Blinds and Shades - So What's the Difference?

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Love is Blinds • Sep 06, 2023

As you decorate you new home this fall, perhaps you've looked at your windows and pointedly asked yourself: "blinds or shades - what's the difference?" The answer to that isn't overly simple, though you can generally say it's a difference in material. Even more concise, blinds and shades come down to the difference between hard and soft materials, which matters in personal interior decorating preferences.

Despite this definition, a lot of people still get confused between blinds and shades. You'll even see some people mistakenly use the terms to mean the same thing.

No matter your choice, both are important in how you want your windows to look. We sometimes overlook how windows affect things when you have family or friends to your home for dinners or parties. Blinds and shades help you control natural light in efficient ways thanks to better features and innovations.

When those window treatments come from names like Hunter Douglas as just starters, you can expect the best quality in the blind and shade industry.

Take a look at what you may need for your windows and the different features of blinds and shades to help you make a more educated choice.

The Features of Window Blinds

As mentioned above, blinds have harder materials and are frequently made of wood or even faux wood. They're designed with slats or vanes that make up the body of the blind while pulling a lever to cover your window. While you may think this limits you to using vertical blinds, they also come in horizontal form to fit windows of all sizes.

The physical design of slats is one of the preferences many people prefer with blinds. One reason is you can turn the slats at different angles to let in as much light as you need. You can create numerous natural lighting effects this way thanks to the variety of slat angles.

You may want to choose blinds for another good reason: They're traditional and can match nearly any type of interior decor. Using options like wood, faux wood, or even woven types of wood, you have a real sense of quality and durability in every blind. They won't deteriorate from exposure to condensation, especially when from a quality manufacturer.

Vertical blinds can also help you when you want to cover larger window expanses like French blinds. Many find this necessary when needing to control the sunlight during sunsets.

The Features of Window Shades

In contrast to blinds, shades have a soft fabric that completely cover your windows with no slats involved. Shades can still roll up the same way blinds do with a cord, yet have a variety of styles that still bring light control to any room. While shades can't give you light filtering as you get with blind slats, some shade options help determine how much light you want coming in.

One of the most popular shade options is cellular shades (also known as honeycomb shades) that do double duty controlling light opacity and helping in energy efficiency. These shades have a beehive appearance that allow a little light to come in without being intense. The cellular material manages both hot and cold air so your heating or cooling bill becomes more manageable.

Even if cellular shades (also known as honeycomb shades) are popular, standard shades, are economical and still provide stylistic touches with different fabric designs. They're always excellent for bedrooms when you just want as much privacy as possible.

The same goes for Roman shades that are equally popular and designed with folds as you lower the shade down. Many people find Roman shades a more affordable option over using window drapery.

Lastly, shades can be motorized and automated whereas blinds cannot. If you're super busy or travel a lot, or just like techie stuff, then you'd probably want to consider shades .

Contact us here at Love is Blinds so we can help you make the right choice between blinds and shades and find a style that matches your personality and budget.

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