Window Treatment Wednesday: Window Covering Safety Month

October is Window Covering Safety Month

The Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) want to remind everyone about the hazard window covering cords can pose to young children and pets. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says window treatment cords are one of the top five hidden hazards in American homes, with infants and children accidentally becoming entangled in window cords. Their message needs to be heard by everyone, not just parents or caregivers.

Here are some tips from the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) to keep in mind:

•  Install only cordless window coverings in homes with young children.
•  Continuous-loop pull cords on draperies and vertical blinds should be pulled tight and anchored to the floor or wall.
• Move all furniture, cribs, beds and climbable surfaces away from windows and window cords.
• Make sure tasseled pull cords are as short as possible.
• If you cannot replace older window treatments, this link offers instructions on how to retrofit them.

Not quite certain what your options are? Hunter Douglas has a wide array of lifting systems for child and pet safety. Also, the Window Covering Safety Council website has tons of valuable  information.

Since Frank and Elizabeth Hirshfield opened their first store in 1894, it has been our mission to do the best job possible meeting customer needs and solving customer problems. Hirshfield’s. People and products you can trust.

 

{window treatment wednesday: the next step in motorization}

The world of window treatments has certainly changed over the years — thanks to technology. We started with motorization. Then we added remote controls and apps. And we now have the ability to fully integrate those controls into a connected home.

So, what’s next in window treatments? Thanks to advances in low-voltage power, all of the window treatments in your home can be powered by the equivalent of speaker wire — which is why we’re seeing more “smart homes” being prewired for whole home integration. 

Hunter Douglas has been on the leading edge of motorization for window treatments, and Shannon Scarella, Manager of Hirshfield’s Window Fashions, has enjoyed a front-row seat. She shares her thoughts on the latest changes in the world of window treatments — and the way it may change the way you plan your next home project.  

{window treatment wednesday: award-winning window treatments}

Hunter Douglas Plantation Shutters

Hunter Douglas took home the 2014 WCMA (Window Covering Manufacturers Award) Product of the Year for the 14^th straight year, this time for their Heritance® Hardwood Shutters Collection. Nationally acclaimed design experts deemed this line as “an energizer for the manufacturer’s existing line of shutters and for the shutters category in general – with refreshed colors and updated frame designs that complement window trim.”

At Hirshfield’s, we have the largest selection of Hunter Douglas window treatments in Minnesota with 17 showrooms featuring their premiere collection of blinds and shades. Hunter Douglas products are also available at Hirshfield’s stores in West Fargo, North Dakota and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Their exquisite plantation style shutters are what we’re excited about this season.

Hunter Douglas

 

{elegant and affordable window treatments}

Tips for adding elegance without breaking the budget

Are you one of those people that shops for home furnishings and is somehow automatically pulled to the most beautiful items that also happen to have the biggest price tag? You’re not alone and unfortunately, so often elegance and affordability do not go hand in hand. This is the case for window treatments as well and finding elegant and affordable window treatments is a real challenge. We consulted Hirshfield’s Window Treatment manager, Shannon Scarrella, to get her tips for adding elegance to your window treatments without breaking the budget. Shannon says yes you can have elegance and affordability and shares a few tips:

{window treatment solutions}

Window Treatment Wednesday: Hunter Douglas Technology

Do you have tall, beautiful windows that would be impossible to reach, but a loss to cover up with window treatments forever? Do you have a window right above the kitchen sink with an annoying cord that gets in the way of doing dishes and occasionally finds its way into your garbage disposal? Wouldn’t it be nice to have blinds and shades without cords that you could manipulate from wherever you are with the technology you already have?

Contemporary Family Room by Mill Valley Interior Designers & Decorators GEORGE Interior Design

Hunter Douglas is one step ahead with their Platinum™ App. You can easily operate your window coverings with any Apple or Android device and a sleek wireless remote control.

{window treatment wednesday: Silhouette® A Deux window shadings}

Courtesy of Hunter Douglas

 

In addition to being awarded Product of the Year by the Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA) Product Awards, the benchmark of industry excellence, Hunter Douglas had another exciting win. Silhouette® A Deux™ shadings was named Best Style Concept in the Specialty Applications Category.

