The first thing you need to ensure is that black is the right color for your blinds. You do not need to know all about blinds in order to figure this out. It is not that difficult to envision how a black vertical blind would look in any window. All you need to do is hang some black fabric or even black cardboard or paper in the window and then step back and see how it looks. You should be able to tell right away whether it will fit with your room’s décor or not.

Another consideration is what you will place in your other windows. Do you want all the windows to have black blinds? No? Then what color choices do you have for the other blinds? Some options to consider include:

• Alternating black and white blinds

• Black and Grey blind combination

• One black blind on the main window and white blinds with black pattern on the other windows

• Black blinds on one window, burgundy blinds on the others

• Black blinds on the main window with the other windows graduating colors from gray to white

Look through different home decorating magazines and check out different sites online to see if you can find more ideas on what complements black blinds.

The Black And White Look

Modern designs these days favor black and white, or black, silver and white. Rooms decorated in this manner can look very tasteful, however you will need to carefully match your furnishings and floor coverings in order to pull this look off. Some items you may want to consider adding to a room include black and white throw rugs, a glass topped metal table, white couches and chairs, metal bookshelves. Generally you would want to avoid wooden furnishing as much as possible as it tends to clash with this style.  Add some white vertical blinds into the mix also.

If your room is predominantly black and white think about your room accessories.  Why not try adding in some red or burgundy throw cushions, or even deep blue cushions. You need something to add a splash of color here and there, otherwise the whole room could look very sterile and cold.  Remember to add some colorful wall hangings and decorative items around the room.

The Best Black Vertical Blinds

While you can usually find aluminum or vinyl vertical blinds, if you are hanging vertical black blinds you may want to opt for the vinyl blinds with wide panes. This will help to soften the overall appearance of the blinds and thus the room, whereas aluminum blinds may add a sense of harshness or coldness that you usually do not want in living areas.

Black vinyl vertical blinds or black metallic vertical blinds also look better when hung on full length windows, especially if some light is able to shine through the blinds. Black blinds on small windows will often only make the windows appear even smaller than they are. So, as much as possible, unless you are sure that small black blinds would look great, stick to hanging them over wider, taller windows or patio doors. If you insist on hanging black blinds on small windows you may want to opt for black mini blinds or black venetian blinds with the slats going horizontally across the window instead to give an appearance of width rather than vertical blinds.

Where to Buy Black Vertical Blinds

Most home décor and supply stores will stock vertical blinds, however they may not all carry black vertical blinds. You may have to search online to see which stores are offering this type of window treatment. You can also usually find them online or in stores that deal exclusively with window treatments. Many times stores selling blinds will allow you to choose the color you want for your blinds, thus you can simply opt for black. Most main name brands specializing in blinds will offer black window treatments, oftentimes including big vertical blinds that are made with black panels.

If you are looking for discount vertical blinds you may find that white blinds are discounted more often than black. However, this is certainly not a set rule and a simple search online should help you to soon find any stores with sales on vertical or other types of blinds. It is possible to find cheap black vertical blinds, oftentimes these will be made from cheaper vinyl however. If you do buy cheap vertical blinds they may not last as long as those costing more would. Check out the strings holding the blinds together, the rod for opening and closing the blinds and the strength and thickness of the vinyl.

If you are hanging vertical blinds over a patio door, opt to buy something that is a little more expensive and better made as these blinds will get a lot of use and as such they need to be able to stand a fair amount of wear and tear. The same holds true if you have young children or pets, look for good quality hard wearing black vertical blinds.

My top pick when it comes to material for blinds for the bathroom is vinyl.  Vinyl is hard wearing, water resistant, easy to clean and in most cases vinyl blinds actually do look good. There are different choices of vinyl bathroom blinds. You can install vinyl venetian blinds, shutters, roller blinds and vertical blinds. My personal preference at the moment is vinyl bathroom venetian blinds. They look great; very clean and fresh. Blinds for bathroom or any humid areas, made from vinyl are easy to keep clean and they are also very easy to open and close.  You can in fact have them partially opened but still limit visibility from outside simply by having the louvers pointing downwards. Light will enter the bathroom yet you will have all the privacy you need.

