Although woven shades may sound a bit old-fashioned, when they are made of natural materials such as reeds, grass or bamboo, they can have a special charm and a warm way of filtering the light, that such window treatments are often preferred by interior designers who want their creations to be in harmony with nature. Bamboo is warm, flexible and a rapidly renewable resource, therefore it quickly became a popular material for window blinds, shades or curtains. Most important window coverings manufacturers have at leas one line of bamboo blinds in their portfolio.
Levolor Blinds, Care for Your Comfort and Safety
Today we are going to take a look at Levolor’s Natural Woven Shades, which are among the most beautiful and innovative of their kind. Levolor has patented a shade control system that allows choosing whether or not to use the liner of the shade. This makes it possible to enjoy sheer bamboo shades during daytime, half sheer shades when you just want to darken your room more and all room-darkening shades for night-time, when you want full privacy. The system that makes this possible is based on the top down bottom up shades operating principle, and thanks to its versatility it’s an excellent choice for bedrooms or bathrooms, where light is nice, but also privacy is required at times. The Levolor exclusive cordless lift system is very simple to operate and very discrete, so it doesn’t interfere with the look of your windows. The absence of dangling cords adds a plus of safety for children and pets, so it’s good to consider it even if you don’t care too much about the looks. Another convenience feature offered by Levolor is the possibility of installing multiple shades on the same headrail. If you have wide windows, then you surely know how difficult wide shades are to raise or lower, so you probably appreciate this possibility at its real value.
Levolor Woven Bamboo Shades Colors and Finishes
Levolor woven bamboo shades are available in a wide range of colors. Free ordering of up to ten samples is also possible. This is a great idea, because nothing compares to the real look an touch, computer screens being sometimes far from showing the real colors. If bamboo is your favorite out of all woven woods, here are your possible options if you want to go for Levolor: Bamboo Essence Origami, Bamboo Essence Saatchi, Bamboo Essence Shibori and Bamboo Essence Tatami. There are also a few interesting choices of sisal and rattan, in case you’re undecided with the material. Depending on your home interior style, you may wand to make use of some added touches like valances or tailored edges. Valances are available in either wood or decorative scallops with various trim colors such as chestnut, carmel, natural or white. The classic wood valance is available in five finishes: black, white, chestnut, golden oak and sand n beach. Specialty shapes such as arched windows, angled tops or cutouts are possible, but for those you’ll have to visit a Levolor retailer because they can’t be ordered online like the classic bamboo blinds and shades.
Top down bottom up shades are among the most special window treatments, their versatility and beauty making them suitable for practically any room in a house. Top down bottom up bamboo shades can successfully replace cafe curtains in a kitchen or in a bathroom. Usually, the duofold or the top down bottom up facilities are upgrades which can be ordered with some shades models at various manufacturers. The point of interest in this type of window shades is that one can either raise them from the bottom or lower them from the top, depending on the privacy needs of the moment. Such bamboo shades form accordion pleats when raised or lowered, just like Roman shades do. As woven wood allows quite a significant amount of light to pass through, a liner is needed to double the shades in case total darkness is required.
Now that we agreed on what we’d like to buy, let’s see what are some available options:
Tropical Isle Bamboo Shades
We found the Tropical Isle Top-Down Bottom-Up Basic bamboo shades at Blinds Chalet and we were impressed with what they have to offer. Not only these shades come with limited lifetime warranty, but they also include a 6” valance free of charge. Tropical Isle bamboo shades are safe for children and pets, because they feature a continuous cord loop, which is a real cord and not a beaded chain as it happens in some cheaper models. When folded, the bamboo shades form those Roman shade-style pleats which can give so much elegance to any classic interior decor. These bamboo shades are available in a wide choice of colors: Bermuda, Cocoa, Dusk Reed, Jamaica, Natural Palm, New Guinea Amber and New Guinea Caramel. If you can’t decide which one fits best your interiors, you can order free samples. Blackout and privacy liner are available on request. Tropical Isle Basic bamboo shades are made to measure, which is a great option in case your windows aren’t typical.
Levolor Providence
Levolor is not a cheap window treatments manufacturer. However, they offer good quality for money, so they are one of the best options when ordering blinds and shades for windows. Levolor Providence bamboo shades feature light and dark reeds and either a classic wood or a waterfall valance. Besides the top down bottom up option, they are also suitable for installing multiple shades on a single headrail, thus being able to cover even extremely large windows. The shade style can be Roman, Classic Roman or Waterfall. For the Waterfall style, it’s mandatory to order either cordless operating system or continuous cord loop. The top down bottom up feature adds an extra $45 to the final bill.
Just Blinds - Economy Bamboo Shades
Woven wood shades aren’t necessarily expensive, economy options being available for those on a tight budget. While it’s true that they may not last as long as some expensive ones, economy bamboo shades are ideal to cover your windows when you either don’t have too much money, or you’re just renting on shorter term and you don’t want to spend huge amounts on improvements you’re going to leave behind anyway. These top down bottom up cheap bamboo shades from Just Blinds are available in more than 20 color combinations and finishes, and if you want, you can even order free samples. The 6” valance that comes with your shades order is free on charge. Optional liners are available for extra cost.
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?