With the value we have for our kitchen, establishing the proper ambiance is very important. One of the frequently overlooked elements that can set the tone and atmosphere are the windows and their accessories. It is best to control the amount of light that comes in since too much may be overwhelmingly intense to the eyes and too little may make it gloomy and uninviting. A well-lit kitchen will have an atmosphere of warmth and cosiness and it will appear to be well-ventilated. With the right amount of light, you should be able to see the surroundings and can move around easily.

For window coverings, the choices are numerous and varied. There are shades, blinds, valances and curtains, to name a few. To have that proper lighting in your kitchen, blinds and curtains are the top choices. With those in mind, using roman blinds can give you the flexibility of having your windows partially covered while still letting enough sunlight in. Besides that, they add a natural and clean look without burning a hole in your pocket.

Curtains are also one of the traditional and fantastic window coverings suitable for kitchens. For those looking to have a more breezy and bright space to minimize the need for artificial lighting while still having a modicum of privacy, a sheer curtain works best. But you can also go for thick curtains where you can just tie back if you want to allow more light to filter in. 

Whatever design or theme you will implement for your windows, just make sure that they will enhance and highlight the atmosphere you want for your kitchen.  After all, the personality of your kitchen will likely influence your mood and it should exemplify the tone you want to foster.

 

1. Flat and boring?

Try shapes. A common window treatments boo boo is one that puts too much emphasis on simplicity without imagination. A basic curtain or blinds can be a lovely addition to a room but only when the rest of the elements are more colourful or intricate. This provides much needed balance that many homeowners and designers often overlook.

2. Cutesy and outdated treatments that were all the rage when you were still in grade school

Individuality is an important factor in design and does, in fact, show character. While a unique take on window treatments can make a room shine with plenty of personality, it does not always work. Avoid colours, patterns and designs that scream ‘kids’ room’ or ‘teenager’s nook’ – that is, unless you yourself are one. Look for a window treatment that is more age-appropriate, something that reflects your taste and character. Although you should not be afraid to experiment, try to find something that shows your style and defines your taste.

3. Celebrating blandness

Stuck on beige and greys? While these colours (and several others like them) are safe choices particularly for beginner or inexperienced homeowners and designers, they too, can get boring. Earthy colours are wonderful for bringing a homey, friendly feel to a room or area but keep in mind that too much of something is not always good. It is true that bland, pale or neutral colours can work marvelously for some rooms but check to see how well it works in yours. If it does not excite you or make you feel at home, you might want to change it.

4. Using the wrong size for patterns and designs

Another common window treatment boo boo that will devalue your home is one that uses patterns and designs that clash with the rest of the room. If you must use a certain pattern or design, make sure it works with the other elements in the room such as existing furniture, carpets, rugs and fixtures. Try to consider the size of the patterns relative to the room. Keep in mind that large, bold prints can overwhelm a small area while small ones can look too ‘busy’ and unappealing.

5. Not using any

A rare yet possible window treatment boo boo is one where no treatment is used. Bare windows look stunning, particularly when the windows themselves are beautifully made and well maintained. This type of minimalism does work all the time, though. Do not waste the potential for limitless design ideas for your home. There are numerous ways you can add value to your property using affordable window treatments, so shop around.

Avoid these window treatment mistakes, Accent Blinds provide excellent windows solutions, from curtains, awnings, shutters and blinds.

There are a lot of ways to jazz up and accessorize windows to increase the value of your homes and at the same time, enhance their overall look for aesthetic purposes. When it comes to choosing the right window treatment for your windows, the options are close to being endless! You can use curtains, drapes, shutters, shades and blinds in a variety of shapes, fabrics, textures and color scheme. The list can go on and on since there are so many choices these days. Before we get overwhelmed by too many options, let’s narrow it down to a simple debate whether you should go for blinds over curtains.

We’ll look at one of the most popular blinds in the market today which is the venetian blinds for this discussion. These are a type of window blinds with slats arranged horizontally in rows. It is usually made of different materials like aluminum, vinyl, and wood of different textures and finishes. These slats are overlapping and are strung one beneath another. A lift cord is also attached to give the option of lifting the blinds up for a wide open view of the outside or pull them down to ensure privacy or letting the right amount of light in.

