Window Blind Design Center

Website Highlight - 30elm.com

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:28:00 GMT

30elm.com, Your address for home design.

Dream - Discover real life projects from the most talented design professionals.

Plan - Collaborate on home projects with family, friends & designers.

Realize -Find the best design pros in your area to transform your dreams into reality.

Company Highlight - Knight Impression

Thu, 12 Jul 2007 22:59:00 GMT

Knight Impression is an Interior Decorating Company providing custom-made silk floral arrangements. Decorating services include space planning, furniture selection and arranging, color selection, accessorizing, and shopping.
Visit their website

Easy Window Coverings

Karen — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:22:00 GMT

Being a first time homeowner, there was of course, much budgeting to be done. The home had so many windows to cover I quickly had to think of a efficient way to implement the project. The solution: Find a universal inexpensive yet sophisticated window covering such as a mini-mind or faux wood blinds in a color that will complement or contrast beautifully and simply with your existing decor and layer it with pre-made treatments with a custom twist. Since shopping online is easier than ever these days I purchased pre-made plain colored or even double sided panels in different fabrics and finishes. Then added a few personal flares to each of them and hung them on the sides of the windows. For example on one pair of windows that were side by side I purchased a plain colored sateen finish panel and cut it in half then hemmed the edges. Tied satin ribbons to the top and added some bead fringe for under $30. Two wrough iron key hangers were also purchased to hook the window panels to, creating an elegant designer look. Look for more ideas and browse for new furniture at www.myaffordablefurniture.com. Where we make every experience an unforgettable one.

Bamboo Blinds

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:23:00 GMT

Bamboo blinds are a type of woven wood shade that is often lumped together with natural shades and matchstick shades. They are best known for the natural warmth that they provide for a home. Bamboo blinds also tend to be highly durable, inexpensive, and light. In addition, they hide dust well and are neutral shades that look good with almost any décor, from an elegant dining room to a casual kitchen.

While bamboo blinds tend to be especially appealing to those who want to maintain a natural look in their home, their low price is another attractive quality. Bamboo blinds are relatively inexpensive because it is easy for bamboo manufacturers to harvest more bamboo, since the plant re-grows in only five years, compared to wood blinds made from cutting down trees. Bamboo blinds re-grow more quickly because they are actually a type of grass, not a tree. They grow in many varieties throughout the world.

Some varieties of bamboo are so strong that they are twice as hard as red oak. This is why in addition to blinds, they are used for flooring, furniture, baskets, and more. The variety of bamboo throughout the world also allows bamboo blind makers to create the blinds in a variety of colors, from light blond to dark brown.

Bamboo has the added benefit of being resistant to moisture damage, as evidenced by the fact that the humid country of Japan uses them. In fact, bamboo blinds are a traditional Japanese craft, and one that is still in use. The bamboo is whittled down into thin shafts, with the outer layer removed. The craft involves a combination of handcraft and machinery.

While the overall look of a bamboo blind is very natural, styles vary depending. You can see a selection of bamboo styles. Bamboo blinds tend to let more light through than heavy drapes. For this reason, depending on the style you select, you may want to consider adding a privacy liner with a bamboo shade.

Fun facts

Bamboo shades have been credited with having a natural fire repellant quality.
One variety of bamboo plant, known as Lucky Bamboo, has been popular in the United States as both a home and office plant. The plant is easy to maintain, inexpensive, and a symbol of good health.

Finding a Contractor to Replace Windows

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:22:00 GMT

Installing new windows can do wonders for your home. It will make your home more energy efficient and add new style. Window installation is a major project, so here are a few tips to make the process easier.

Figure out exactly what you want, including the style, materials and any fixtures you'll need. The more specific you are, the more accurate the estimates will be.
Set a budget. By shopping and educating yourself thoroughly about what you want and what's available, your budget will cover the project and the estimate will be on target with the project's actual cost.
Get at least three quotes. Using online referral sites may be a good solution. Give each potential contractor the same specifications. This will help you compare the bids they submit.
Compare prices, quality of materials and timeline from each bidder. Don't hesitate to ask questions on anything that seems unclear. Make sure all your questions are answered from each contractor before you make a final decision.
Get a contract. Decide on a contractor and get a written contract that describes everything in detail. Once it's down on paper and signed by both parties there's no disputing what the original agreement contained.

Log on to www.ReliableRemodeler.com to get your remodeling project started today.

Read the full article.

Article by ARA

Contributors

Tony — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 14:28:00 GMT

I am looking for anyone who is willing to contribute to the Window Blind Center blog. The subjects would include anything from window coverings to home improvements. Also, anything related to home and garden would be accepted. This would be a volunteer position but you would be given a link to your website on every post, plus advertising throughout the website. Please contact me if you are interested or if you have any questions.

Mommy's Chair

Wed, 16 May 2007 18:25:00 GMT

"These chairs were inspired by children's 2-dimensional drawing. This quirky, unusual series is made of bent steel rods. The seat color remains matt white resembling the paper drawn on."
Visit wheredidyoubuythat.com to see more about them.