Aluminum is another popular choice for bathroom window blinds. Granted, aluminum does not rust however it can corrode. This is not usually a problem, however, unless the blinds are damaged in some way.  For example, venetian blinds will sometimes bend if not treated gently and this can cause the blind to begin to corrode in that spot over time.  Aluminum is also fairly easy to clean and take care of and it is lightweight which is another advantage with bathroom window treatments.

If you must have a wood look in your bathroom, you would probably be better off buying faux wood or composite wood blinds for bathroom windows rather than actual wood blinds.  Wood, even if treated, often does not do very well in humid situations. It tends to warp and bend and will soon become ruined in a bathroom setting. Faux wood blinds do much better although they are often fairly heavy and a little unwieldy especially if you only have a fairly small bathroom window to cover. Bamboo blinds are another alternative if you want a wood choice for bathrooms. Bamboo stands up quite well to moisture however unless treated it will grow mold in time.

Roller blinds are a popular choice for bathrooms. Again, they are usually fairly easy to open and close. One drawback with bathroom roller blinds is that in order to provide total privacy they need to be fully closed which can then limit the amount of natural lighting coming into the bathroom. You also need to be careful in your choice of material, as plastics especially when rolled up tightly, as a blind is when it is opened up all the way, can become moist and slimy, which is not really that pleasant! They are cheap bathroom blinds, however which means that they can be replaced fairly easily without it costing a lot of money to do so.

Bathroom vertical blinds are a possibility, however you will need to choose fairly carefully as vertical blinds often have a space at the bottom which would allow room for people to see into the bathroom if they so desired!

Generally, fabric or material blinds are not really that recommended.  They can mold and mold is often very difficult to take out of most fabrics. Lightweight material can be used, it is normally not that expensive and you can make or buy very cute bathroom curtains though you need to be prepared to launder them fairly often and to replace them if they begin to grow mold or mildew. Home Depot curtains are fairly inexpensive and some would be great for a bathroom.  Something that I have seen used to quite good effect in a bathroom is a plastic curtain, made from similar material that the more expensive shower curtains are made from. It can look quite good, if you choose the pattern and the material carefully and they make great waterproof blinds.

One point to note is that not all bathrooms have a problem with humidity.  If your bathroom does not get overly humid, perhaps the climate is just not that humid where you live, then you really do have a lot more options when it comes to choosing a bathroom blind.  Another point that is worth noting is that the reasons for not recommending fabric or wood window treatments in bathrooms is because they do not do well in areas where there is a lot of water or humidity. However, you can find some treated woods that do well in wet areas; think of the wooden floors and walls in a natural spa for example.  Also, if you are prepared to replace your bathroom blinds and curtains as needed, you can choose whatever you like for your windows!

Some people like a clean and almost geometric look in their bathroom, while other people naturally prefer soft colors and filmy materials. If that is your preference, then decorate your bathroom—including your windows—however you like. It is your bathroom after all, and it is also great to make a bathroom just how you like it to be, so that you can relax at leisure and enjoy the surroundings. There are many different bathroom blinds ideas to choose from, and the final decision will of course rest with you; your preferences and your budget.

Where to Buy Bathroom Shades and Blinds

You can find bathroom blinds at most home supplies stores, such as Home Depot, Lowes, and any store that sells blinds and shutters.  You will find there are many choices, such as bathroom roman blinds, bathroom shutters and bathroom shades.  You can also buy bathroom blinds online, though you do have to remember, if buying blinds online, that you will be responsible for installing the blinds yourself.

You can also buy the material yourself and sew your own bathroom curtains for a fun afternoon project.  The choices really are limitless when it comes to decorating bathrooms and installing bathroom window treatments.

A favorite blind in use these days, mainly due to it being very energy efficient, is the honeycomb blind.  This type of blind comes in single, double or triple cell, with the triple cell offering better insulation.

Another popular, all time favorite blind for skylight is the simple roller blind. This needs to be installed on tracks so that it is held down securely and rolls up and down easily. You can also buy blackout roller blinds to install on your skylight, which give added protection from sun damage.

Venetian blinds can also be used, and they work very well at regulating the light and temperature flowing in through the skylight.  They are also very easy to open and close, and only need to be secured at the top and bottom of the blind.

