Many of you have asked about the window treatments in the new house, and I want to share a little bit with you about what went into my decision making process and where you can buy them (if you want your own.)
First, I want to announce that I am so honored to be partnering with BLINDS.COM. (They may have compensated me in some way for the post, but the opinions expressed here are my own.)
I have to say I have been in communication with them for months now, and they are the most wonderful people to work with. If you need blinds, shades, shutters, or drapes, they are my GO-TO source. I hope you know me well enough by now to know I would not recommend a company here unless I believed that company would do a great job for you. (You come first.) They have a 100% satisfaction guarantee and a surefit (guarantee to fit). That’s very important to me, to know that if the blinds don’t work, they will take care of it, even if it is my mistake. Did I mention they have free samples and free shipping for many of the products? I’m telling you, they are a great resource.
So back to my house, here’s my dining room, before the shades, and the after photo is above.
So why did I select what I did?
Well plantation shutters would have been a very good choice, and I had them in the old house. HOWEVER, see all of that light flooding in? I wanted the windows to be as unobstructed as possible during the day, and the shutters even with the slats open, block a lot of the sunlight. The shades when pulled all the way up to the top, only cover a small portion of the window.
I decided that I really wanted a window treatment that didn’t cover too much of the window, and I decided I really wanted something very natural looking. I love bamboo shades and started looking for the prettiest ones I could find. When I saw these from Bali, I knew I was in LOVE.
These are BALI Natural Woven Wood Shades in the color CABO PLACID.
Most bamboo shades are very brown, but these are brown and gray with a hint of green. They are really even more beautiful in person.
Next I had to decide about the lining. There are 3 choices;
1. No privacy liner (great if you don’t need privacy, just light filtering)
2. Privacy liner (provides privacy but isn’t as dark as the blackout liner)
3. Blackout liner (provides the maximum room darkening option)
For the breakfast room I chose no liner. We don’t need privacy here, I just want the shades to block some of the light when the sun hits the table in the afternoon.
For the dining room, I choose the privacy liners. This room faces the street, and being in the city we get a lot of lookee loos, so I like to have some privacy after dark.
For my bedroom, we selected the blackout liners. I am going to be real honest here. I can’t tell the difference between the blackout liner and the privacy liner. On my shades the privacy liner is white and the blackout liner is a cream color, otherwise they seem the same. See now looking at the photos I can tell the difference, but it is more difficult to discern in person.
The next thing I need to tell you about them is that I got the cordless shades.
If you have had shades or blinds with those cords, you probably know that they can be frustrating to deal with. When you open the blinds, the cords puddle on the floor and can be a hazard for children or pets. And they don’t look that great either. That’s why I LOVE the cordless option. The other thing I want to tell you is that I have cordless shades at the farm that I didn’t not get at Blinds.com and they are not Bali blinds. They are constantly crocked and the hooks on the back break all of the time. The Bali blinds feel solid to me, and stay level even after being opened and closed over and over again. The quality of the Bali blinds is so much better than the blinds I have at the farm, there really is no comparison.
It may sound strange but I get so excited talking about these blinds. I recommend them to my clients often. But even if you are looking for something else for your windows, give my friends at BLINDS.COM a call. If you want what I got, just tell them you want the Cedar Hill Farmhouse shades. (Okay I’m just kidding- the person that answers the phone is probably going to say, “What???”
I also chose flat (not hobbled)
No decorative trim
No edge binding
They are fabulous Anita…I am contemplating placing those in my dining room, but as a valance only as i love the light in the room…would love them just to enhance the windows . . Love yours!…
Love all your posts! I am particularly asking about what I think are called olive buckets on your dining room table. Love those and have been looking for one. Is it possible to steer me in a direction to find one? Your help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I found them at Round Top. Sometimes Decor Steals has them.
