Window Covering Answers

                    Glass as a Manufacturer of Solar Energy  As the world moves forward towards eliminating oil, dealing with climate change, and improving solar energy, new  innovations in the manufacture of glass are offering better opportunities for a cleaner world.  From Germany, where solar technology has been pursued for years come technologies that are truly surprising and innovative.  The following is from a recent article  called "4 Hidden Innovations in Glass " from Lead Innovation Management Gmbh written by Angela Hengsberger. https://www.lead-innovation.com/english-blog/innovations-in-glass "Sun protection glass has a metallic coating that does not keep out sunlight but retains up to 80 percent of the infrared heat rays. This prevents the rooms from heating up. The thermochromic glazing has even better properties: The window keeps the heat out in summer, but lets the sun's heat through durin...

               Thermocill: A new addition to a warmer home As winter approaches we all begin to think about making our homes warmer. Climate change, global warming has made us all sensitive to our carbon footprint.  Changing our energy use is on everyone's mind. One of the more interesting ways of doing this is a product that works passively. No energy use.  Yep. You heard that correctly. No energy use. Passive.  What goes at the window matters. For convection at the window is a problem whatever your heating method happens to be.  For those of you with radiators in front of a window you lose some heat right through that window every heating season.  Thermosill is a new product out of Britain that makes a difference to keeping your home warmer, without an ongoing cost.  How is that possible?   Here is a short video that will explain what I am talking about.  For more information take a look at their...

 With so many people now living in their cars, here is another way to make your own window coverings for your vehicle. This video is so impressive. Adaptation is what humans do very well. Nikki is a great example of adaptation bringing new ways of thinking outside of the box.  Similar to the previous video about creating window coverings for a van, this has differences that are very helpful.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7LTNJP5rpU https://www.instagram.com/nikkidelven... Campers Instagram @adventuresofcamper

  DIY Thermal Van Window Covers From Insulation And Carpet ♻️ | Ep 10 | Nissan NV200 Camper Van Build An excellent and very quick lesson on how to make your van warmer  or cooler for camping. Private, but well imagined and cleverly done.  As with everything for any kind of window, measurement is key, templates are necessary. Of course in Britain temperatures are cool, misty, even cold. The British Isles in general do not suffer from temperature extremes except in the Outer islands or at greater elevation. So North American temperatures might need more insulation.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKvAV_z-BrQ

Automated draperies.  Draperies will always be with us. For there is no other window covering that creates ambience and variety like draperies do. Ageless. Curtains define and separate the outside from the inside. Outside it can be an ordinary cityscape, or suburban street, or even a more unsightly view. Inside it can be an entirely new landscape of your own design.  Your own specific and unique landscape of comfort and beauty can be created with draperies. With draperies you have an infinity of beauty at your beck and call. Fabric makes a home, a home, not an office. Even though we are all working from home these days, we don't always want to be reminded of work. Draperies allow you to keep the world of home separate from the hurly burly of the commercial world.  Why? The ageless beauty of fabric, fabric often from all over the world encourages a plethora of design and beauty. Most blinds, (though not all) cannot create these inner dimensions of ultimate beauty.  Ce...

  Window Covering Answers Free Consultation Do you find yourself looking out of the windows a bit more often these days? If you are home, you might find that looking out of the window brings an element of relief, interest, even joy depending upon the view.  Even if your view is not so great, there are ways to turn that window into something you want to look at, with the right window covering. It is all about adaptability.  Certainly, as Covid-19 ravages our lives all over North America and the world. we will have mixed emotions about our homes,  our lives, the lives of others and   yes, even our windows.   We have been given time to think .⌚⌛ And as one very wise  and hilarious woman used to say,  "Thinking is dangerous" . 💣    Thinking is the beginning of Change .  Sometimes that thinking is done right at the window. Sometimes that thinking is about what is going on with this particular window .  In times of Chaos , i...