While pleated blinds can also be installed, many people find the fabric curtains to be fairly ineffective at both keeping out the hot sun and offering very much insulation at all. Remember, while your skylight is great during winter days at helping to heat up your room, providing there is a little sunlight, the heat coming through the skylight during a hot summer day can be almost intolerable.  You may not necessarily see the need for curtains or blinds during winter, but as soon as summer hits you will understand why you need to install decent window treatments. Actually, they are also needed and helpful to have during winter too, as if you close them up at night you will find that your room stays much warmer as the warm air has nowhere to escape. Pleated curtains are the type people usually choose, if they go for fabric curtains. Other con’s to using pleated curtains include the fact that they fade very easily when exposed to bright sunlight, and you have to take them down to clean and wash them.

If you are wondering about using plantation shutters for skylights, it is possible. However, you may find that the overall installation costs beginning with measuring, to having the shutters custom made, may be very expensive. They are also often quite heavy and unwieldy and most people find that a cheaper and lighter blind is more effective to use to cover skylights.

One reason for the blind being fairly lightweight is that you will need to be able to open and close the blind with ease.  There are several different ways how to open skylight blinds. The most common, and the least expensive is to buy a skylight blind handle or skylight blind opening pole, and do it manually.  This may not be as convenient as installing skylight remote control shades, but it is generally quite a bit cheaper.

Of course if you can install your skylight blinds with remote opening and closing abilities, you will find that this is infinitely easier to use. One caution though, anything that is automated may well break down. Problems have also resulted when the remote has mysteriously gone missing and the blinds cannot be opened for a day or two until the remote is recovered or replaced.  For some people convenience will win though, and it goes without saying that it definitely is great to be able to sit in your armchair and point the skylight blinds remote at the ceiling and have the blinds open for you.

Usually you can buy a skylight blind opening pole at the same time as you buy your blinds. They are very inexpensive. If you can, see if you can get one that is adjustable and that pulls out or slides in to adjust the length of the pole. Actually, you may even end up finding the opening pole handy for quite a few jobs around the home, not just opening and closing your skylight blinds!

One feature that people are very interested in these days when buying skylight blinds is the UV ray filtering properties.  With UV ray filtering, less harmful rays enter your home during the peak hours of sunlight during summer. This is a very important concern to many, and often the extra that you need to pay UV ray filtering skylight blinds is well worth it.

If you want to somehow have your skylight darken, then you will be looking for some type of blackout blind instead. Roller blinds definitely have the edge here, as they can be made to sit inside the skylight and once pulled down can definitely reduce the light coming in through the skylight tremendously. The skylight opaque blind can be very useful in rooms where you want to totally shut out the light for some period during the day and it is the best if you are wondering how to darken skylight.

One caution with installing window treatments, such as UV ray filtering skylight blinds, is that the better they are at blocking heat from the sun from coming in through the window, the higher the temperature between the glass and the window gets.  If this gets too high, to the point that it overheats, it can actually break the seal around the glass or even crack the window if the heat gets too intense. This is not common but it can happen and it is good to be aware of this before you install your skylight blinds.

It is not that easy to install most skylight blinds. An accomplished handyman could most certainly do it, but if you are not at all confident in your handyman skills you may want to arrange for a professional to come in and install them for you. This is important, as there is nothing worse than trying to install them yourself but instead botching the job to the point that you either ruin the blinds, or have to go ahead and have someone come in and do it anyway.

Skylight blinds can be ordered online, though special attention and detail needs to be given to the actual measurements you use to order your blinds. Keep in mind too, that some blinds may need trimming. Roller blinds are much easier to trim to fit than venetian blinds, for example.  Whatever your decision, make sure that the blinds fit in with the overall décor of your room too. Popular color choices for skylight blinds are white, cream and blue but you could choose any color you like providing it matches with your furniture and other window treatments.

While a great addition to a room with a high ceiling, the inconvenience of a skylight can often be very bothersome to the people living or accessing the room. An unshuttered skylight sends tons of UV rays down and usually heats the room up more than is acceptable.  So, what is the solution to this? Applying frosted window film? No, skylight blinds, of course.

