Back-to-School Time! Add Personality and Privacy with New Window Fashions for the Young Ones!

Now is the perfect time to update your kids’ rooms, just as they’re headed back to school… and brighten their environment for when they get home. What could be better than a comfortable and great looking room your kids will actually WANT to hang out in, study in, and return to after long days, quarters and semesters at school? Why not make their rooms special with custom window fashions we can design together just for them… setting a theme that says as much about their personality as it does your about your care and good taste. What kid doesn’t love a little extra privacy? New window fashions can provide that valuable commodity, too! Come and see what’s new in our showroom in North Hampton, NH, just south of Portsmouth and minutes from the Mass border.

Window Décor Tip of the Month:

Blue is for boys… but it may not be for young men! Pink is wonderful, but at some point, girls grow out of that, too. When you make a décor change with window fashions, you aren’t limited by any one color, style or texture, and you don’t even have to change anything else in the room to make a major style shift. If Junior’s room is still blue, and his window treatments have seen better days, why not look to what’s happening in bold geometric prints? How about crisp cellular or louvered shades or blinds in a contrasting color or texture to bring “POP” to his environment? Thinking pink, there are loads of hot, contemporary styles and colors (like bright yellow, orange and even aqua or brown) that can update a girl’s pink room, and bring her private hangout into today by making it “her own” current style, where she’ll feel great and can “be herself”!

Rooms They’ll Love Living In!

Creating a place where your kids really want to study may seem an improbable task, but if they aren’t comfortable where they do their schoolwork, it will show. At the very least, it should be a place where they feel at ease, one that has their own tastes and interests incorporated. It’s important they get enough light, both natural from the windows and from other light sources. As they grow and mature, their personal space becomes a much more important part of the place they call home and can be a spot where they feel the safety and comfort you always try to create for your whole family. Let’s freshen your home with the kids’ rooms in mind. I have a terrific array of ideas and products in every price range to make this happen and will be happy to work within your budget to help you make your family’s rooms new again with window fashions. Call me today and we’ll get started!

Please pass this on to a friend. They will thank you, and so will I.

Serving Southern Maine, The New Hampshire Seacoast and the North Shore of Massachussets

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If you want room darkening, the choices are vast, from mini blinds to shutters to pleated and cellular shades. Another common issue that comes up is less about confusion but more about satisfaction, and that is ordering samples. There are also videos on the internet that will help guide you through this process. The last issue and point of confusion is understanding the available options. The next common issue is, once people receive their blinds, they don’t take the time to read the instructions. Again, I advice that you read the instructions that come with your purchase and make sure you have a few very basic tools like a screwdriver, preferably an electric screwdriver, to save your wrists. Most of the manufacturers have gone to considerable effort to help you with your new purchase. You just need to know what you want in advance so you are not surprised when you install your windows. The next two areas of confusion are measuring and installing. Also, there are types of shutters that offer insulation. Most window treatments retailers offer free samples so that you can see for yourself whether or not the blind, shade or shutter is the right color and how it might look in your window. A simpler way to think of this is the part of the window shade that moves up and down. This is a common option for all types of shades liked pleated shades and roman shades.

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Insulating window treatments are a smart choice no matter what type of climate you live in. It does not matter if you live in Minnesota or Arizona, insulation is important. I live in San Diego which you may think is a place you never need insulation and the way the homes are designed here, you would think that was true. But it is not. During the winter, the temperature can get down in the 40s and in the summer it can be 100 degrees. And, with little insulation you really feel both extremes. One of the major culprits of poor insulation is your home’s drafty old windows. Fortunately, it is also one of the easiest areas to improve. First, I would recommend checking the caulking around your window, because there’s no sense investing in insulated window treatments if the draft can still sneak around the corners. But even if your windows are air tight, you can still suffer from convection drafts when warm inside air hits the cold window panes. Time was, not that long ago that your choices in window treatments was somewhat limited, especially when it came to energy efficiency. The good news, though, is that now you have many options when it comes to insulated window treatments.

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With the increasing popularity of arch windows, most of the major window fashions manufacturers now offer an array of blinds, shades and shutters made to fit custom arched window, completely round window or sunburst windows.

Look at arch window coverings from a top brand such as Hunter Douglas or Solace Shades to find a wide range of cellular and pleated shades in both light filtering and blackout materials and colors galore. Motorized operation is a great option if you have a very tall sunburst window.

Premium wood shutters are the most versatile option for spoecialty shaped windows. The louvers allow you to retain your view, control the suns rays and glare and provide great privacy and darkness when needed. Look at Kirtz shutters or excitingwindows.net.

Many times people will leave an arched top window bare; since it is high up above the room’s main window, privacy may not be a problem. And since they have relatively little glass area, direct sunlight is only a problem with south or east facing windows for the most part.

The decision to leave arch windows naked and natural or to cover them is inevitably related to the orientation of the windows, how much privacy is needed in the room and whether the theme and design elements of the room better fit bare or treated arch windows.

But for convenience and practicality, installing some type of window treatment on your arched top windows still makes sense. Shades will protect home furnishings and décor from fading and keep your home cooler on those hot days!

If you are not sure how to handle these difficult windows, call the experts at Exciting Windows!

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Although not traditionally considered by home buyers, architects or builders, the planning and budgeting for window treatments prior to the building phase is fast becoming one of the most important trends in residential construction today. There are many practical reasons for this shift, not the least of which is ensuring there is a sufficient budget for the home buyer to choose window treatments that adequately complement a dream home.

Available choices in treatments today are much more varied than ever before. The home buyer must choose from selections that include traditional draperies, simple blinds or shades, increasingly popular plantation shutters, or window film that reduces glare, fading and heat gain. Along with these options, the savvy homeowner is likely to ask that these treatments be motorized and possibly interact with a home automation system.

The desire to motorize window treatments is one of the most important details to plan during the construction phase. An experienced and certified window treatment dealer will be able to assist the home buyer in making the appropriate product choices, while also providing the electrician with wiring schematics that will ensure the desired outcome. Wiring a home after construction often makes the option of motorized window treatments highly cost-prohibitive.

As the expense of heating and cooling our homes continues to escalate, the wise consumer will seek out a window treatment professional for advice about products that will provide the greatest level of performance and deliver the desired decorative effect. Here in New Hampshire, we are primarily concerned with maintaining warmth in the home during the winter months. Most window treatments will provide some insulation value, but superior products can actually triple the “R” value of the window being covered.

Architects and home designers seem to be continuing their best efforts to bring the outdoors inside through the use of larger windows, often designed in unusual shapes. These larger windows may require extra framing to accommodate the weight of the treatment chosen for that window. This framing could include blocking up to several feet away from the window in order to support decorative drapery rods. If a steel header is used above the window, wood blocking should be added to at least a 1 ½” thickness over the face of the header to support a range of treatment options.

As you can see, considerations about window treatments can be just as complicated and important during the design phase of a home as decisions about kitchen layout or plumbing fixtures. Take the time to seek out a qualified window treatment expert to help you early in the pre-construction phase of your new home. You may find this to be some of the most valuable time you spend.

Ed Hopkins is the Principal of Exciting Windows! by Verticals Etc. He and his staff have been trained and certified by over twelve different manufacturers of quality window treatments. See the possibilities for window treatments today by visiting the largest showroom in New Hampshire at 122 Lafayette Road in North Hampton, or online at www.excitingwindows.net. Ed can be reached at 603-964-7282.

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