Vignette Modern Roman Shades are amongst the newest additions of Hunter Douglas, the well-known and appreciated window treatments manufacturer. They are elegant and versatile, thanks to the precision engineering which offers a clean appearance, and to the 94 possible color combinations, which can satisfy even the most exigent tastes of homeowners or interior decorators.

The Vignette Roman shades series is made of 100% polyester fabric, semi-sheer and translucent, with three possible fold sizes: 3″, 4″ or 6″ flat folds. The shades width may vary between 12″ and 140″ and the height from 112″ to 120″, which should be enough for most typical windows. The shade fabrics are treated to repel dust and dirt, thus making maintenance of these horizontal shades easier.

Hunter Douglas offers three versions of operating systems for these Roman shades: the UltraGlide retractable cord system, the clutch operated continuous loop or the LiteRise cordless system. If necessary, you may order one of the two motorization options available: the PowerRise battery-operated remote control system or the Hard-Wired version.

Vignette offers an excellent UV protection of 95% to 99% and a superior level of sound absorption.

Should you decide to install your shades by yourself, make sure to read the installation guide available either with your purchase or from the Hunter Douglas official website. If you aren’t sure you can manage that, you can ask the retailer to provide you the installation service, especially that you may not figure out how to use the cord tensioner installation kit properly.

Amongst the window coverings I found to be most suitable for my kitchen, Bali solar shades come in my personal top of preferences. There are few reasons why I think they are so great:
Bali solar shades are not opaque. I don’t need complete blackout in my kitchen. I want to see the food when I cook, without having to turn on the lights during daytime. Yet, I live in a sunny area, so I need UV protection. At Bali, there are two openness choices for the solar shades: 10-14% or 5%-7%.

Bali solar shades are stylish. I’m the modern type of person and that’s visible in my interior design and furnishings. I like to get myself surrounded by beautiful objects and decorations, so the window coverings make no exception. I want to enjoy what I see wherever I might be looking inside my home.

Bali Solar Shades Properties

Shading coefficient: from 0.33 to 0.74. This means high energy efficient, thus lower energy costs

UV ray blockage: from 86% to 95%. This is the amount of harmful UV rays that is blocked by the shades fabric.

Limited lifetime warranty. Solar shades from Bali are tested for long life, therefore you’ll have to replace them less frequently.

Eco-friendly raw materials. Some of the fabrics are GREENGUARD certified. Here’s their list: Benton Ivory, Benton Beige, Benton Pewter, Prospect Alabaster, Prospect Black, Prospect Chestnut, Skylar Beige, Skylar Coffee Bean, Skylar Off White and Skylar Sandbar. The plastic components contain about 50% recycled material and the aluminum tube is 100% recyclable, as well as the hem bar.

So, if you’re concerned about going green, Bali solar shades will fully satisfy this requirement of yours.

Care and Cleaning of Bali Solar Shades

There’s no big deal about the maintenance of Bali solar shades. You can dust them and vacuum them without any restriction. Soil removal and spot cleaning are also allowed. Beware that these shades can’t be immersed in water, as this would ruin them. If you dust them frequently, you won’t have any problem and you’ll manage to preserve them like new for a very long time.

Timber blinds are an interesting alternative to aluminum blinds, because they can offer similar UV protection and blackout properties, with a more elegant and natural look. The only room they are not recommended for is the bathroom, because the wooden slats will fade and bend after a while, if kept in humid environment. Timber blinds come in many types and models, the most popular being those horizontal, Venetian timber blinds, with the slats made of 100% basswood timber. Lacquered cedar is another beautiful option. These ones are usually available in three color options: light, medium and dark cedar.

The natural insulator properties of wood makes timber blinds energy-efficient enough to matter. Probably they aren’t better thermal insulators than honeycomb or cellular blinds, but they still offer some protection, so they can be suitable for low-E glass windows.

It seems like the name of “timber blinds” is more popular in Australia and New Zealand. In US and in Europe, the names of wood Venetian blinds, wooden horizontal blinds or basswood blinds are more popular. In Australia there is a company which is called Timber Blinds Express and has a kangaroo as logo, in order to signify their fast delivery service. Their wooden blinds seem high quality, as they are UV coated or PU painted, therefore customers don’t need to repaint them. The 12 month warranty against defects in material or human errors is a good value for money, as the defects would surely show up within this time frame, if any. Timber Blinds Express also takes pride in their slats thickness of 4mm, which is the best on the market, at least that’s what they claim.