With the onset of summer, your house needs to be revamped to bring about a breath of freshness. Though people sometimes tend to ignore it, window treatment can be one of the best and easiest choices to change a room's feel.
Just opting for blinds instead of curtains might be enough to cool a room, as the former allows controlling the amount of light into the room.

With many houses sprouting up and homeowners being conscious of beauty and utility in décor, windows are now being used as decorative items. The ways of adding beauty and utility to a window are numerous -customers can choose among curtains, blinds, shades and drapes. According to traders, curtains and blinds are still most preferred for window treatment.The window treatment should blend with the interior design of the room like colour, flooring, and ceiling, furniture used as well as size of window.

“Depending upon the window treatments that are used, one can play with the natural light,“ says Shailendra Malik, operating manager of Kunal Flooring & Furnishing at Jawalakhel.According to him, blinds are one of the most preferred window coverings in corporate buildings, as they provide a formal look. Colours of blinds are usually limited to neutral and pastel shades.

However, curtains are still chosen over blinds in residences.“One of the reasons for selecting curtains over blinds is that the former comes in innumerable colours, designs, patterns and textures,“ says Aatma Khanal, salesperson of Flooring and Furnishings at Teku, adding that most people still resist change since they have been using curtains as a window treatment for the longest time. According to him, customers feel that curtains are still far more practical and much easier to maintain.Compared to blinds, curtains can be better matched with any kind of interior décor.

Curtains and blinds have their own advantages and disadvantages. According to Khanal, blinds alone are not decorative, as they need other window aids and accessories. Applying only blinds makes a window look bare and a room unfinished whereas curtains can complement a room even without accessories.There is also a third possibility of using both blinds and curtains.Blinds can keep the light out and curtains can be added as an accent. Windows also determine the type of the treatment. For example, curtains are more suitable for bay windows.

To make rooms more attractive and vivacious, the length of curtain also plays an important role. Longer the curtain or blinds, the more dignified,dressy and formal the look. Shorter lengths reflect a more casual, relaxed and informal look.
Similarly, a romantic room deserves elegant, extra-long curtains that pool or puddle on the floor. In the kitchen, curtains to the sill or to the bottom of the window trim look great and are practical too. Subtle and soft colours are easy on eyes and give a pleasing feel to the home.

While selecting the colours of curtains, make sure they create a contrast with wall colour. That is, if the wall colour is light, then dark curtains are used and vice versa.

There are various types of blinds such as mini, rollers, Roman, Venetian, i vertical, pleated, panels and honeycomb. When it comes to curtains, one can choose from net, pole l top, pinch pleated and f tab top. According to i Khanal, corporate build f ings opt for vertical blinds I and some residences even order such blinds for kitchen. The price of blinds depends on the quality, design and mater al used. The minimum price of blinds is Rs 95 per square running feet whereas curtains cost at east Rs 105 per square eet. Curtains and blinds n market are imported rom Bangkok, Taiwan, ndia and Switzerland.

Keeping your blinds clean
1.VACUUM: Whether your blinds are metal, wood, or plastic, vacuuming weekly with a brush attachment will go a long way towards keeping them clean. Close the slats all the way to reach more surface area of the blinds as you vacuum.

2.SPOT CLEAN: Finger marks and dirt buildup may need some extra help after vacuuming.
Try wiping small dirty sections with a damp sponge and gently wipe dry.

3.BATHE: When only deep cleaning will do, vacuum blinds first to remove as much dirt as possible. Remove metal, plastic, and painted blinds, dipping them in water mixed with a few drops of mild dish soap. Never soak wooden blinds, or blinds with decorative tapes in water.Carefully towel dry to avoid streaking.

source: The Himalayan Times: Property plus(2011),"It's curtains or maybe blinds", The Himalayan Times, 23 April 2011