When it comes to window treatments and general home solutions, the choice of whether to go with drapes or blinds (or both) is an eternal question. For sure, both are subject to the whims of fashion as far as style is concerned, but the actual use of these products is something that has never gone out of fashion. This is because both drapes and blinds will always be needed.
Unsurprisingly, both drapes and blinds come with their own challenges and disadvantages. And selecting between them can become as much a cornerstone of home management as choosing the right toilet bleach or going with a shoe deodorizer like ShoeFresh to make your home that bit more accommodating.
And these challenges concern not only how drapes and blinds control the light in your home, but also the care routine necessary for both. Both, however, are fairly low maintenance and don’t need to be cleaned particularly often. And in the case of blinds, it is really only the ones installed on the on the outside that require any care at all. Drapes are a different matter, as fabric naturally absorbs dirt and smells much more than the firm material of which blinds are composed. Yet the choice can be a little more complicated than that and will ultimately depend on two factors – what type of home you have and, perhaps more importantly, what you want.
Complicating matters further is the fact that both drapes and blinds can come in all sorts of assorted styles, which can vary massively. Which of these you select again depends on your home and your personal preferences. Nevertheless, since these two factors are unlikely to change, it might be worth laying out some general facts about drapes and blinds that never change. This way, you can hopefully make an informed choice before reaching for your wallet.
Blinds are Less Expensive (Most of the Time)
In fact, blinds are nearly always less expensive than drapes. This is simply because they are composed of less material – and cheaper material at that. There is of course an installation charge with blinds that does not apply to drapes (you can normally install those yourself) but, even still, this rarely takes more than ten or twenty minutes and can be completed for a total cost of around $50 per window. Do note though that blinds composed of more expensive material such as wood or vinyl can push the price more into the range of a typical set of drapes.
Blinds Offer More Light Control Options
This is perhaps the biggest advantage that blinds have over drapes. The slats on venetian blinds can of course be adjusted to be only half-way open, offering a little shade without cutting out all the light. You can do something similar with drapes by only opening them a crack, but this will produce much less even lighting for your room.
Drapes Can be Composed of a Wider Range of Materials
The materials used to make blinds do not vary a great deal, usually restricted to wood, vinyl, or plastic. When it comes to drapes though, the sky really is the limit. As drapes are essentially two sheets of fabric, that fabric can be almost anything. This means that, if you want to create a real sense of luxury, drapes offer more options.
A few more points could certainly be included here, such as the fact that blinds generally last a bit longer than drapes and will require less cleaning, but which of the two to pick depends, above all, on your tastes and your budget.
Comments are closed.