Air Conditioning Blinds - Interesting Design http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/10/13/ac-on-the-blind/ 

SOLAR BLINDS https://www.youtube.com/c/SolarGaps https://youtu.be/dR9IqbbSXXk https://youtu.be/lIzF6Ae08Lc https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOz006EF31I8wt4SCWZp5yA I have always dreamed of this. Basically it makes perfect sense. We have all this glass on our buildings. The thermal glass heats up in the summer making the inside of our homes hotter than they need to be. In winter the large expanse of glass adds to unwanted cooling.  Now here is a product and a company revolutionizing not just the power grid, but also our homes and offices.  It makes sense to put blinds on the outside of our windows, creating electricity when we need it. Saving the planet and our pocketbooks at the same time.  https://solargaps.com/

Roller Blind Art https://mamurale.com LONGING  FOR A GREAT VIEW FROM YOUR WINDOW? Have you ever longed for a great view from your window? Does your window face a brick wall? Or worse, someone else's window? Does your apartment or condo look out onto a factory, a busy highway or road? OR maybe just onto a really, boring view of nothing in particular?  Maybe it is time to change your view . And you can. With the right illustration placed on a roller blind , the view that you have always wanted, can be yours.   What do you really want to look at? Hawaii? A jungle in South America? One of the worlds best beaches? What about a seascape or a view of the Rockies? Maybe a peaceful garden or even a field of flowers? What about a Zen garden? ILLUSTRATED ROLLER BLINDS For the more adventurous there are also roller shades that are copies of Impressionist paintings. Vincent Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, all suddenly at your window, instead of that man who is always smoking on his b...

Fixing your broken blinds Yes. It can be done. Maybe not effortlessly but .... here is how to do it.  https://youtu.be/2DxTjhSUVIQ Blind repairs can be costly and time consuming... but this company is dedicated to helping you fix what is broken. FixMyBlinds is the answer to extending the life of your blinds. Here are several links, but if you just enter FixMyBlinds into the YouTube search you will soon find what you need. They have several really useful videos.  https://youtu.be/8bcYB-0bctE From the same great company here is another video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5seZ45_i_Y https://youtu.be/G5seZ45_i_Y https://youtu.be/Vu0tsEgtPVE   for Vertical Blinds This site will save you money with just a bit of handiwork and time. Fix My Blinds is excellent.

Motorizing on the Cheap Yes, there is always someone with a better way of doing things and this little video shows you how to do this very inexpensively. As he says it is not all that pretty but he encourages you to improve on his creation.  Here is the video that shows you how.  https://youtu.be/8bcYB-0bctE

Motorization Well I know what you are thinking, why would I need to motorize my blinds? There are reasons and here are a few - in the internet of things you can make it seem as though you are home with this device. Or your window coverings are just too high to reach without a ladder. Or someone in the house is disabled and with motorization they can press a button.  https://youtu.be/vbQr3A-YAr0 This video shows step by step how to create your own motorized shade. Good luck! Not for beginners...but someone will be up to the challenge. 

Curtains for your car Now not everyone needs these but they do look lovely in this van, don't they? This is not a do it yourself item but an addition to what we all wish for from time to time. In a world where everything is mobile, cars and vans are sometimes used for taking naps or sleeping on long trips.  This little video makes me want to try it out.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpDv6Sh1UME

Japanese Shoji Screens and how to do it. Just a quick note here ... this how to video is short and really easy. This is from Youtube but truly worth watching if you want to make these window treatments yourself.  http://nutsandboltsdiy.com/how-to-make-japanese-rice-paper-room-dividers/ Light and privacy in one window treatment. Minimalist. Peaceful.  http://nutsandboltsdiy.com/how-to-make-japanese-rice-paper-room-dividers/

Interior Mylar Panels for your Sunrooms Do you have a three season porch? A room with a great view but you can only use it for 3 seasons. Extend your use of these rooms with Mylar panels from Screenitagain. Taking out the screens and putting in the Mylar panels makes the room warm enough to enjoy even in cooler weather. As the room warms up on sunny days you are augmenting your energy saving program with gentle passive solar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xC746UaPn8

Feng Shui and Window Treatments Here are some Feng Shui sites that talk about window treatments and how energy or chi can be improved in your home. Although there is a bit of the sceptic in me about this particular way of looking at window treatments... mostly Feng Shui is plain old common sense.  Here are a couple of links http://www.lindavarone.com/2011/feng-shui-your-window-treatments-are-your-curtains-getting-between-you-and-nature/ http://redlotusletter.com/the-feng-shui-of-windows/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdIXn0L4PSw  

Feng Shui and Window Treatments Here are some Feng Shui sites that talk about window treatments and how energy or chi can be improved in your home. Although there is a bit of the sceptic in me about this particular way of looking at window treatments... mostly Feng Shui is plain old common sense.  Here are a couple of links http://www.lindavarone.com/2011/feng-shui-your-window-treatments-are-your-curtains-getting-between-you-and-nature/ http://redlotusletter.com/the-feng-shui-of-windows/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdIXn0L4PSw