Skylight shades are usually set to run on tracks so that they can support the blind in any position and they usually have a handle that can either be operated manually or via a skylight window pole which is a much more manual way of operating the skylight blind.

There are different types of skylight blinds available. Some merely filter the light coming in through the skylight, while others offer total blackout. As with most blinds, you can have either inside our outer mount shades.

Light Filtering Skylight Blinds:  These type of skylight shades allow light to filter into the room via the skylight. Shades can be opened and closed, just like any other type of shade and depending on the amount they are opened or shut the same amount of light will be filtered into the room. These are great to use in rooms that are ‘used’ for either a bedroom or study, as you can control the amount of light that is filtered into a room.

Room Darkening Skylight Shades: Do just what their name implies. They darken a room! Light coming through a skylight window can sometimes be a hassle. Using skylight blinds to minimize this light can make all the difference!   These type of blinds are particularly useful in rooms used for media, TV, video games, etc.–anywhere where light would be intrusive.

It is important to note, though, that these do not totally omit all light from entering into a room, but rather significantly reduce the amount of light that enters a room.

If you are wondering how on earth you can open or close your skylight blinds, there’s no need to wonder any further.  The majority of these type of blinds, especially new blinds, are motorized meaning that you can open and close them by the use of a remote control.

Skylight blinds, especially remote controlled skylight blinds are not cheap. For example a 72″ x 84″ semi-opaque blind can cost up to $550. A normal light filtering shade of the same dimension can cost up to $950, while a room darkening blind will set you back a tidy $1200 plus.

Although it is expensive to buy, and difficult to install skylight blinds they do really look good in a room where you have a skylight and are actually often a necessity.

They can be made from different materials, including PVC; fibreglass; wood; faux wood; or aluminium though until recently wood was the favoured material for Bahama shutters.  Aluminium Bahama shutters are increasingly more popular, and are replacing the former wood Bahama shutters. They are very lightweight when it comes to opening and closing, yet they do provide adequate protection for your home. They are also cheaper to maintain than wooden shutters.

They are not only decorative, adding style and often resale value to your house but they have an added use of offering protection from storms and hurricanes. This is particularly useful if you live in an area where hurricanes occur.  While Bahama shutters are made to open from the outside of a house, these days they are also made so that they can be easily opened or closed from within your  home as well.

Aluminium or fibreglass Bahama shutters are available in an array of different colors, which makes them perfect for adding a touch of color to your home.  Wood shutters are either stained in light to dark wood shades or more often painted with an exterior paint, and you can choose whatever complements the outside of your home.  If you choose wood shutters, you do have to make sure they are well maintained as if water penetrates the finish it can damage the shutters.

Bahama shutters are made with fixed louvers, which allow a good air flow into the room whether the shutters are closed or opened though they are usually fixed in a downward position to avoid rain being able to enter into your home.

Bahama shutters are mainly found in Southern USA regions, rarely in the Northern states. They are also known in some places as Bermuda shutters.

Bamboo roman shades can either be treated by staining and coating, or they can be left in their original color and just coated so that they resist dust and in order to make the blinds more durable.  While some people tout their durability, it is important to note that they are not terribly sturdy. With care, they will last you a long time but they aren’t really suitable to windows that get a lot of rugged treatment   nor should they be used in rooms that are damp or where there is a lot of humidity in the air as they don’t do well in these type of situations.

You can buy standard sized bamboo roman shades which fit in normal sized windows, or you can alternatively order custom made shades if you need them a specific width or length. Most stores and online stores offer you this option, although custom made blinds cannot be returned to the shop so make sure that you measure your window accurately before placing your order. There is a good selection of Home Depot curtains and shades available that you may want to look into, as they are usually relatively inexpensive.

Bamboo Roman shades are not designed to block out light, unless you buy them with a special light-blocking backing.  They are designed to filter light.  As they are loosely woven in most cases, quite a bit of subdued lighting can filter into the room between the bamboo slats, giving a nice warm glow to the room in most cases.

Commonly you can buy them in wood-shades, ranging from dark brown to medium or light brown. Some blinds are treated and painted, so finding a white bamboo roman blind is not that uncommon either. I personally prefer the blinds to be a wood-shade, as they usually are hung so as to give a natural look to a room, but again it all depends on the overall décor of your room.

