You know when you watch those ‘house hunting’ shows on HGTV, you always hear the buyers exclaim about how beautiful it is that so much light is coming in all the big windows in the new house? I did the very same thing- I bought a new house that has entire walls of windows- and boy do they let in a lot of light! And then I moved in and started living there- and that’s when I discovered the Beauty of Black-out Shades! Sure, when you’re touring a potential home, you’re entranced by the brilliance of the sunlight splashing across the master bedroom… but when you live there and wake up every morning to the blinding eastern sun shinning directly on your bed and in your eyes- you start to feel differently about all those windows.
After a few days of that kind of rude awakening, I headed to Austin Window Fashions for some help. I choose Duette Architella Honeycomb Shades with the black-out opacity- and they are awesome! The Duette Architella shades have a cell inside cell construction for extra insulation and energy efficiency (Federal Rebate available on these!) and the black-out option has a foil lined inner cell. There is no way any light is getting through these window coverings. Now my room is a nice, cozy, dark cave; perfect for sleeping-in or sneaking in that afternoon nap while the babies are sleeping.
And then when you do want to enjoy the light in your home, the Duette Honeycomb Shades raise up so compactly they take up very little room in the window, giving you a wide open view… of the neighbors back patio. That’s another issue that my new window coverings solve beautifully- privacy! It’s only after you move into a new home that you realize that the neighbors back patio and dinner table look directly into your bedroom and bathroom windows. That’s why I got the Top-Down/Bottom-Up feature on my Duette Honeycomb Shades. When I want to let the light in, but not the view of the neighbors, I just lower the shades from the top-down. You can set them anywhere- any height from the top or bottom- letting in as much light as you want and as much privacy as you want. It’s one of the best inventions ever in window coverings.
And if you’ve got western evening sun exposure- you’re going to love the Duette Architella for their insulating properties. Especially in Texas in the summer afternoons. My front door has direct western exposure and no trees to shade it. I put Duette Architella shades in the side lights and they make all the difference in the temperature of my entryway. And any way I can save on my AC bill is a great idea in my book!
So remember that if you bought a new home because of all the light coming in the windows, then soon after moving in find that you need a way to control the light and privacy- that’s when you need to head to Austin Window Fashions. There are so many great products to solve your window covering needs beautifully and perfectly. Don’t make the mistake a lot of people do of instantly throwing cheap blinds up on the windows, because you’ll never go back and replace them with the nicer better products. Go ahead and do some research. Check out all the great window covering solutions available in the Austin Window Fashions showroom, and get the right product for your needs right from the start.
Bedroom windows before- hello noisy neighbors
After: Hello privacy and light control- a perfect combination!
Before: Hello neighbors- lovely view of my bathrooom
After: Top-down/bottom-up shades provide perfect privacy
Honeycomb shades sidelights are perfect for afternoon western sun
