Look how much trash we import- Shop local and help save the planet!

At Austin Window Fashions and Window Fashions of Texas, we feel strongly that it is better to buy locally made products than spending your hard earned money on an inferior products imported from China. In case you needed one more reason to shop local- take a look at these photos. This HUGE pile of trash is the packaging that came from one order of 14 Chinese made shutters. Sure, they might be slightly cheaper to your pocket book- but when you consider the total costs to our economy and our planet- most of this packaging is going to end up in the landfill- maybe you would reconsider your purchase.

When the shutters are coming from China, they have to be very heavily packaged to protect them during the long journey. It took two and a half months for these shutters to get here. But if you ordered locally made shutters from Austin Window Fashions or Window Fashions of Texas, you would have already been enjoying beautiful real wood shutters in your home for the past month. And, to top it all off- one of the Chinese made shutter panels arrived damaged and it’s going to take and additional six to eight weeks to get a replacement for it.

When producing our locally made shutters, we don’t create even 10% of this much trash. The millwork is done in Lubbock and shipped to our factory in reused plywood containers. And it takes a lot less fuel to ship shutter parts from Lubbock to Austin than it does to ship from China to Texas! If you’re just looking for the cheapest shutters you can find, you might find they aren’t so cheap after all.

Shop local and buy locally made- it’s a better value for you and a better deal for our planet!

This huge pile of trash is the packaging from one order of Chinese shutters!

This huge pile of trash is the packaging from one order of Chinese shutters!

Duette Architella honeycomb shades makes the Arctic Blast bearable

I am so glad I put Duette Architella honeycomb shades in my bedroom!

Did you enjoy the Arctic Blast we had earlier this week? I’m not a fan of cold weather- at all. And several days in a row of sub freezing temperatures sucks. But thankfully my house stayed nice a comfortable during the blast, in part due to the Duette Architella honeycomb shades in my windows.

The first morning of freezing temps, I opened up my shades to find ice on the INSIDE of my window sills. We have a lot of condensation form on our windows (thanks to the builder for putting in cheep windows) and it got so cold, that the condensation froze inside my room. But fortunately, I had my Duette shades with the double cell in cell insulating pulled all the way down, and it kept all that freezing temperature out of my room. So the space between the glass and the shade was below freezing and formed ice on my window sills, but the interior side of the shades was nice and comfortable. When I pulled the shades up and looked outside, I could feel a very noticeable cold emanating from the windows. Burr!

Here are some pics of ice inside my window sills!

Frozen condensation on the inside window sill of bedroom

It was so cold, the feezing temps froze the condensation inside my room.

a wall of windows is not good insulation for the bedroom, so I put in Duette honeycomb shades

Duette architella honeycomb shades with cell in cell construction provides good insulation

Free Installation on Real Wood Shutters is Ending Forever!

Free Installation on Real Wood Shutters is Ending Forever!

That’s right folks- this is your last chance to get in on the best offer we’ve ever had- because FREE INSTALLATION on our real wood shutters is coming to an end of December 31, 2010… and it’s not coming back! Minimum purchase of four shutters. Standard installation only. Some restrictions apply. See store for details. Call us or visit the showroom today.

Now is also the best time to buy because we’re offering a FREE UPGRADE to the Sandbrushed Finish. This releived woodgrain finish highlights the natural beauty of your real wood shutters and looks great in both painted and stained finishes. AND if you buy four or more Sandbrushed shutters, we’ll take an instant extra $50 off your order.

And don’t forget, there are a ton of great rebates on Hunter Douglas products ending on December 15, 2010. We’re even giving you an instant double savings on Silhouette Window Shadings, Pirouette Window Shadings, and Vignette Modern Roman Shades. See specials page on website for details: http://www.windowfashionsoftexas.com/feature.asp

Free Literise cordless lifting system until Dec. 15th.

Free Installation on Duette Honeycomb Shades and Provenance Woven Wood shades exclusively at Window Fashions of Texas and Austin Window Fashions. Minimum purchase of three shades. Some restrictions apply. See store for details or call us today.

Show off the natural beauty of real wood with the Sandbrushed Finish

The Beauty of Black-out Shades

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

The Houston Showroom is Now Open- and it’s Beautiful!

Tell all your friends and family in Houston, or you happen to be in the area, you need to stop by the new Window Fashions of Texas showroom in Houston. It’s Beautiful! And it’s huge! Over 2500 square feet of everything you could want in window coverings! The largest window covering showroom in Houston and all Texas! Come see the beautiful, large plantation shutter displays. Fully operable arches are our speciality- because the only way to properly cover an arched window is with a shutter. Gorgeous stained shutters with large four and even five inch louvres. If you’ve got big windows, this is the only way to go! It’s fine furniture for your windows. And our shutters are all real wood and all made right here in Texas.

And we’ve got a ton of beautiful Hunter Douglas stuff on display. The most selection of the nicest window fashions you will find anywhere. Every product of the Hunter Douglas brand is on display. See, touch, and operate all the pretty Silhouette Window Shadings, Luminette Window Shadings, and Vignette Modern Roman Shades you’ve dreamed of putting in your home. Need blinds! We’ve got a dozen different types and styles on display. Find something you like; our design consultants can give you an on the spot estimate using rough measurements of your windows. Then you can set an appointment for us to come to your home and take precise measurements and help you make final selections.

We’re proud to have our new showroom open in Houston, so stop by and find everything you’ve been looking for in window coverings. Monday – Friday 8:30-5:00 and Saturdays 10:00-4:00. 10796 Kempwood Dr. Houston, TX 78043. In west Houston, On Kempwood, one block west of the Sam Houston Tollway. One mile north of the intersection of the Tollway and I-10.

www.windowfashionsoftexas.com

Big arched shutter with fully operable louvres on display in the Window Fashions of Texas showroom

Tons of Hunter Douglas displays at Window Fashions of Texas in Houston

Entry of the showroom with a beautiful Luminette Window Shade on the front windows and a giant louver stained shutter display

The outside of the new Window Fashions of Texas showroom in Houston

Exciting News! We’re Opening a New Location in Houston!

We are so excited to announce the opening of our newest location in Houston, Texas!

Austin Window Fashions and Window Fashions of Texas will truly become the largest retailer of Hunter Douglas blinds and shades as well as factory direct plantation shutters with the opening of our newest location in Houston, Texas. We will now be able to serve all of the central and south Texas area with the largest selection of blinds, shades, shutters and service. The gorgeous new showroom is unparalleled in size and selection- just over 2500 square feet of full size displays of real wood plantation shutters and all of the Hunter Douglas line of blinds, shades and sheers. You’ve got to come see some of the beautiful, huge, arched shutters we put in this showroom!

The Houston showroom opening date is set for May 1, 2010. It’s located at 10796 Kempwood Drive, Houston, TX 77043. On Kempwood, one block west of the Sam Houston Tollroad. Come by and see us, visit the website: www.windowfashionsoftexas.com, or call for a free quote (713)460-6558.