Continuing our discussion of privacy control for beach and water front homes we have our next option;

2. Louvered treatments, both horizontal and vertical blinds are very functional for water front homes. This category includes the common mini and vertical blind as well as the very traditional wood venetian blind. The most popular option in this category today is the plantation shutter. Shutters are ‘furniture for your windows’ . they are beautiful by themselves and are incredibly functional. The larger louver preserves the view, and a flick of the wrist ensures privacy. All Horizontal blinds and shutters should have the louvers tilt horizontal or up at all times to protect from UV damage.

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Maintaining privacy for beach front homes is always a challenge. Any window treatment that can be seen through during the day, will allow those outside to see into the home at night. The solution for these situations is to choose a product that can easily close or tilt for privacy. There are a number of options to choose form today.

1. Traditional draperies with sheer under drapes. The sheer drape provides UV and glare protection during the day, and some level of view through. The over drape can be closed in the evening for privacy

We will explore other option in the coming days.

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As we discussed earlier, protecting the furnishings of a home from the harmful effects of UV radiation, while preserving the view out of the windows is a challenge. Some of the more common answers include; sheer draperies, solar screen shades, shading systems such as Silhouettes or grass cloth shades. All of these options handle the task of blocking UV to some extent. But all also inhibit the view through the window.

Thre are two options to consider that block the UV to a very high level, without diminishing the view. The first is Plantation Shutters. Shutters with 3 1/2″ or 4 1/2″ louvers allow an almost uninterrupted view while bouncing the harmful rays of the sun back outside. It is important to note that the louvers should be tilted horizontally, to slightly up. If the louver is tilted down, the suns rays are invited into the home.

The second option that can be used alone, or with any other window treatment, is window film. The newer window films from 3M are called Prestige films. These are non-metallic films made of ceramic materials. They are non reflective, and have a minor change to the quality of light within the room.

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As we continue this series of tips, I am reminded of a product we completed about a year ago in Amesbury, MA for an Interior Designer. The Designer and the client had very specific ideas, and requirements. The home was oriented along the river in such a way that direct sunlight was greatest during the mid-day hours. The front of the home was quite traditional, and actually fairly small looking. the embankment rear of the home was very dramatic, and somewhat more contemporary. this dichotomy posed an additional challenge.

The answer to these challenges varied by room. The client had Conrad woven grass shades in an area not affected by the renovation. He loved these shades and wanted to maintain that type of look at a lower budget; he also hoped that we could deliver this type of look without the ’stack’ of the roman shades. Our proposal was to use a well made woven grass fabric on a roller shade. This fabric would afford a reasonable ‘view through’ while filtering the UV for heat and glare. The shades rolled up tightly and were covered by a valance we created in our workroom of the same fabric.

These shades took care of the glare and UV issues, preserved the view and were a minimal affect on the over all design.

Preserve the view

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As our business services most of the ocean and lake front communities from Camden Maine to Winnipesaukee to Cape Cod, we are often asked what is the best products to choose when the home is on the Ocean or lake front. In the next few posts I will share some of our experiences in dealing with the unique challenges of water front window treatments.

In this first post, I would like to layout some of these unique challenges.

• Obviously the primary challenge is preserving the view. That view is the reason these clients live where they do. Choosing a treatment that will obstruct that view, just doesn’t work.
• UV protection is often the second challenge we must deal with. Most often, whatever product is chosen for waterfront windows, the treatment is raised or drawn to the side during the day to preserve the view, allowing the harmful rays of the sun to do damage to home furnishings.
• Heat and glare go hand-in-hand with UV protection, offering the same challenges
• Privacy is a continual challenge as well. If a product is chosen that can be seen through during the day, than people outside of the home can see in during the evening hours if the lights are on in the home.
• Finally, security and weatherproofing are often considerations in the design process. Water front homes are often second homes and therefore empty much of the year. The higher winds that are common in these areas are also a problem as they blow against the large window walls and picture windows that these homes commonly have.

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