Enjoy the beauty of natural grass cloth shades. These shades are woven from eco-friendly sustainable materials. See our full selection.

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Natural Soft Roman Shades

We are all concious of trying to be ‘Green’ today. There have always been options to choose sustainable, eco-friendly products for window treatments. Natural grasses and reeds have been used for thousands of years to create beautiful treatments for windows. Call or stop by today to see our huge selection of these natural options. Link

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As we discussed yesterday, the problem with finding eco-friendly window treatments is to understand the definition.

A whole host of products have been certified ‘Green Guard” by the Green Guard Environmental Institute. This group certifies that products are safe for indoor use and/or safe for children and schools. The primary concern of this group is indoor air pollution. In the window treatment industry, this is generally referred to as ‘off-gassing’, meaning the product will emit a gas or odor for a short period of time after installation. This is generally a factor with products made from vaious plastics or vinyls, or with painted products.

While certifying that these products are safe is quite important, this certification does not fit most definitions of ‘Green’, ‘Sustainable’ or ‘Eco-Friendly’. There is not a current organization that provides a clear certification for products in the home furnishings industry. this leaves the consumer, retailer and designer to do the research.

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Our first product for Green consideration is Drapery fabrics. These fabrics can be used for traditional draperies, but can also be used for valences and top treatments as well as shadings and even some upholstery and bedding.

Natural fibers are the obvious choice when looking for ‘green’. But the content is not the only thing to consider. How is the product dyed? does it have any other chemical additives like fire retardents? How is waste handled at the mill? Is the mill operated in an energy concious way? And finally, how far does the material need to be shipped?

We have a number of natural fiber materials that are dyed with plant based dyes and woven in state of the art Mills. Some of the lines of fabric that we carry that have made strides in this area include; Robert Allen, Kravet, Kasmir, Thibault and Tapestria. Link

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We are often asked about ‘Green’ products by our clients when we are designing window treatments. the problem is; how do you define green? Many materials that are totally natural will not stand up to sun rot, or the wear and tear of daily use at the window.

But, manufacturers are slowly hearing the call of the client and are developing a number of products that fill this much needed niche in the industry. Over the next few days we will discuss some of these trends and the options currently available. Link

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The trend toward designing with natural, sustainable and renewable products is stronger than ever. What could be more ‘GREEN” than Grass cloth from Conrad Shades?

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