Bathtub Furniture

Fri, 04 May 2007 18:54:00 GMT

I came across an interesting artical about Bathtubs. For anyone remodeling their bathroom you might want to consider making the bathtub a piece of furniture. You can read more about it here.

Here is a brief history on the bathtub.

The first person sized bathtub was found on the isle of Crete. It was a 5 foot long pedestal tub built from hardened pottery. But it is the Roman Empire that is most widely known for their bathing culture. Around 500 BC every Roman citizen was encouraged to daily use one of the many public baths. The tubs were made of marble, and the pipes of lead and bronze were connected to a complex sewage system for sanitation purposes. The Roman empire sets the early bar for personal hygiene as we know it today.

Ideas For Interior Design

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 23:25:00 GMT

By Rosemary Leake

Ideas for interior design are a dime a dozen these days. In fact, you can likely watch one hour of television dedicated to the subject and come away with enough information to design an entire home. The problem with the tv-to life application of ideas for interior design is that, to begin with, they are difficult to document. Unless you sit beside or in front of the tv, scribbling madly onto a piece of paper, it is tough to actually hang on to all of the ideas you might get from the show. Also, success with any interior design project is planning, planning, planning. Duplicating or copying a design from television into your home might involve some extra steps or planning that was not included in the thirty-minute or hour-long segment of the show. It is this reason that one should sit down and actually go through an entire ?dry run' of a design before it is actually executed. This way, there is a better chance that you will figure out and take necessary preventative measures to ensure a problem free application.

Television is not the only resource for information and ideas for interior design. Books are a great helper to designers of any background or experience levels. The content found in books is often much more thought-out and explanative material then that of a tv show. This is so because many books entail much more basic material and information then a normal television show can include in a short segment of time. Also, books are commonly co-authored on such subjects and are generally edited before released in any form to consumers so the content has often times been written and/or edited by at least two separate parties. This is the case most often times, but there are always exceptions to the rules.

If a book seems too labor intensive or time consuming, you might consider magazine articles as a source for ideas for interior design. In magazines, you have the additional benefit of visual reresentations of designconcepts that you can actually hold onto for an extended period of time. Many interior design professionals take advantage of this benefit by collecting large quantities of these articles or pictures and placing them into a format that is easily accessible to them. This is a tremendous resource for finding a particular look or feel that a client or person might not be able to describe in actual industry terms.

The terminology used by designers is fairly self-describing although people that are not exposed to the jargon might not understand certain concepts or phrases used in defining ideas for interior design. For example, most people are generally aware of the terms ?traditional' or ?modern' design although they might have trouble explaining ones such as ?Minimalist' or ?Americana'. There is no reason to feel inadequate if these phrases are unfamiliar to you, just understand that the learning process takes time and is exactly as described, a process.

If you are comfortable with your own level of creativity, browse as many magazines as possible to put together a unique style or design code of your own and work within those guidelines and ideas for interior design applications. If you are a little less comfortable with your own sense of style and find it easier to point to a traditional design category, gather all the information possible related to that category and stick to the general guidelines presented in the information you have assembled.

The best way to assimilate information offering you ideas for interior design is to take a little information from each of the above suggested sources and compile it into a creative archive of sorts that you can access again at a later time in order to compare and contrast with your own ideas and vision.

Home Improvements Steps

Can I Install My Window Coverings Myself

Mon, 23 Apr 2007 23:14:00 GMT

There are a few things to consider when deciding the answer to this question.

First, what are you installing?

If you are installing horizontal blinds, such as mini blinds or 2" blinds, you could probably do it yourself. If you are installing vertical blinds or draperies, you might want someone professional to do it. It all depends on your handing-man skills. Your time is an important thing to consider. A professional installer could do it a lot quicker than the average person. Plus, if something goes wrong, they have the knowledge to work around that and get the job done.

Do you plan on measuring the windows yourself?

If you don't feel comfortable measuring the windows yourself, you could hire someone to do it for you. If the same company is going to install your window coverings, the measuring is usually free. If they just come out to measure, they will most likely charge you a hefty fee. If you would like to learn to do it by yourself, you can visit www.windowblindcenter.com/start.php. There you will find an overview to help you get started.

What tools do I need?

Most window coverings come with the required hardware to install them. The hardware would include;

Brackets
Screws
Clips (for hanging the valance)
Center Supports (for wide blinds)
Any string or extra attachments to hang the window coverings.

Beyond the included hardware you will need a few tools. Some basic tools that are required would be;

Drill
Hex-head driver (1/4" is standard)
Drill bit (size will vary)
Tape measure
Extra Screws
Hollow wall anchors
Pliers
Screwdriver
Hammer

You might not need all of these, but having them on hand will save you a trip to the hardware store. You might also need some additional items depending on what you are installing it too. If you are installing them in concrete, you will need a masonry drill bit and maybe a hammer drill. If you are installing them into plaster, you will need to have anchors for addition support, metal will need a self-tapping screw or a metal drill bit. If you are installing them into wood, consider yourself lucky.
Most manufactures will send installation instructions with the blinds. If they do not, just ask, and they can give you instructions or explain the process.

There are important things to consider when buying your window coverings, but most of the installations you could do yourself. With a few tools and instructions the process is pretty painless.