Silhouette® A Deux shadings combines an independently operating room-darkening roller shade with a translucent Silhouette shading in one headrail.  Hmm…Window treatment terminology can be confusing at times; check out the video to see why this Hunter Douglas shade was given a prestigious award.

{tips for selling your home}

Window Treatment Wednesday: Strategies for Selling Your Home

The housing market is heating up and more homeowners are thinking of moving. When it’s time to sell, there certain strategies you can take when it comes to your window treatments to optimize views and give your home a finished, fresh look.

Shannon Scarrella, Hirshfield’s Shop at Home, says that realtors may recommend that blinds be raised all the way up and out of the way on the sides of the home where the view is best. “I admit that I’m not a big fan of this look, especially when it comes to aluminum blinds or wood blinds,” she says. “The look isn’t as clean when they’re raised. I would be more apt to leave them down but keep the louvers tilted open, especially if it’s a wood blind.”

{window treatments for the lake}

Window Treatments with a View

There’s something about a lake view that’s good for the soul. Those peaceful mornings where the water is like glass. Hearing the call of a loon or the splash of a fish. Soaking in nature’s beauty.

Rustic Landscape by Winchester Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design LLC

When you’re lucky enough to have a lake view, you want to make the most of it. But you also want to have insulation in the winter or perhaps privacy from neighbors next door. How can you balance all of these factors? Diane Larson, is a window coverings expert from Hirshfield’s Baxter, and she says there are a number of products that will work for a lake home.

{pvc-free window shades}

Window Treatment Wednesday: PVC-Free Window Shades

If you’re trying to keep chemicals out of your home or business, one item to consider is your window shades. PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is used in a number of household products, including furniture, housewares, and a few particular styles of blinds, such as vinyl horizontal blinds, which are not sold at Hirshfield’s.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), even short-term exposure to high levels of PVC may lead to headaches or dizziness.

Hirshfield’s own Shannon Scarrella says that the roller shade industry has changed greatly since roller blinds that operate via a spring roller were common (those were vinyl). Now, many blackout roller shades are made out of polyester, although some are made out of blends that include a vinyl product.

Beach Style Bedroom by Portland Architects & Building Designers Whitten Architects

For homeowners who are concerned about PVC exposure, there are a number of PVC-free window coverings. Scarrella’s favorite PVC-free window shade is the Alustra Woven Textures. “You have the appeal of a natural shade with some of the strength of a screen shade, without vinyl or PVC,” she says.

Transitional Spaces by Wausau Window Treatments Accent Window Fashions LLC

Scarrella warns homeowners that when it comes to faux wood, they are not all created equal—many of the faux woods on the market contain a form of PVC. However, Hunter Douglas has its own line of PVC-free faux woods called the Everwood collection.  These are made using a technology that’s exclusive to Hunter Douglas.

Craftsman Spaces by Wausau Window Treatments Accent Window Fashions LLC

“If you’re looking for PVC-free products, you can also look at fabric treatments, such as roman shades, Silhouettes, or honeycomb shades-something made of a more pliable, natural material.”

Courtesy of Horizons

Whether you’re concerned about PVC products or not, Hirshfield’s has a variety of window coverings, including PVC-free window shades, to fit your home and your style.

Since Frank and Elizabeth Hirshfield opened their first store in 1894, it has been our mission to do the best job possible meeting customer needs and solving customer problems. Hirshfield’s. People and products you can trust.

{window treatment wednesday: solar shades}

Maintain views with screen shades.

We Midwesterners love our views. Whether we’re admiring nature—lakes, trees, wetlands, streams or fields, or skylines, we appreciate and want to maximize those beautiful vistas. But we also need the features of window treatments, which provide protection from the sun’s glare and help insulate our spaces. One option that can maintain views and keep out the sun is solar shade window treatments, also called screen shades.

“In Minnesota, land of 10,000 lakes, we have such beautiful views, we want to be able to maintain those views throughout the year,” says Shannon Scarrella, a Minneapolis window coverings expert at Hirshfield’s. “Screen shades offer a variety of openness percentages that allow us to select the best option for our room. While they’re not created for privacy, depending on what openness is selected dictates how much ‘privacy’ we can expect to receive.”

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