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Common Window Treatment Terminology You Should Know, Part Two

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At Arjay’s Window Fashions in Los Angeles, we understand how time consuming and challenging it can be to shop for window treatments without the help of a professional. That’s why we’re proud to offer California residents with some of the most innovative and decorative window treatments available. In part one of this two-part series, we discussed some common window terminology you should be aware of including the different styles of window treatments available. In part two, we’ll take a look at some common window treatment materials you should be aware of before you start shopping for new drapes, curtains, and blinds.

When you have a general idea of the types of window treatments you’d like, it’s time to start looking at the different materials available. Curtains, draperies, and blinds can come in a variety of different materials that can add weight or lighten up a room, depending on what you’re going for. Let’s take a look at some popular window treatment materials below.

  • Acrylic – If you’re looking for a lightweight fabric that looks and feels like wool, but is machine washable, wrinkle-resistant, and won’t fade in the sunlight, you’ll love acrylic material. Acrylic window treatments are very easy to care for and they tend to hold up very well over time.
  • Chenille – This soft and luxurious fabric is a popular novelty yarn among homeowners. It is often used to create a rough, looped or knotted textured surface.
  • Damask – If you’d like design themes in the fabric of your drapes or curtains, you may want to consider damask. This elaborately patterned, jacquard-woven fabric is created from silk, linen, wool, cotton, and other synthetic fibers. Common designs include flowers, leaves, fruit, and animals.
  • Eyelet – This lightweight curtain fabric is often decorated with small, embroidered holes. The holes are normally laid out in a floral pattern, and the design is often found in trim.
  • Gingham – Gingham is a casual cotton, or cotton and polyester blend fabric that has a small checkered design of colored squares that alternate with white squares. This material is often used for tiered curtains.
  • Lace – As you may already know, lace is a delicate ornamental fabric that is woven in a web-like pattern. It is often combined with other types of embroidery.
  • Linen – Linen is a flat-woven fabric that is made from the fibers of the flax plant. It is extremely strong and smooth, and can offer a crisp texture for your blinds or drapes. It can also be blended with cotton, silk, and other natural fibers.
  • Polyester – This synthetic fiber material is machine washable and wrinkle-resistant. Polyester is normally blended with cotton or other synthetic fibers.

dreamstime_xxl_16476412Once you’ve decided what material you’d like to use for your new window treatments, you may want to look into different embellishments to really make your curtains or drapes pop. Let’s take a look at some popular needlework and fabric designs to consider for your new window treatments below.

  • Applique – This is a needlework technique in which different pieces of fabric are embroidered onto a background of fabric to create a unique design.
  • Basketweave – A basketweave is an allover texture design that can be produced by an under-and-over weaving technique. As you may have guessed, the end result resembles the same texture of a weaved basket.
  • Box Pleat – Box pleats are evenly spaced and stitched double pleats. Fabric is folded under on both sides to create a box-like shape. Box pleats can normally be found in the header of draperies.
  • Burnout – A burnout is a decorative fabric design that is produced by dissolving away one or more fibers in a fabric with the help of a weak acid or chemical salt. This is used to destroy some of the fibers on the fabric to create a relief or silhouette pattern.
  • Embroidery – These decorative stitches can be used to dress up the base fabric of your blinds or curtains. Some common types of embroidery include eyelet, chain stitch, and satin stitch patterns.
  • Jacquard – A jacquard weave can be used to create an intricate woven pattern using multiple levels. Some examples include damask fabrics, tapestries, and brocades.

We hope that this blog has taught you a thing or two about the different types of window treatment materials and embellishments available. If you live in Los Angeles and you’re ready to add shutters, blinds, shades, or drapes to your windows, contact our professionals today!

Benefits of Window Film

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For some, window treatments are all about the aesthetic and the additional design features that they’re able to add to a space, but for others, window treatments are truly just a functionality that improves the overall experience of a room. So what happens when all that you’ve really been exposed to are the countless window treatments that only boast of design elements?
Well, the answer seems obvious. You call Arjay’s Window Fashions.

At Arjay’s Window Fashions, we get to the root of your needs and find the solution that’s going to make the most sense. For many who are just looking for the functionality of window treatments, we suggest window film. It doesn’t take away from the window, provides you with minimized effects of the sun, and it doesn’t require any design experience. What’s best is that these aren’t the only benefits that you’ll be able to enjoy by having window film added to your windows.

The blog post we’ve written today will give you even more reason to fall in love with the idea of window film by mentioning more of the benefits to having window film implemented in your home.

Block UV Rays

The first thing that most people think of when they imagine window film is the ability to reduce the glare of the sun, similar to how sunglasses our exposure to the sun more manageable. However, this film is not only making the rays of the sun seem less intense, window film actually reduces the UV rays that are coming from the sun.

By adding high-quality window film to your windows you can reduce the UV exposure that your family and the interior of your home has. It may not seem like a crazy concern to have, but in reality, very few people understand that the rays of the sun can still affect you even while you’re inside your home.

Increased Privacy

There’s no doubt that privacy is an added bonus to adding window films to your home. While this window fashion does allow for you to still enjoy the gorgeous view that you see outside your window, it also makes it more difficult for anyone to see into your home.

In the case that you live in an area where houses are pretty close to each other, you live relatively close to the sidewalk, or you want to add additional privacy to the windows for when people are walking around the premise of your home, this is a fantastic option. This is a fantastic solution to incorporate into your bedrooms, bathrooms, office spaces, and quite honestly any room that you have on your first-floor level just because of the added privacy.

Protect Your Furniture

While adding design elements to your windows may not have been your first priority, the quality of furniture that you have invested in deserves to be protected and last for as long as possible. Unfortunately, one of the things that very few people realize is that the sun can do some pretty serious damage to interior furniture, even though it isn’t outside.

This is especially true for pieces of furniture that are made from cloth. If you have a cloth couch that is a nice dark blue or deep red, you can expect it to fade when it’s placed near a window with no window film on it. But, by simply adding window film to your windows you are able to minimize the exposure that’s coming into your house, which in turn minimizes the overall exposure to the sun that your furniture is getting. So, if you’re looking to protect your furniture, wood flooring, rugs, artwork or anything of the sort, you should definitely invest in some window film.

These aren’t the only reasons that window film is beneficial, and we guarantee that as soon as you’ve had window film installed on your own windows, you’ll find a handful of other reasons that you love this fantastic option.f

If there are any questions that you have regarding window film, don’t hesitate to ask the team at Arjay’s Window Fashions. We are more than happy to provide you with insight and answers as to how window film could improve the interior of your home. Contact our team, located in Indianapolis, today and we’ll schedule a time to come to your home with your window film options.

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