As the winter season winds down, we could not be more excited for the season ahead, SPRING! The warm weather is coming, the flowers are getting ready to bloom and the colours will be BRIGHT. It is a perfect time to re-decorate and have fun with your home’s decor.   Spring colours can be defined as warm, but also very bright. From hues that are calming and peaceful to bold and playful, these hot new Spring colours will have you begging for colour changes in your home. Here are the Top 5 Colours to use for your Spring Home Décor:      

5. Buttercup

4. Green Flash

3. Iced Coffee

2. Snorkel Blue

1. Lilac Grey

  Now that you have these amazing colours in mind, get going on your research and shopping to update the look of your home for Spring. What better way to compliment your new paint colours, rugs and pillows then with new window coverings! Shade Works is here to help, call us today at 1-888-870-2130. Thanks and have a great day!

One of the more overlooked factors of your brand new window coverings and window treatments is the actual installation of the blinds. A lot of people get excited with the idea of replacing their window treatments and right away start picturing a beautiful blue fabric, or a stylish Sheer Elegance Shade. The mistake here? They are starting their project on step three. Step one should involve evaluating your windows. What is the depth? What is the framing or trim like? Based on these factors alone you will then start your project by determining the type of mount, inside versus outside, of your window treatments.

What is an Inside Mount?

An Inside Mount of a Window Covering is simply when your installation occurs inside the window frame. As a result, the window treatment remains entirely within the frame, exposing this framing all the way around your window. This type of mounting will provide a more refined, finished and clean appearance. Furthermore, with windows that have a deep sill, you will be able to mount the window covering inside and still maintain the functionality of the sill itself for objects such as plants or decorations. One key tip for inside mount installations, keep an eye on any obstructions, such as cranks and handles, to ensure you get the best functionality out of your window coverings.  

What is an Outside Mount?

An outside mounted window covering will be installed onto the window frame itself. This type of installation completely covers the window frame, but can be extremely helpful in situations where your trim is undesirable, or there is not enough depth to install within the window frame. In addition, the outside mount will allow you to cover odd shape windows much easier and provide you with the most privacy and light coverage by covering all the gaps and spaces seen when a blind is mounted inside the frame.

It is important to understand that in some situations, you may have no choice when it comes to an inside versus an outside mount. This is the case when your framing is ugly, not level, or has no depth. This definitely helps make your decision a lot easier because you have no choice! However, society has shown that the majority of people prefer an inside mount where ever possible, providing the cleanest, stylish look to your window. But, what can you do when your window has minimal depth? This is the most popular question Shade Works receives regarding mounting. “I want to maintain the look of my frame, but I don’t have enough depth for the shade to operate? What can I do?” Here is Shade Works tip of the day! For windows with minimal depth, you can still mount the shade with an inside mount, but the answer is reverse rolling your fabric! This works specifically with Roller Shades, and our customers could not be happier after hearing these instructions. The most important factor to remember prior to shopping on shadeworks.ca is to evaluate your windows FIRST, decide on the type of installation, inside or outside, and then start shopping! Good luck!

