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jan_in_wisconsin

Woven Wood Shades and Decorating Style

jan_in_wisconsin
10 years ago

We're in need for some woven wood shades in our now spare room and eventual office.

I have looked at some from Bali and Levolor, as well as Home Decorators. But, I'm stumped on determining what works with our decorating style, which is French Country/Traditional, and also some French Country Farmhouse.

The paint color is Wilmington Tan, and the woodwork is a creamy white. The floor are carpeted in a golden shade.

I learned that custom shades are much more pricey, of course, than ready made, and the JCPenney associate told me the ready mades are also much lower in quality than the custom. But, the custom could run us in the $300 range per shade, and we need two of them.

Not to mention . . . down the road, we need some of these in our living room, which has nine windows. Yikes!

So, I could really use some all-around advice on:

*Style choice that fits decorating style.
*Inside mount or outside mount?
*Both windows are connected, so do we get two or one large one? This may relate to mounting choice as well.
*Does this room's shade choice need to match the future living room choice? The wall color and carpet are the same as the living room, but the office is upstairs, and the living room is downstairs.
*Sources/brands for purchasing.

Thanks so much for any help you may have.

Jan

Comments (6)

  • WendyB 5A/MA
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Is there a frame in between the two windows? How deep is the window sill? That will determine one or two, inside or outside.

    you do not need to do same upstairs and downstairs.

    Will you be doing light filtering linings with them? That will keep the street view white and consistent.

    Style is tricky with woven woods. Most of them will have a natural beachy look, but it does vary how much.

    Have you considered fabric roman shades?

    .

  • jan_in_wisconsin
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wendy, yes there is a frame between the windows. The sill is deep enough.

    Not sure about the light filtering. Privacy is not an issue.

    I would consider fabric but have no ideas.

  • WendyB 5A/MA
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    When you settle on what you want, the discounts are huge and seem to vary widely among online sellers on a daily basis. There are a ton of sellers and lots of comments about various ones if you search this forum. Once you order samples, you will get tons of discount offers.

    I just googled fabric roman shades and came up with this site that does a nice job with showing pictures of each of the shades installed on windows, which is very helpful. They look to have a wide selection of styles and prices to choose from.

    http://www.blindster.com/roman-shades/

    Fabric roman shades also offer flat or hobbled styles. Woven woods are always (?) flat I think. Generally fabric will be more expensive than woven woods, but again, prices vary greatly. The higher prices within a line are usually better color/fabric choices.

    http://www.blindster.com/bamboo-shades/

    I think that bamboo shades in a french country setting should probably be plainer and not so textured...i..e just cover the window... don't call out so much attention, like this:

    But that is not typical with woven woods. Most folk get them because of the texture and casual nature. Too plain may look boring. Will you have drapery panels on the sides too? That would be a way to add more style to a plain shades. Maybe in the office that will not matter so much, but when you get downstairs you probably want more styled. I don't see this as French anything.

    Of course, there's a lot in between. Just making a point.

    For myself I found a tone-on-tone offwhite that I am going with for my guestroom. That room I don't really want a full-on wood look, but still like the idea of the woven woods.

    Another thing to consider with woven woods or any type of shade is cord options. Cordless is great if you have access in front of the window to reach the top well (especially if you lower and raise them regularly). Continuous cord loop is a bit more convenient than straight cord. The bottom of it attaches to the side of the frame and is used like a pulley. Good for kids and pets... no loose cords.

    Another important feature is top-down bottom-up, but that's usually done for privacy purposes. It also precludes cordless on woven woods (but not on fabric shades).

    As you can see, I'm deep in the weeds on this subject. I am in the process of figuring out the same issues as you for my two sets of triple windows in the living space. The choices are overwhelming and you have to see lots of samples in person. I've got my choices narrowed to about 5, but I'm sure there are another 20 that would probably be just as good. When I get it down to 2, I intend to go to several websites with a spreadsheet and compare best prices. That's one reason to stick to Levolor or Bali. Everyone carries them.

  • nosoccermom
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Look at the Cote de Texas web site. Or google image shades and cote de texas.

  • patty_cakes
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    IMO, I would use a wood tone over a white~I also have a French/Traditional style, warm tan walls and trim/doors 3 shades darker. Carpeting is also a medium tan. I have gone with wood-tone bamboo Roman shades, sort of a walnut color from HD, also very attractive w/wood stained furniture. The sizes were off-the-shelf available, and I looked at getting them custom lined, but privacy wasn't really an issue, just the heat/sun of TX summers~no deterioration after 6 years.

    The installation is a piece of cake! Definitely inside the window frame.

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