{window treatment wednesday}

I think that pretty much sums it up! If you’re thinking about purchasing window treatments, you have until April 2, to take advantage of 2012 prices. Hunter Douglas is also offering Energy Smart rebates on the following window coverings:

• Duette Architella Honeycomb Shades
• Silhouette Window Shades
• Vignette Modern Roman Shades

What a perfect time to take advantage of these great offers. Give us the opportunity to quote you a price; our customers tell us our prices are less than those buying club superstores. Walk. Do not run. However, hurry on in before April 2, 2013. The selection of product and color choices from Hunter Douglas are fabulous! You’ll be ready with a new outlook for a wonderful spring!

{window treatment wednesday}

House of Turquoise is an excellent resource for inspiration. Whether you want ideas for paint colors or just want to see what other people are doing in their homes, House of Turquoise is a site to check out. Erin works very hard at curating all that is turquoise, and the majority of what you see on her site is the result of Erin’s hard work. She finds all those lovely homes to share with her thousands of readers.

I chose some window treatment photos from her site, and asked Shannon Scarrella (Manager of Hirshfield’s Shop at Home) to share her window treatment expertise. It’s all in the details.

House of Turquoise

A great picture to show the effects of layering. Hardwood shutters, while they provide a handsome look with nice privacy, the top treatments and draperies softened the feel.  The tassel fringe breaks up the linear lines of the shutters and the stripes in the drapery fabric.

House of Turquoise

The roman shades on the doors provide privacy when lowered and the valance provides uniformity, when the function of a shade isn’t needed. In this case, the custom roman shades and valance bring in the needed pattern and color to a neutral kitchen.

House of Turquoise

This is one lucky girl! The honeycomb shades are neutral, to disappear, but also providing privacy and light control when needed. The drapery panels, tie backs, and trimmings give the room a classic feel. The layering of pattern, texture, and color help to keep the room age appropriate and fun.

House of Turquoise

Custom Shutters with Pinch Pleat Draperies provide a clean backdrop to the teal and green table combination. The pleating on the draperies helps to add fullness and depth to the neutral drapes.

House of Turquoise

My favorite! Upon first glance this appears to be teal drapes, but look closer…..it’s actually a sheer with a soft stripe over a teal colored fabric. The header at the top is sewn to create the illusion of one piece, when it’s actually two materials sewn together. The layering of the sheer over the top softens the fabric underneath and the stripe in the sheer adds another dimension. The fluted detail in the rod mimics the custom molding beautifully, while the metallic matte finish compliments the accessories in the room.

House of Turquoise

More shutters with side panels….must be a trend! The white on white provides a classic, clean look, while the darker rods pay respect to the other furniture pieces in the room. 

House of Turquoise

People see our windows from the outside too. The chevron patterned fabric is attached to the rod with rings and clips; this allows the soft fold and less serious look to them. They are outside after all. The fabric framed windows also make a great backdrop for the skirted bar or buffet.

House of Turquoise

Natural Roman Shade with blackout lining and coordinated cotton edge banding gives the bathroom something more organic, yet structured. The color of the shade ties the color of the bedding into the bathroom.

Wasn’t that a treat? It’s like looking into houses on your nightly walk, without having to worry about being busted.

Here’s a link for more information on Hirshfield’s Shop at Home Division. And to see what’s on sale in the window treatment world at Hirshfield’s, you can click right here!

Erin also runs the shopping blog, Everything Turquoise, jammed packed with turquoise goodies for sale. We’re very proud of our Minnesota girl.

{window treatments add energy efficiency to your home}

We all know October is celebrated as National Energy Awareness Month. But this year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) decided that it was time to go beyond awareness and encourage people to take action. So this year, the DOE requested the current Energy Awareness Month to rename to National Energy Action Month. As a result, President Barack Obama declared October Energy Action Month.