Curtains, the classic and traditional ornamental window treatment made from fabrics and garments, have many purposes aside from making the interiors looking beautiful and stylish. One of these purposes is protection against overexposure to sun. It practically protects furniture and any interior pieces from fading and warping. You can also allow light to come through the room depending on the thinness, thickness and opaqueness of curtains.

While it’s true that curtains can block a tremendous amount of sunlight from coming through a room to avoid sun damage, they can’t control them. Venetian blinds were made with slats that can definitely be adjusted to filter the right amount of light inside the room depending on your choice of ambiance. The slats are tied and connected together by a string or a cord that can be used to allow or block the light from outside in varying degrees.

Venetian blinds and all blinds in general have commonly been used in offices and workplaces because they require maintenance at a minimum – the very same reason why they now gained popularity in homes front and why many homeowners prefer them. Cleaning venetian blinds are very easy and simple. You can get a static duster, take a piece of cloth with any cleaning agent of your choice or use a vacuum cleaner to remove its dust and grime. As for curtains, they definitely require a constant run down with a washing machine or a regular trip to the Laundromat to be kept clean and dust free. Just imagine your curtains being heavy because of all its fabric and lace layering, they may not even fit your washing machine. Having them professionally cleaned on the other hand would be very costly. You also need to take off all the curtains from the rods and putting them back on once they’re cleaned. Talk about time consumption!

These are just some of the features and benefits of venetian blinds over traditional curtains. The versatility of venetian blinds makes them an ideal choice and a great addition to any window like no other.

The team at Accent would like to thank all our customers who took part. Obviously not everyone could be a winner, but we hope you enjoy the shutters, blinds, curtains or awnings that we installed in your home, for many years to come.

Watch the film of the night -

Who will take the $40k Grand Prize and change their life? Well…not exactly, you may not change your life, but you could have quite a party, or boat, or pool, or holiday etc etc etc.

We’re looking forward to seeing all our finalists next Friday 5th and we’ll make sure we film the event so the excitement will last forever. Stay tuned for that.

Thanks to all our customers who bought blinds from us in the last 10 weeks. We’re sorry you didn’t get drawn but we hope you have many happy years with your new blinds.

The Accent Team.

All our $1000 finalists will be there with their families and one lucky winner will go home with the $40,000. The other 9 finalists will each receive a consolation prize and of course we’ll ALL be heading back to the winners house to party all night (just kidding).

Believe it or not though, it’s still not too late to get into the draw. Start dreaming today and call Accent now on 13 19 13.

And see all you finalists on Friday 5th.

Mr Salis now goes into the draw for the $40,000 prize.

AND WHAT A MAJOR DRAW IT WILL BE!!!

We have something quite special planned. We’ll be getting all our finalists together in the one room and each will have a blind to open. Annnnnd, behind one blind will be the $40,000 prize.

Even if you’re not there, we’ll have a video of the big day on the blog and the excitement will be worth looking at.

IT’S STILL NOT TOO LATE THOUGH!

There’s 2 weeks left to be part of the draw. Start dreaming today! Call Accent on 131913.

What would you do with $40,000? It’s not too late to get into the draw. Call Accent on 131913 and start dreaming today…

Winner’s are grinners! This week our lucky $1000 finalist winner comes from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. He said he was over the moon with the great service he got from our helpful Accent staff but was “blown away” when he heard about the $1000 win. He’s just built a new house and as well as his beautiful new blinds, he now has $1000 to spend on further decoration, or maybe an awesome house warming party.

Either way, this week’s winner goes into the draw for the $40,000 grand prize draw in early November. We’ve got something very special planned for that draw so check the blog next week for news on that.

We’re now half way through the competition but there’s still plenty of time to get amongst the winners. What would you buy with $40,000? Start dreaming today! Come into an Accent showroom (on the website) or call us on 131913 and one of our helpful reps will come to your house for a free measure and quote.

Congratulations to Penny Sheridan.

Penny just had the Accent team install her new blinds and just as she was sitting back to admire them the phone rang. It was us again telling her that she was the 4th finalist winner in our Win A Dream competition. Penny collects a check for $1000 and now goes into the November draw to win her choice of prizes to the value of $40,000.

Penny hasn’t had a chance to think about what she’ll buy with the $1000, or the $40,000. She’s too busy coming to terms with the fact that she’s actually won something! An occurence that has never happend to her before.

What would you do with $1000? Don’t stop there! What would you do with $40,000? Start dreaming today, there’s still plenty of chances to get amongst the cash. Call Accent on 131913.