  Sheer Shades have grown in popularity over the past 10 years. More specifically, they have become one of the “go to” window treatments when one wants to “dress up” their window in a stylish, elegant manner. However, in order to create this clean, fancy look, delicate fabrics are used.     Sheer is one of the most lightweight, gentle fabrics and it is extremely important to take care of it the right way. Here are some tips and tricks to help keep your Sheer Shades clean and perfect. Cleaning Tools  The most important rule when cleaning your Sheer Shades is to use the lightest, and softest material to dust. Using a feather duster or Swiffer duster is the most ideal. In situations where these products are not available, there are other options. The next tool and method is a Shade Works Trick, so listen up! Another product to use to clean the shade is your vacuum, however, it must be used the right way. This means, first, setting your machine to a low power, and second, instead of using the standard brush attachment, use a sock or pantyhose to put over the vacuum tube. Any of these methods will the best to keep your Sheer Shades clean and elegant! Tips and Tricks for Stains Once again, the most important thing to consider when cleaning your Sheer Shades is how delicate Sheer material can be. When you first see a stain your first instinct will be to grab your “heavy duty” cleaner, do NOT do this. These chemicals will be damaging to not only your sheer material, but also to your fabric vanes! For spot cleaning, your best bet is mild soap with water and blot the stain with a soft rag, followed by air dry. Another secret trick that Shade Works is happy to offer is taking a piece of masking tape and dabbing the stain, trying to remove it entirely from the fabric. The most common question we receive regarding the cleaning of our Sheer Shades is related to our Sheer Horizontal Shade. Customers see the fabric vanes sewn between two pieces of sheer fabric and ask, “How do we clean in between the vanes?” The answer: using compressed air or a standard hair dryer! The only factor to remember, use COOL air. Warm or hot air may cause discolouration of the fabric or damage the fabric in general. There you have it! You are now a professional cleaner, ready to clean your Sheer Shades to perfection. Head over to our sample department to order your Free Sheer Samples today to feel the fabrics and practice your cleaning! Call us today at 1-888-870-2130 or email us directly at help@shadeworks.ca with any further questions or concerns. We are here to help! Have a great day!      

As the Fall and Winter seasons fast approach, we cannot help but be concerned about the frigid cold weather that lies ahead. Even though completely opposite of the hot summer weather, there is one factor that remains the same: our energy costs! In the summer we pay a lot of money to cool down our homes, and in the winter we pay even more to heat our homes! Shade Works is here to help. On average, about 15% to 35% of heat loss during the wintertime can be attributed to your windows. Thus making your window coverings more important than ever as we approach the cold weather season. Every window treatment will prevent some heat loss and insulate to lower your heating costs, but there is one blind in particular that does it the best: Honeycomb Blinds! HONEYCOMB BLINDS The ultimate window treatment, these blinds have a distinctive combination of function and durability. Available in light filtering or blackout options, honeycomb (also known as cellular) blinds have superior insulator properties, regardless of their light opacity. Having a unique web-like structure, they are able to trap warm air inside to keep your home warmer, even when it gets colder outside. This is additional insulation that other treatments do not offer and helps save you a lot of money by the end of the cold winter.   COMBINING WINDOW TREATMENTS As the saying goes, two brains are better than one, this is also deemed correct for energy efficient window treatments.  Having a honeycomb shade in the window, covered by some heavy curtains or drapes will provide the extra layer of insulation to trap even more warm air in your home. However, keep in mind that having the Honeycomb Shade in the window is most important as it traps the extra warm air trying to escape, acting as the last line of defense. The Honeycomb Blind is without a doubt the best window treatment for energy efficiency this winter. Save yourself some money on heating costs, but also save yourself some time by shopping online today! Contact us (1.888.870.2130 or help@shadeworks.ca) for further questions or to get you started! Have a great day.

One of the more popular questions that we have received here at Shade Works recently has been related to the cleanliness and upkeep of our many different window treatments. Often overlooked, the ability to keep a window covering clean has become more important to the average household. Young mothers who are busy with their newborns do not have the time to go around and dust their blinds. In comparison, elderly people do not have the strength, flexibility and conditioning to keep their many shades clean on a weekly basis. The two biggest factors to consider when determining if your window treatment is easy to upkeep are dust and type of fabric. Dust is inevitable. It comes from plants, humans and hairs, therefore it exists everywhere. Additionally, the fabrics you choose for your window coverings go hand in hand with the dust because certain materials will be more likely to have the dust settle. Keeping this in mind, if you are choosing window treatments where maintenance and upkeep is an important factor, then you should definitely go with the following products:

1. VERTICAL BLINDS

Vertical Blinds are the ultimate window treatment to keep clean. First of all, its vertical positioning does not provide an adequate surface for dust to settle on. Therefore, you will notice that these blinds would not collect nearly as much dust compared to a horizontal style blind. Next, Vertical Blinds are made primarily from smooth PVC or fauxwood materials. These surfaces, if dust does settle, are extremely easy to clean with one swipe of a damp cloth or feather duster. These two factors combined show why Vertical Blinds will make cleaning your blinds that much easier!