One of the big pluses to using bamboo for material for a blind is that it is natural and very quick growing. Therefore it is a natural resource that is not really in any danger of being soon depleted unlike some of the hard woods that furniture and blinds are made from. So, you are really doing the environment a favor when you choose to buy bamboo roman blinds.

Inside mounted bamboo Roman shades can be bought that are lifted up and down by simply tugging on the middle of the bottom rail of the blind. These are great to use in homes where you have young children or pets inside and you wish to avoid buying curtains and shades with strings attached.

To clean bamboo roman shades it is recommended that you either lightly dust them at least once a week, or that you vacuum the dust directly off them once a week. They are not really recommended to hang in areas where they are liable to get very dirty though, or in any area where they may attract grease, as they are not super easy to clean and of course you can’t use water to clean them. So, take that into consideration also when deciding whether or not to invest in Bamboo Roman shades.

Slatted vinyl  blinds are a very welcome replacement to the much older styled metal venetian blinds, for example, which were brittle, difficult to clean and downright dangerous at times with their sharp metal edges.  They are also great for hanging in rooms that aren’t suitable for wooden blinds, due to their being very humid making them perfect to hang in kitchens and bathrooms.

Vinyl blinds is really quite a large category, and within that category you can find almost any type of blind made from vinyl.  Commonly you can find slatted vinyl blinds — venetian blinds or mini blinds–in most blinds stores and they are easily brought online as well.  Many traditional venetian blinds are made from aluminium, however the vinyl venetian blinds which look very similar to the aluminium kind are a good deal more lightweight.  This has its advantage when you are having to lift them all the way up or down, though it does make them blow around more than the already lightweight aluminium blinds, and they can really billow out into the room if there’s an open window with a breeze blowing through.

Vertical vinyl blinds are also available online, in a variety of shades and colors.  PVC vertical blinds are great for hanging in sliding patio doors or large ceiling to floor windows. As with other blinds, vertical vinyl blinds are lightweight and very easy to care for. They are a bit more flexible than either wood or aluminium blinds, and suit better in areas where there is a lot of moisture and humidity in the air.

The great thing about vinyl blinds, aside from their cost, is that they are really durable and will last a good while if treated properly and cared for.  They don’t rust, nor do they warp or become misshapen.  If you are looking for a cost effective window treatment, that looks great and comes in a wide array of colors I would suggest you take a look at the different types of vinyl blinds currently available.

Cells vary in size, with some 3/8 inches and others ¾ inches, and a variety of sizes in between.  You can also choose between single cell or double celled blinds. With the single celled honeycomb blinds, there is just one layer of cells. With double celled blinds the cells are two thick for the whole blind.  Naturally there is better insulation and sound filtering when you install double celled honeycomb blinds.

While cellular shades do allow light to filter through into the room, it is usually a very gentle and soft light. Of course it is also possible to get blackout honeycomb blinds as well, if that is your preference. Normally you can choose between a sheer type of blind that allow light in while still filtering out UV rays. These sheer honeycomb blinds do not provide you with the best privacy however, as it is also possible for others to see into the room.  Light filtering or semi-opaque blinds allow gentle light to filter into the room, and depending on the color of blind you choose this can add a fantastic look to your room.  These provide much better privacy also than the sheer blinds.  Room darkening honeycomb blinds do just the same job as any other blackout blind–they keep the light, and the UV rays out of your home.

As with most blinds, they can either fit inside the window casing, or outside the window casing. The preference is really up to you and the style of blind that you are looking for.

They are becoming a very popular choice of window treatment these days, and as such it is usually possible to find quite good deals for these blinds online.  One thing that has made them so popular is that, due to the nature of the honeycomb style, they are naturally very energy efficient and saving, which is something everyone is looking for today.

Blackout blinds are usually roller blinds, or roman blinds that have been lined with a special material or fabric that often rejects both visible light and harmful UV rays from entering into your home.

