Wood blinds are practical, but are they stylish? (Photo: iStockphoto)
A curtain rod in my family room fell the other day, thanks to my powerful vacuum cleaner (which sucked in the curtains).
I am thinking the incident has given me a chance to rethink our window coverings. Our family room always used to be dark, but now that the curtains are down, there is plenty of light streaming in from the vinyl blinds. And without the red, gauzy flowery curtains, the space has a clean and uncluttered appearance.
I'd like to replace the vinyl blinds with white wood blinds, light honeycomb shades or roman shades.
Virtual design tools
I found a website, HunterDouglas.com, that lets me play around with window covering options and see how they look in my room, which mostly gets afternoon light. I have been able to nearly duplicate the look of the family room (even simulating its creamy yellow walls and sage-green sofa), with the use of the website's Imagine Design Center tool. Similar design tools are available from JCPenney and RoyalWindowFashions.com.
The tools are great for someone like me who has little design sense and can't visualize what something will look like in a room.
Looking at both white wood blinds and white shades in the room, I think the wood blinds give the room a crisp, clean look. I am thinking of skipping curtains altogether, but am wondering if that would make the room look too unadorned and too bare.
Readers: What do you think? What's a good way to dress up a window without giving up too much natural light? Are blinds alone to plain? Are there any online design tools you'd suggest?—Lauren Baier Kim