home or business, you will likely want a thicker more luxurious fabric to block out more of the sunlight in the early mornings and late evenings. You don’t have to go by these rules though, because the number one rule in home decor is that there are no rules. If you fall in love with a sheer fabric but it won’t actually give you enough sunlight protection or privacy, you can have a custom backing added to it. This will help insulate your windows and give you privacy while still appearing as the same fabric you love inside your home.
Stunning Roman Shades
Roman shades have been around for centuries and they continue to be popular in all parts of the world which maybe because there are several styles from which to choose. They all operate in the same manner with a cord system and rings that are sewn on the rear of the fabric. When you raise Roman shades, they stack at the top of the window in neat and organized horizontal folds. The flat Roman shade only shows the folds in the fabric when the shade is raised unless you choose a more structured style in a knife pleat variation. The soft fold or hobbled Roman shade shows soft and elegant folds both when it is raised or lowered. You can also choose any fabric you wish and if you want to, you can have a custom backing attached to it to make it more energy efficient in blocking out sunlight while giving you the utmost in privacy.
Modern Cellular Shades (Honeycomb Shades)
Cellular shades or honeycomb shades as they are often called give you the best insulation on your windows in a shade. They are made with little cells in them that are sandwiched in between two layers of fabric and when you look at them from the sides, the cellular shade appears like a bee’s honeycomb with little octagons in them. The secret to the cells is that they trap warm air next to your windows in the summer so it doesn’t enter your home and this results in a great energy efficiency. Cellular shades are generally operated like a roller shade and you can choose any fabric color, style, pattern or combination of fabrics that you wish when you choose custom cellular shades for your home or office.
What are Window Blinds?
Window blinds are considered a hard window treatment. They are fabricated of slats or vanes that reach from the top of the window to the bottom. Some blinds can be pulled across a window to stack lengthwise to one side. The louvers or slats are joined together to form the blind and they may be operated by a cord or they may be cordless. When the slats are closed they block out sunlight and give you great privacy and as an added value, you can tilt the slats or vanes to give you filtered light in the amount you wish. The most popular window blinds for 2021 are made of wood, faux wood, vertical and aluminum.
Top 3 Window Blinds Ideas for 2021
You have several choices in window blinds for 2021 on the island. You can choose from how they open and close and from the materials that they are manufactured with as well as a multitude of colors and patterns to suit your needs.
Fabulous Wood and Faux Wood Blinds
Hard wood and faux wood blinds look exactly the same as each other with intricate patterns of whorls and swirls in the wood grain. The addition of your choice of stain or paint in any color you desire accentuates the lovely appearance for a truly elegant and timeless window treatment in any setting. Hard wood blinds are much heavier than faux wood blinds and they need more durable fasteners to mount them on your windows. Faux wood blinds are much lighter in weight and they won’t warp, peel, crack or fade even when they are in the sunlight constantly with the blinds down. Faux wood blinds also hold up well in areas of high humidity, such as laundry rooms, bathrooms and kitchens. Faux wood blinds will hold up well for many years in a island climate and they are at a lower price point than hard wood blinds too.
Versatile Vertical Blinds
Vertical blinds were actually created to be long lasting and durable for large windows and sliding glass doors. The entire weight of a horizontal blind places stress on the lifting mechanism and when a horizontal blind is installed on a large expanse of glass, it may wear out the lifting mechanism prematurely. The vertical blinds only bear the weight of each vane at the top of the track. The vertical slats or vanes slide easily to the side when you open them. You will find that vertical blinds are very versatile because you can have the stack when you open them on either side, both sides or in the middle of the window if you wish. This gives you several different manners of how your vertical blinds appear when they are fully open. You also have a huge amount of fabrics from which to choose to get the exact appearance you desire in vertical blinds.
Traditional Aluminum Blinds
Aluminum blinds are still on the market today, but they aren’t just the old type of mini blinds that were only available in white. You can now choose from a multitude of colors in a fashion forward window treatment. The 1/2 inch version is known as mini blinds and you can also opt for larger vanes in the 1-inch and 2-inch size for a newer appearance. The larger vanes will give you a much better view through your windows without obstructions when the vanes are open but the blinds are down. You can even choose a favorite fabric to attach to the vanes to make your aluminum blinds an item of beauty and fit with your personal decor and flair.
Personalizing Your Window Shades and Blinds
After you choose your window shades or blinds, you can add some decorative details to make them truly your own creation. The addition of a valance at the top of your window coverings will give it a finished appearance and cover the lifting mechanism as well. You can use a contrasting color, a solid color or a pretty pattern that has some of the same color as the actual shade or blind. Tape trim is a wonderful manner to add some great eye-catching detail to window treatments and it isn’t just for drapery panels any more. You can add decorative trim to the top, bottom and both sides of your window shades or blinds or only on the bottom or sides. Trims are available in thousands of different colors, patterns and widths from which to choose to enable you to have custom window treatments that are truly unique with your own personal style in mind.
Window blinds and shades are very versatile window coverings and they are going to be very popular in 2021 because of the versatility and the manner in which you can personalize them. Choosing custom window treatments allows you to choose from a huge variety of styles and fashions to suit any decor.