The certified window treatment professionals at Hirshfield’s are ready to help you turn your actions into results by helping you pick out the best, high efficiency window treatments for your home!

Window treatments as insulation
In the winter, as much as 40% of the heat that escapes a home flows through the windows. During the summer, heat from the sun’s rays coming through the windows can make it harder to keep a home cool. Energy-efficient window treatments can help decrease heat loss and heat gain, thereby reducing heating and cooling costs.

R-Value
R-value is a measure of a product’s ability to resist heat flow, which is especially important in the cool winter months. The higher the R-value number, the more insulation it provides and the better it is at reducing heat loss.

A bare, low-e double-glazed window has an R-value of about 3.5. Add a properly installed Duette® Architella™ 1 1/4″ honeycomb shade with Panache™ opaque fabric and the R-value peaks at 7.86, more than doubling the energy efficiency and reducing heat loss by over 50%.

Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella™ honeycomb shade

The most energy efficient treatments feature a honeycomb construction. The cells actually trap the hot or cold air, decreasing the intensity of the temperature as it enters the room. A honeycomb shade with a triple cell construction will increase the energy efficiency of a single pane of glass by five times and more than double the energy efficiency of a double-glazed window.

Solar Heat Gain Coefficient

{window treatment wednesday}

Word on the street is that customers are liking the extra discounts on Hunter Douglas and Premier window fashions. Shop 15 Hunter Douglas Window Fashions showroom or call Hirshfield’s SHOP AT HOME – 651-366-6969 – for an in-home window fashions consultation.

Additional sale information can be found right here.

{window treatment wednesday: shop at home for window fashions with Hirshfield’s}

“The right window treatment is really the jewelry on the dress. It brings the whole look of the room together.”
- Kathryn, Hirshfield’s Shop at Home

You know Hirshfield’s is your Minnesota resource for all the best window fashions – from elegant and durable wood blinds to the sophisticated luxury of Silhouettes and Luminette Window Shadings from Hunter Douglas. But if window treatment shopping just doesn’t fit into your schedule or your project requires a little extra attention, let a Hirshfield’s window treatment expert come to you!

With Hirshfield’s Shop at Home, a Hirshfield’s design professional will bring our window fashions library – which includes the latest colors and styles – right to your home. What better way to see just how your new window treatments will look than in the privacy of your own home in the rooms you are decorating!

Hirshfield’s Shop at Home services include window treatments, custom draperies, shutters, bed fashions and more.

{window treatment thursday}

What’s your Window Treatment IQ? If you’re like me, you know enough to be dangerous. I was curious about the different lifting options, manual and motorized, so I delved into the information offered by Hunter Douglas. Whoa! My eyes started to glaze over when I read “PowerTilt™  with Platinum™ Technology system and UltraGlide®  Retractable cord system.” What does that mean?

I spoke with Cindy (Hirshfield’s Maple Grove ) and Michelle (Hirshfield’s Edina) and asked how they explain the different lifting systems and how they determine which lifting system will work best for the customer. Cindy and Michelle both told me as they talk about options and features, they will demonstrate the product for the customer, and give the customer the opportunity to operate the window treatment. Cindy and Michelle also ask and answer a lot of questions.

When it comes to Window Treatment IQ, Hirshfield’s employees rank among the best. Period. Listening in on conversations between our sales staff and window treatment customers, I’m in constant awe of their product knowledge.

To give you an idea of what’s out there for lifting systems I found some interesting questions and answers on the Hunter Douglas site.  It’s pretty amazing all the options Hunter Douglas offers with their products.

We have very high windows. I would like to cover them because they allow a lot of sunlight in the morning, which heats up the house. I would like something that I can control with motorization.

I would recommend our patented PowerRise^® with Platinum™ Technology battery-powered system. This system allows you to raise or lower window fashions individually or in groups from a sleek handheld remote control. This system is available on our Silhouette^® window shadings, our Duette^® and Applause^®honeycomb shades, our Vignette^® Modern Roman Shades, and our Brilliance^®pleated shades. All of these products are lovely. You can’t go wrong with PowerRise!

