When we wrote about the new Bali blinds models for the summer of 2009, we were admiring the Bali Diffusion 2″ Glass Essence blinds as being extremely decorative and functional. Since then, many readers asked us to provide a more detailed review of these window treatments, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do in this article.

So, Glass Essence is not really glass, but embossed acrylic, which has the main advantage of offering a good level of privacy while allowing the light to enter the room. As natural light intensity changes, the light in the room will also change,  creating interesting effects. The energy efficiency of these window blinds is good, but one shouldn’t count on it to insulate older models of windows with single panes made of glass which isn’t the LowE we’ve got used to in the case of modern windows.

Bali Diffusion blinds are available in solid colors or in patterns that help creating a unique atmosphere. These patterns are really beautiful and creative, from the very discrete Filament Golden Streak, Filament Grass Streak or Filament Grey Streak, to the artistic Flare Licorice whips, Flare Stout or Flare White Wave. The Scroll series of patterns is also a good choice, mostly if the room decoration is rather simple. The most attractive, however, are the Stained Glass imitations: Stained Glass Craft, Harvest and Plum Mist.  Samples are available for free.

Bali Diffusion blinds are available with four types of tilt: ControlMate remote control tilt system, cord tilt, wand tilt or ring tilt. The double slat valance is discrete and simple, so it can easily pass unnoticed.

In case you need such blinds for bay windows, it is possible to have them butted together for creating continuity. Cut-outs are also possible, as well as installing multiple blinds on the same headrail, for wide windows or patio doors. Customized blinds can fit sidelight windows, so you can cover even narrow openings without any problem.

The maintenance of Bali Diffusion Glass Essence blinds is easy, but they call for regular vacuuming, if you want them to look like new for a long time. These blinds can be immersed in water, but it’s not advisable to use strong detergents. Dry cleaning is not recommended either.

Bali blinds are now available with an excellent option delivery: you can order your custom blinds or shades by latest 8th of November 2009 and you’ll get them by 26th of November 2009, so your windows will be ready for the Thanksgiving celebration.

This is great, if you had in mind to redecorate your home or if you’ve just moved in a new one and need to buy appliances, decor and other stuff. However, you need to keep in mind that Bali’s offer is applicable only if the materials you select are in stock. There’s another thing: the Bali Custom Tailored Roman Shades, shutters and Specialty Shapes are excluded from this offer. It’s understandable, they take much more time to make, so you’ll just have to wait a bit more if you choose these exquisite window treatments.

We’ve talked a while back about sliding glass door window treatments, and the example I’ve chosen by that time to illustrate my point was the Hunter Douglas Duette 3/4″ Single Cell Sheer with Vertiglide Side Stack, which feature excellent insulation without the drawback of being opaque like other insulating window coverings are.

That article seemed to be appreciated by our readers, as we’ve got a lot of questions, mostly about other products in the Hunter Douglas sliding door treatments range.  We thought a brief overview of these blinds would be an excellent way to help you make yourself a better picture of your possible choices, if budget is not your main concern.

First of all, you need to know that actually there’s no special product line in the Hunter Douglas portfolio, targeting exclusively sliding glass doors. It’s just a specialty shape, or a design option, call it what you like, which aims at helping their customers understand better what they can create in terms of interior space design and decorating. These are the Hunter Douglas shadings that are suitable for covering sliding glass doors, as described on their official website:

• Silhouette window shadings
• Duette Architella honeycomb shades
• Duette honeycomb shades
• Luminette Privacy sheers
• Luminette Modern draperies
• Vignette Modern Roman shades
• Pirouette window shadings
• Skyline Gliding window panels
• Alustra Silhouette window shadings
• Alustra Duette honeycomb shades
• Alustra Luminette Privacy sheers
• Alustra Vignette modern Roman shades
• Alustra Woven Textures
• Alustra Woods
• Alustra Modern Precious Metals
• Nantucket window shadings
• Applause honeycomb shades
• Park Lane Privacy sheers
• Designer roller shades
• Designer screen shades
• Provenance Woven wood shades
• Brilliance pleated shades
• Heritance hardwood shutters
• NewStyle hybrid shutters
• Palm Beach polysatin shutters
• Country Woods Expose blinds
• Country Woods Genuine Woods blinds
• Country Woods Select blinds
• Country Woods Reflections blinds
• Country Woods Classics blinds
• Chalet Woods wood blinds
• EverWood 2″ blinds
• EverWood X-tra blinds
• WoodMates blinds
• Reveal with MagnaView
• Macro aluminum blinds
• Lightlines aluminum blinds
• Decor aluminum blinds
• Celebrity aluminum blinds
• Cadence Soft vertical blinds
• Somner custom vertical blinds
• Crosswinds wood vertical blinds
• Vertical Solutions Select

As you can see, there are plenty of choices, from sheer, transparent coverings to wooden blinds, which are extremely elegant and which can integrate very well into a classic interior design. You can find details about each of the above mentioned sliding glass door window treatments on the Hunter Douglas website. Maybe we are going to review some of them for you in our future articles.