Thanks so much! I’ve just recently started following you and I’ve been looking at blinds and drapes to finish bedroom and living room windows since we’re just completing remodeling. I also thought about the plantation shutters but I was afraid they would compromise our water views. I’ve had Bali pleated shades before and loved the quality. Do you know if the bamboo shades would work on a sliding glass door? I want something that would be able to be pulled up and not cover the door all the time. I’m thrilled that this post has given me so much info. and pictures. The color you chose looks perfect! Love your style! Thanks.
Yes I do! They can be pulled up so that only about 6 inches of the window is covered at the top. I really like having the windows so open when the blinds are drawn up. I had the same issue with plantation shutters, although they are pretty.
They look divine lady! Love how they beautify the room. Thanks so much for such an informative post. I’m considering the woven blinds for Austin’s new room. While I love the plantation shutters as well, I don’t feel they are right for his room. So glad I saw this post 😉
Everything is looking so, so lovely!!
Great information. Thank you!
I can vouch for the high quality product and excellent customer service offered by Blinds.com
Anita, I love the color of your shades!
I have blinds too, at this house but with cords. I never knew there were cordless blinds! I love yours. I imagine that you pull them down or push them up by hand?? I have blinds in our master like that. Can you let me know. The color of your blinds is beautiful, just what I would choose too. Thanks for all the info!!!
The blinds look fabulous and I can understand about your concerns with plantation shutters. I have literally just made a decision about plantation shutters for my kitchen and ordered the extra wide ones with a hidden arm. I am now a little worried that they might look too contemporary but like you I didn’t want to loose any light and I think they are around 3.5″ wide.
I do love the look of the rattan blinds you have, my house is a little too small for a dark colour but they work beautifully in your home. I didn’t know they were available without cords so I have learned something here.
Thank you for sharing your opinion and ideas.
Lee
I do love bamboo blinds if they are nice quality like yours! I enjoy all your ideas and photos for inspiring me.
I ended up with pull shades for us because we have an old farmhouse in Central PA with the Amish. Suits us and the house well.
I hate the drapes in our house. We have our house on the market and if/when it sells I plan to use blinds in the next house. So glad to have a recommendation from you,now I’ll know who to use when the times comes to buy blinds. Your house is beautiful…..Thanks
Hi Anita! I just looooove your home! Where did you find the blue/green jugs on your breakfast room table?
Thank you!
Mimi
Oh I got those at Round Top. They are antique Mimi. I am not sure where you could find them otherwise.
Thanks for the reply, Anita! I am on a mission to find something similar! Enjoy your weekend!
I love your shades… did you do a 6″ headrail or 9″?
Thanks!
Whatever was standard.
Dear Anita,
I notice you have no returns on your blinds. It appears that you can see the wood on the ends.
Is this how they come, or can you request returns? Why did you choose this style of Roman
and not hobbled. Just curious. I am in the market for a natural look and would appreciate your
feedback. What would you do about French doors? Would these shades work, or would they
look too flat? Thanks for your help.
Lynne C
I have returns in another room. You can get them either way. I didn’t want the hobbled look, or roman shades for my house. It just wasn’t the look I was going for. You can order the hobbled ones if you prefer that look. I think these would be lovely on a French door.
Hi there…
Did I miss seeing information about the large chandelier? I love it!
Rosemary it is from Horchow.
Such an informative and innovative tips about blinds. Like everyone knows the value of installing window blinds nowadays. Thanks Anita for writing about blinds. Keep it up! 🙂
Beautiful shades and rooms. Thanks for the good info.
Great post – good advice and great photos. One idea for a post. Thanks for the great post and many inspiring pictures! When you use a privacy liner do you match your blinds or do you match your exterior?
Just ran across this blog as I am pondering putting in natural blinds in our 1941 house. Love the way your turned out. I am pretty sure that we need the privacy liner for our situation, but am very curious how it appears in the exterior view of the house. What was your experience, do you like the way the privacy blind appears from the outside? Any photos of your exterior – I know you have blinds in each of the options, unlined, privacy and blackout. I’d love to see how they look. Thanks!
They look great! I have some photos of the blinds from the exterior of the house. I tried to find those for you, but couldn’t find the post. It’s on my blog somewhere!
I found them – thank you!
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