We also have hard-wired systems with Platinum™ Technology, offering simple wiring solutions for guaranteed operation and precise control via a contemporary-styled wall switch or remote control. This is a wonderful alternative.  (HOT TIP FROM MARSHA:  Hunter Douglas consumer rebates on motorization become available the end of June.  Gather your information now, but if you can, wait another couple of week to buy.)

 I want to put up a shade in my daughter’s room that blocks the sun. I’m concerned about safety, too, because I’ve heard of the terrible stories of children being hurt or worse by getting tangled in blinds and cords. What should I use?

We’re very concerned with child safety at Hunter Douglas. All Hunter Douglas products provide standard and/or optional safety features, and some products offer more than others. For example, our LiteRise^® cordless system has no operating cords. It just pushes up and pulls down from the bottom. The shade or blind raises or lowers evenly to the desired position, and then holds that position, locking in automatically.

LiteRise® cordless lifting system

Some products offer the UltraGlide^® retractable cord system, which is a single cord that is retractable. It hangs about 2/3 of the way down and to pull the shade upward, just pull the cord and it retracts back into the original length. It looks nice and best of all, it is very child and pet friendly.

I’d like to automate the control of my window fashions in my great room. How do I know which Hunter Douglas motorized system is right for my home?

When deciding on motorized window fashions, the most important decision is whether or not you’re able to run individual wires to each window opening. If yes, you can choose a hard-wired switch system that operates from a wall panel or a hard-wired remote control that allows operation by wall switch or remote control. If not, your choice is battery operation with our PowerRise^®,  PowerGlide,^® or PowerTilt™, all with Platinum™ Technology system.  (P.S.  Don’t forget about Marsha’s Hot Tip.)

{friday finds: getting your home ready for summer}

Summer doesn’t officially start until June 20, but it’s pretty much understood here in Minnesota that Memorial Day is the “unofficial” start to summer! And with the warm temps we’ve been having here in the Twin Cities and across the state, it seems as if Mother Nature is just as anxious for summer to arrive as we are!

So let’s welcome summer into our homes with open windows and fresh decor! Here are some tips to help get your home in shape for the season!

Let the fresh air in: Welcome the warm summer weather into your home with open windows! Not only does a nice breeze help you enjoy the outdoor weather even when you’re stuck indoors, it also  just makes your home feel fresher. You can even filter the outdoor air that comes through your house with plants. Some of the best air-cleaning houseplants are snake plants, spider plants, English ivy, and small-leafed rubber plants.

Examiner Home & Living

{window treatment wednesday}

Cote de Texas

 A couple of weeks ago, Liz (Hirshfield’s Woodbury) wrote a great post on using draperies and woven woods in your home. After reading this post by Cote de Texas, you’ll see Liz and Joni are of the same school of thought when it comes to hanging window treatments, layering, and using draperies in your design scheme. It is personal preference, but both posts have good suggestions to consider when the time comes to change your window treatments. Joni also shows us how to turn a big, ugly window into a window with an elegant and updated look.

An added bonus is you get a peek into her beautiful Texas home, and a peek at some very naughty, but cute, dogs. Enjoy Messes and More Messes over at Cote de Texas.

{window treatment wednesday}

As I searched the portion of my soul where window treatments reside, I found a heaping mess of drapery. I can’t help it, I will always try to find a way to include fabric in any room, on any window!

{window treatment wednesday}

Solar shades are a great type off window treatment for preserving views, reducing solar heat gain, blocking incoming  UV rays which can fade furniture, carpet, and artwork. Contrary to popular belief, solar shades do not provide privacy; as much as you can see out during the day, you can see in at night.

If you’d like to see an example, Hirshfield’s Roseville location has a solar shade in their front window to block the afternoon sun on those hot summer days.