Commonly, blackout blinds are installed in bedrooms, home theaters and especially in children and babies rooms. A good, well made blackout shade will block out 100% of the light, while less expensive blinds sometimes keeping out less of the light.  If you do want to keep out 100% of the light I would suggest investing in better quality, guaranteed blackout shades. That way you’ll be sure to get what you are paying for and what you are expecting to get.

Simple blackout shades usually look very much like normal roller blinds, and you can’t always tell the difference between the two. They can be custom made, or ordered in standard sizes. And, no longer are they plain white or grey, but you can buy these type of shades in exactly the same styles, patterns and colors as any normal roll up blind.

It is fairly easy to install blackout shades yourself, as it’s just as simple in most cases as is putting up a regular roller blind. Before buying, you should measure your windows and decide whether the blind is to fit inside the window frame or outside and over the window frame. Once you have determined that measure up for the size you will need, and also decide on how fully you want the blackout to keep light out of your room.  Total blackout shades are a trifle more expensive that less total shades. There is a good selection of Home depot curtains and shades available, which you may also want to look into as they are usually fairly inexpensive yet look great.

If you want the room to be totally blacked out, and inside mounted blind usually works the best, so take that into consideration when deciding what type of blind you would like. Otherwise light does tend to still slip into the room via tiny cracks at the side of the blackout shade when it’s installed to fit over the window frame.

As with any roller blind or blind that has cords to roll the blind or shades up and down, be sure to keep the cords well out of reach of any children, or pets, as they can be a real danger to them and if left in reach of children there is always the danger of strangulation. If you have young children in your home you may want to opt for motorized blackout shades that are opened and closed via the use of a remote control.

One thing that is great about using bamboo is that it is very ‘green friendly’ material to use as it is a very quickly growing and easy to grow plant, thus fairly large amounts of bamboo can be grown, treated and used for blinds without it being a danger to the ecological system.   So, knowing that you are helping world ecology by buying bamboo should be a great incentive to choose bamboo for at least some of your windows!

Bamboo blinds, while lovely to look at, are very see through, especially at night with the lights on inside the house.  One way around this is to add a privacy liner to the blind before putting it up. These work well on both roman and roll up style blinds, and depending on the material used can give you different levels of security and privacy.

Also, Bamboo does not do that well when exposed to moisture or dampness.  Even treated bamboo can still absorb a lot of moisture, so for that reason they are better used in rooms where you can sustain a decent temperature and that aren’t humid.  In the past I have simply varnished the blinds, and while this has helped a bit, in very humid countries such as some of the South East Asian countries I have lived in, they still only lasted a couple of years.  Still, at least in the East, it was very cheap to replace the bamboo blinds so that wasn’t really a problem. Here, bamboo blinds are a bit more expensive and not really considered disposable thus you really do want to make sure that the treatment the blind has will suit it to your particular home’s environment.

Types of Bamboo Blinds

Blinds are commonly categorized according to the way the bamboo is woven into the blind. You can buy matchstick bamboo blinds, mesh bamboo blinds, whole bamboo blinds, vertical bamboo blinds and layered bamboo.

Matchstick Bamboo Blinds: This is the most common bamboo blind on the market.  Sticks measuring 1/8 inch in diameter are sewn together with a colored yarn or thread.

Superior Matchstick Bamboo Blinds: Have more thread and patterns than the simpler matchstick blinds, although they are still made from 1/8 inch bamboo sticks. Aside from the patterns made with the interlacing thread though they are basically the same and perform the same as the matchstick bamboo blinds, but are of course a little more pricey.

Whole Bamboo Blinds: Are made from whole bamboo rods, thus they are much thicker than the matchstick variety.

Verticle Bamboo Curtains: As the name implies, the bamboo used in these blinds runs vertically.

Layered Bamboo Blinds: These  blinds have the bamboo layered, thus providing much more privacy than is normally seen with regular bamboo blinds. Usually in order to layer the bamboo they need to be made from slats, not the regular round shaped bamboo.

While bamboo blinds can be used outdoors, and often look great on a patio, or verandah, they are not really that practically suited to outdoor use mainly because the weather elements will really take its toll on your blinds. If you want to highlight an outdoor area with bamboo blinds make sure it is treated, and be prepared to replace them probably even once every year, depending on the how well they do in harsh weather conditions.