Your home says a lot about you. You put your personal touch on paint and furniture. You display art that speaks to you in one way or another. You sift through dozens of bathroom tile and spend hours looking for the right granite for your kitchen countertops.
But how often do you overlook your window treatments?
Americans spend an average of $5,000 to replace windows, but protecting them gets pushed aside. Blinds, curtains, and shades are an afterthought. You don’t usually think about them until the sun beams through or you realize you have a lack of privacy.
If you’re thinking about replacing your window treatments, there are a lot of reasons to consider custom window treatments. Many of them you’ve never considered. In this guide, we take a look at seven benefits of having custom window treatments.
Benefits of Custom Window Treatments
In recent years, the popularity of HGTV has sparked an interest in homeowners to make big changes. As a result, the home decor industry is booming, with Americans spending north of $52 billion a year on home furnishings.
Window coverings often take a back seat to things like new flooring and paint. When they do get consideration, it’s usually stock window blinds or curtains from a big box retailer.
There’s a better, more efficient option that we’re going to shed some light on – custom window treatments. After you read the seven benefits below, you’ll be rethinking how your windows get covered.
1. Precise Window Measurements
When you buy window treatments from a retail chain, you’re stuck with the sizes they have in stock. This leads to ill-fitting coverings that don’t control the desired amount of sunlight properly.
With custom window treatments, a professional measures your windows and the coverings get built to those exact sizes. This is one of the most common reasons people get custom window coverings.
2. Professional Treatment
Having a professional window treatment specialist is like having your own interior designer. A professional works with your home’s aesthetic to show you complementary window coverings that work for your decor.
They will answer your questions about light or insulating qualities. They’ll also make suggestions, give you advice, or educate you on all your options. With ready-made window treatments, you don’t have as many choices.
3. Higher Quality Workmanship
You’ve heard the saying “You get what you paid for,” and this is very true with window treatments. Inexpensive, ready-made coverings are exactly what their name suggests.
Custom window treatments cost more, but you’re getting higher quality workmanship and materials. Store-bought blinds break often which leads you to replace them. And over time, the slats lose their ability to keep UV light out.
Custom coverings are more durable and hold their effectiveness for longer. This means you won’t replace them every couple of years.
Professionals will also use higher quality linings for your curtains and drapes. The seams will be straight and tight, and the stitching will be even without frays.
4. You Pick Fabric and Materials
Along with limited sizes, ready-made window treatments have limited colors and materials. If you love the look of wood plantation blinds, you won’t have as many material choices or colors.
You could end up buying whatever is in stock and having to modify them to get them the way you envision them to be. This could lead to damaged blinds/shutters.
If you like a certain fabric and pattern, you won’t find them in a big box home furnishings department. You have to make the drapes yourself or find someone to do it for you. When you hire a professional, they’ll craft the drapes using your selected fabric to your exact window size.
5. Custom Colors
When you decide to have custom window treatments, like picking out your fabric, you also choose your own colors. If you like a specific brown or gray, a professional will show you the options available.
Some companies will dye fabric to your desired color, which you can do yourself but you won’t have the same high-end finish.
6. Custom Detail
Like fabric and colors, getting custom window treatments allows you to add details to your coverings. You may want specific hardware for your blinds or a custom trim for your drapes. With ready-made, the only way you can add details is by altering what you buy.
In some cases, you can speak with your designer after placing your order to add details. When you meet with a professional, ask them regarding their policy on adding or changing orders after they’re placed.
7. More Energy Efficiency
You lose about 30% of your home’s heating energy through your windows. During the months when you run your air conditioning, 76% of the sunlight that comes through your windows turns into heat.
Window treatments can help reduce the risk of losing energy and keep your home at a comfortable temperature. The amount you save depends on which window treatments you have.
Window shades, blinds, draperies or curtains, and some shutters are operable window treatments. These allow you to adjust the amount of light coming into your home, thus, controlling how much heat enters.
Roller or Roman shades fit inside your window frame in most cases. They’re raised and lowered from a roller bar at the top of your window. Roman shades are fabric and stack in even folds when you raise or lower them.
Curtains and drapes are fabric coverings that reduce heat and sunlight. Curtains should fit your window frame while drapes hang to the floor. How little or much light comes in or stays out depends on the type of fabric and their color.
Horizontal or vertical blinds are better at reducing sunlight in the summer than keeping heat in during the winter months. This is due to the openings between the slats that don’t make them great insulators. You can control the amount of sun in the summer by adjusting the blinds’ positioning.
Ready-made blinds come in standard sizes which makes it difficult if you have odd sizes. This makes them even less energy efficient.
But because custom blinds fit better, they help with energy efficiency. This is especially true if you’re thinking about reflective blinds or eco-friendly materials.
Transform Your Home
Now that you know the benefits of having custom window treatments, you need to find a company that cares about your vision for your home. For 80 years, Jo-Vin has provided unmatched care and craftsmanship to families in the NYC area.
Learn more about our residential services, including our free in-home consultation. Our custom shades and drapery hang in five-star hotels, cozy Long Island cottages, and Manhattan high-rises.
Contact us today and let us help make your dream home a reality.