CONGRATULATIONS on your new home! Exciting, I know. Remember this rule, and yes it is a rule: The WIDER the slat , the BETTER the view. If you would like to see the view of outside better, buy the 2-1/2". There is just a slight difference, but I assure you, you would see the difference if you had the 2 blinds/sizes held up next to each other. I just ordered new faux wood blinds (and faux is a very good choice; I have had both). I wanted the 2-1/2" slat but I also wanted the decorator's cloth tape, but alas, the fabricators STILL don't make cloth tapes to accommodate the blinds with 2-1/2" slats. If cloth tape is not an issue, I recommend the 2-1/2" slat. Whether I have a view or not, I like seeing more light and nature. Hope this helps

djsaw - I have 1" JC Penny basswood white blinds on all my windows and I get extremely good light when in the "open" position. I feel that because they are 1" instead of the 2", there is less bulk on the windows, thus allowing more light to filter in. The clear tilt wand works great to open and close. I have had these blinds up for 4 years and they still look like new. The White Silk matched my White Dove trim paint perfectly. Ratherbesewing - Like you, I have double-hung all wood windows with very little recession, but the 1" wood mounted great. There was a little variance in the depth of some of my windows (old house, replacements made over time, etc). Some probably didn't even have a full 1" recession. On one I remember we were only able to put screws in the two back holes instead of all four on the mounted holders, but you can't tell it. If you have 1" aluminum blinds mounted inside, these definitly will work nicely. Tuesday Here is a link that might be useful: JCP 1 inch blinds

After 10 years in the hot So CA desert sun, our faux wood blinds looked like new. Therefore, there have been installed at our new home. We do have two West facing windows where we hung solar shades because the sun was glaring on the TV and ruining our dinners in the dining area. Well, solar shades don't block the sun when it is big and round in the sky, so therefore, we installed more faux wood blinds inside the window box for extra protection. We now watch TV and eat with no hot sun.

I didn't read all these. I wanted to say that we have a lot of 2" white faux blinds in the house. They are heavy to raise even on smaller windows so we don't. Ours are not high quality so I don't know if that would make a difference. (Most were from Lowes - not custom or special order.) I think all blinds are a pain to clean. Dusting is what it is though! We needed ours for light control and do open and close the slats daily. Something that DOES bother me with some of ours is the 'valance' head piece that slides/clips in along the top to hide the mechanisms. Some have a tiny light gap along the top between the blind and window trim (all inside mounts) and I really dislike that. An outside mount would fix it for sure. I actually even tried to take white blackout liner and rig it with velcro to stuff along the edge for our wide living room window. Yes, I really did. It didn't work in there and I deal with it. In the bathrooms, I have a valance that hides the top. I do have one room where that valance header piece sits up a little higher and hides this. I'd still select the 2" faux wood blinds again because that was what was in budget and I like them better than the look of skinny slat mini blinds. While cellular shades provide light control, I like to see out and don't like how they look fully down. Same with fabric or woven romans. I do very much like the look of shutters. If you're unsure what I'm talking about with the light gap, I can take a photo if you'd like.