The Looped Roman shades are part of the Natural Shades line of Bali Blinds and they are designed for indoor use only, although the materials they are made of could easily stand bad weather as well. As Bali takes pride in being a “green” company, they make their Natural Shades window treatments from renewable sources: bamboo, grass, jute or rattan reeds are used. These window shades have 28.5% green content in their composition. All fabrics used are stained by boiling, then air dried, therefore saving energy in the manufacturing process. Eco-friendly raw materials that go into the Bali Natural Shades line of products are 100% recyclable, including the headrail which is made of reclaimed wood. Moreover, the packaging material is also recyclable, so if going green is one of your main concerns, by buying Bali bamboo blinds and shades you’re on the right track.

Although woven wood blinds aren’t usually total light blockers, they can be turned into blackout window treatments by adding a liner. The liner will also contribute to improving the energy efficiency of the window treatment. With or without the liner, these bamboo blinds are quite spectacular, because when they are folded they for soft, billowing loops which add some dimension to the windows, creating a dramatic effect. Colors are all natural and beautiful, and for many of them Bali provides free samples which can be ordered directly online from their website or by visiting a window blinds retailer.

The lift controls on these bamboo shades can be standard cord, continuous-loop lift or continuous chain-loop lift system. Continuous loop systems are a bit more expensive than the standard cord ones, but they are much safer for kids and for pets, because there are not dangling cords that present a strangling hazard.

The Looped Roman bamboo shades feature various types of hems and trims. If you don’t want your window treatments to attract attention, you can go for the classic, standard hem, which is barely noticeable. Other options are the deco-trim hem and the deco-pocket hem, which are cut to the shade width and which can be finished with French gimps.

In case a liner is needed, Bali offers two options: the privacy liner, available in four neutral colors, and the blackout liner, which is neutral to the street side, thus providing a unified appearance from the outside of the building. The blackout liner is available in three color options: Blackout Buff, Blackout Chestnut and Blackout Espresso.

The mounting brackets choice:

• Standard-mount, suitable for inside-mount or outside-mount window treatments
• Projection brackets, which are basically similar to the standard brackets, but they can have an extra depth which provides additional space for window molding or for operating hardware.
• Ceiling-mount brackets, which need to be used in case the window casing is too narrow to allow an inside-mount of the window treatments.
• Hold-down brackets have the role of securing the bottomrail of the bamboo blinds to the window sill.

Installing window blinds is an easy DIY project that even ladies can do, at least in case of bamboo blinds or other very simple types of window treatments which only require a few holes in the window frame to get the job done. Actually, the easiest DIY blinds installation is the inside mount, or ceiling mount as it is also called. The outside mount needs holes to be made in the walls, and that could be problematic in case you don’t have the adequate power tools and accessories. For instance, in case of concrete walls, you’ll need a percussion drilling machine, some carbide drills and plugs, otherwise you won’t be able to get those screws tightly fixed in the wall.

When buying your bamboo blinds, your purchase should include the installation brackets and some mounting screws. The type of the screw is usually specified with your purchase. If they are for wood but you need to screw them in plastic, you may need to buy other screws that are suitable for the type of material you want to use them on. If you don’t know what to buy, either ask the shop assistant for help, explaining her what type of walls you have, or hire somebody to install your bamboo blinds. It can’t be that expensive, after all, and anyway it’s cheaper than damaging the blinds and having to get new ones. However, if you’re keen on doing the installation yourself, keep in mind the following:

The headrail must be level. This is very important, otherwise your blinds won’t operate properly. Even if your window frame is not even, you need to use a level and properly install the headrail. In case of an outside mount you’ll need to do the leveling anyway and mark the correct position for the screws with a pencil. When performing an inside mount, it’s still good to use the level to check on the window frame. If it’s not even, you’ll have to use shims for making sure your headrail will be in the correct operating position.

Basically, bamboo blinds installation resumes to drilling holes and mounting the installation brackets in them with the help of screws. Although the brackets have four holes in them, it’s usually enough to use only two diagonal holes. Those are the ones for which you’ll have to mark the positioning with a pencil, before starting the drilling operation. After the brackets are in position, it’s enough to push the headrail up onto them in such a way that the threaded posts fit through the headrail slots. Finally, don’t forget to secure the headrail by tightening the wing nuts. Instead of wing nuts, some bracket models may have some levers which you have to push towards the headrail in order to secure it to the brackets.

This DIY installation procedure is suitable for bamboo blinds as well as for any other kind of Venetian blinds or Roman shades, provided that they have the same type of headrail and mounting brackets.

