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.

Thanks to latest technologies and mass production, you can now buy cheap mini blinds for your windows without having to take loans or save money in order to afford them. Mini blinds are those horizontal blinds featuring narrower slats, usually 1” or even ½”. They are also known as Venetian blinds.

Cheap mini blinds are available at almost all window treatments companies such as Hunter Douglas, Bali, Levolor, 3 Day Blinds or Gruber. I suppose that you can find some on eBay or in comparison shopping malls online. Of course, nobody should expect top notch quality and latest state-of-the-art safety features or automation, but for the basic needs of privacy and light filtering, most people can now have a beautiful home with windows that look good and are functional. I’ve discussed this in one of the previous articles, with examples of how cheap one can find such window coverings in case they are willing to invest some time in smart shopping.

Most cheap mini blinds models are made either of vinyl or aluminum, colored according to the customer’s preference. The colors spectrum is not as large as in case of premium blinds, but you can have several shades of white or cream, two-three types of brown and even black. Their slats are curved, for offering more strength and flexibility.

Some people may say that cheap mini blinds are only a temporary solution to cover your windows, until you can afford to buy some better ones. I’d argue by telling them that I’ve got these aluminum cheap mini blinds in my home since 8 years ago and they are still looking as good as in the first day. The only maintenance is dusting the slats every other day and cleaning them with a damp cloth every two months or so. The only thing that’s looking like old are the wands that rotate the slats. In the beginning they were transparent, but they turned to yellow and it seems that they are going to be brown soon. Probably I could replace them with new ones with very little money.

Believe me, if I’d need to buy new window treatments today, I’d still go for such cheap mini blinds and be happy.

Arch window blinds can’t be bought ready-made. The reason is obvious: arched windows aren’t standardized, therefore producing fixed size window coverings for such windows only with the hope that somebody would have the matching arch windows and come to your store to buy those shades can’t be too profitable. You may think there aren’t too many clients willing to pay the price tag that comes with custom blinds and shades. Nonetheless, arch windows are expensive themselves, so people who afford them have financial possibilities to buy them proper coverings, so money is not an issue. Quality is more important.

As many renovated old homes feature arch window, blinds of all colors and shapes started to become available on the market from the most important manufacturers. Arch window blinds and shutters can be of two types: operable and non-operable. Operable means that you can open and close them, in order to have light filtering and privacy control. Non-operable arch window coverings are fixed, with the slats already positioned in a certain angle.

Here are a few examples that made me wish I had special windows and not the classic, rectangular ones.

Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Arch Window Blinds: these blinds are made of fabric, with pleat sizes available of 3/8”, ¾” or 1 ¼”, in either single, double or triple honeycomb, depending on the degree of thermal insulation you need and on the budget you have. The triple honeycomb features three air pockets, thus offering a high degree of energy-efficiency. The privacy and light control can be selected from sheer to opaque, with three more intermediary options. EasyView Arch and Bridgeway are the two brands of arch window blinds you can choose from.

Hunter Douglas Vertical Blinds for Arches, Bay and Rounded Windows: here you have multiple choices, but I think the most elegant of all is the Crosswinds wood vertical blind solution, featuring slats made of basswood. The Bridgeway specialty shapes belong to the Hunter Douglas Custom Shutter Collection and they are specially designed to cover arches eyebrow and circle windows. Elegant and functional, versatile and durable, these shutters are in the premium price segment, but they are surely worth all the money. Beware, though, if you think of buying some, that you can only use them for interior, because they don’t resist to dust or mud.

Arch windows are stylish and impressive, however, you need more money to buy arch window blinds than common ones.