You’ve selected the perfect furnishings and floor coverings for your living room or bedroom, but it still feels like it needs a little something. Just like the perfect accessory to a nice outfit, blinds or shutters give a finished, polished look to a room.
Beyond aesthetics, adding window treatments allows you to prevent those perfect furnishings and rugs from fading and keeps prying eyes from stealing your carefully cultivated style.
What Are the Best Opinions for Blinds and Shutters?
Blinds/Shades
Blinds are the most common window covering and owe their popularity to being available in a wide range of materials and prices, as well as being easy to acquire and not overly complicated to have installed.
Standard Blinds
Shutters
Interior and exterior shutters are both good choices for improving energy efficiency. Interior shutters are valued for the visual interest they bring to a room, while exterior shutters draw the eye by providing a contrast to the siding of the home.
As you shop for blinds and shutters, you may see numbers or designations used to rate and compare the effectiveness of various styles and brands of blinds, shades, and shutters. The chart below explains some of those designations and why they are important to your final selection.
Term What It Measures What To Look for
R- Value Insulation efficacy Higher number is better
Shading Coefficient Heat gain of window with treatment vs. a bare window Lower number is better
UV Transmittance Amount of UV radiation admitted, expressed as a percentage Lower percentage is better
Sound Absorption Amount of sound absorbed Higher number is better
Visual Transmittance Amount of visual light let in Select by preference