Bay windows are undoubtedly some of the most beautiful window styles, because they help creating a nice and cozy relaxation area inside a room. They just make rooms seem larger, thanks to the huge amount of light they allow in. Yet, there are situations which demand a higher level of privacy, therefore choosing the right coverings for bay windows is an important step in home decorating. The difference between bay windows and common ones is that bay windows must have an unified look and so should their treatments. Some people prefer sheer curtains, while others choose to add a second layer of fabric, so they can better control the light filtering. The second layer is usually a thick drape that can also serve as thermal insulation. However, for modern, minimalist home interiors, curtains and drapes may not be the perfect match. Some simple, inside mount mini blinds, or bamboo blinds, or bamboo Roman shades may be much better, because of their simplicity. While most bamboo blinds and shades are no-name, there are also brand ones available, as you can see from the following reviews.

Bali Premium Woven Bamboo Shades

Bali bamboo shades belong to the Bali Natural Shades collection and they are made of bamboo reeds and bamboo slats, woven together with sisal, jute and straws. Basically, all items in the Natural Shades collection are suitable for bay windows, as they allow easy customization thanks to their mitered corners. Controls may be situated on either side of the blind you wish, but Bali’s recommendation is to place them opposite the corner. Bali is one of the window treatments manufacturers who are concerned with using renewable sources and energy-saving technologies for their products. For example, in the Natural Shades series of woven bamboo blinds the renewable content accounts for 20.9% of the total product weight, the pre-consumer recycled content is 1% and the post-consumer recycled content is 6.7%, which leads to a total of 28.5% green content.

Hillarys Woodweave Blinds

Hillarys Woodweave blinds are also made from renewable sources such as bamboo, sea grass or jute, proving once more that there’s no need to destroy the forests for bringing a bit of nature into our homes. These blinds come with a matching valance and they diffuse the light in a gentle way, which makes them one of the best choices for bay windows, conservatories or skylights. The controls can be placed either left or right, thus making these bamboo blinds a good idea for decorating and protecting your bay windows.

Levolor Natural Woven Shades

Levolor Natural Woven shades are ideal for sunrooms and for bay windows, as they feature an impressive style which helps creating the cozy sensation we all want to get from designing such relaxation areas in our homes. These bamboo blinds from Levolor are available in a wide array of colors such as Bamboo Essence Origami, Bamboo Essence Saatchi, Bamboo Essence Shibori, Bamboo Essence Tatami, Beads Brown, Beads White, Bei Shan Myths Amber, Bei Shan Myths Merlot, Classic Caramel, Cordon Tan and many others which one can see sampled on the Levolor website. These bamboo shades allow for adding a lining, if a higher level of privacy or light filtration is needed. They can also be doubled by blackout drapes, if needed. Such bamboo blinds may be equipped with the Levolor cordless lift system, thus eliminating those dangling cords that can be so dangerous for pets and children.

No matter your home decoration budget, remember that window blinds should not be an impulse purchase, because they are items with a relatively long lifetime, therefore cutting costs shouldn’t start with them. Better quality leads to longer usage, while offering you the privilege of enjoying excellent materials and finishes. If you’re as lucky as to have bay windows in your home, why not enjoy them to the full and choose some really exquisite bamboo blinds for them?

Bamboo Roman shades belong to the category of elegant yet affordable window treatments. The classic Roman shades design gives them a very natural look and also helps keeping their price low, because no fancy mechanisms are involved in operating Roman blinds. All they need to move are the strings. This makes them extremely easy to install, too. Although they can’t be used as total blackout window treatments, bamboo Roman shades can provide various degrees of light filtering, depending on how they are woven or if other materials such as wood or matchsticks are alternating with the bamboo slats.

How To Measure For Bamboo Roman Shades

Measuring for bamboo Roman shades depends on the installation type. For inside mount installation, shades need to measure 1/2" less in width than the glass pane. The 1/2" difference will be distributed evenly between the two edges, so the shade will fit well into the window frame. If the difference is bigger, the shades will still fit, but they will allow too much light to pass through the edges, and that could be bothering and not very appealing, esthetically speaking. A smaller difference will cause the shade to fit too tight inside the frame, therefore being exposed to premature wear in case of frequent manipulation.

Inside mount is a bit tricky, because some windows don’t offer enough depth for making it possible, so that’s the first measurement that needs to be taken in order to make sure the windows are appropriate for this type of mount. Typically, the minimum depth for an inside mount should be 1/2" and the depth for a flush fit should be minimum 2”.

When taking the measurements for inside mount installs, it’s always wiser to take three such sets: one at the top, one at the middle and one at the bottom of the window. For measuring the height, three sets are also required: left side, middle and right side. It happens sometimes that windows are not even, therefore the smallest measurements should be taken into consideration in order to avoid surprises.

For outside mount, the exact area to be covered by the shade needs to be measured. It should include also the headrail (this needs to be clearly specified to the shop assistant, as some stores may require different ways of measuring).

When buying made-to-measure Roman shades, measurements should be done with extreme care, because such shades can’t usually be returned to the shop in case they don’t fit. Their custom nature makes them unique, so the probability for the vendor to be able to find another buyer for those custom bamboo Roman shades is very small.