2. HONEYCOMB / CELLULAR SHADES

One of the best properties of a Honeycomb Shade is that the fabrics used, whether light filtering or blackout, are manufactured to be anti-static. Even though somewhat horizontal in nature, the anti-static material does not create a good environment for dust to settle on. In addition, due to their honeycomb structure, the shades are designed to be quite strong and can withstand a vacuum for cleaning. Does it get much easier than vacuuming your shades to clean? NO! Lastly, a lot of people notice that over time, no matter how much they clean, that their white cords can get dirty, or yellow, over time. No problem with Honeycomb Shades, choose the cordless option and the issue is resolved before it has even started!

3. ROLLER SHADES

Similar to Vertical Blinds, the design of the Roller Shade creates an environment that does not make it easy for dust to settle. Majority of fabrics are also made to be ant-static, therefore making it that much harder for dust, but much easier for you to clean. Now, the next most popular question relating to cleanliness of your window treatments, what happens beyond dust and maintenance, what happens if I get a stain on my window covering? First off, do not use heavy duty cleaner. Take a damp cloth, some hand soap, and go at it. Didn’t work? Here is SHADE WORKS TIP OF THE DAY! Take some masking tape and dab at the stain on the fabric. This will hopefully remove the stain before it gets pushed into the threads of your fabric. There you have it! If maintenance and upkeep are important factors in choosing your window treatments, make sure to narrow down your decision to Vertical Blinds, Honeycomb Shades or Roller Shades! Happy Shopping!

Here at Shade Works I don’t think we cannot express enough how important window treatments can be for both you, your family and your home. Often seen as a product that “blocks light”, it absolutely does so much more! Block harmful UV Rays, protect your furniture, reduce heating/cooling costs to name a few, window treatments are essential for the well-being of your home. Today we are going to look at another underlying, unintentional benefit of these window coverings, noise reduction! Whether you are working at home in your office, or trying to go to sleep at night, noise reduction can help you in all settings. That extra layer beyond the glass goes a long way to reduce noise levels and create the optimal work, sleep or relaxing environment.

Here are some window treatment options to reduce noise levels.

Roman Shades

Roman Shades are great in reducing noise because of the density and thickness of their fabrics. The heaviness, whether light filtering or blackout, helps to provide the extra layer of protection, helping trap sound from the outside between the glass and the window covering itself. Blackout fabrics will be the best to reduce as much noise as possible.  

Blackout Honeycomb Shades

The Ultimate noise reducer. These blinds contain an extra blackout liner (or web) to reduce noise levels. Furthermore, not only does the heaviness of the fabric block the sound from outside the glass, but any extra noise coming through will be trapped within the web design of the honeycomb shade.

Combining Window Treatments

Once again, noise reduction is a secondary benefit of window coverings and may not provide complete silence. So, if you are in a noisy neighborhood and need to do everything possible to reduce the noise levels we recommend doubling up on your window coverings! For example, having a honeycomb shade in the window, covered by some heavy curtains or drapes will provide the extra later required to lower the noise as much as you can.   Whether you are blocking the noise from the outside, or sound proofing your room from the inside, window coverings can go a long way to achieving your goal! Contact us today (1.888.870.2130 or help@shadeworks.ca) for further questions and to get you started! Have a great day.

Over the last century, the Roller Shade has developed into one of the most popular window treatments. These shades are extremely easy to use, quite versatile and provide a clean look for either a home or office setting. Having a wide range of fabrics and colours to choose from, roller shades give you the ability to match your home décor and allow your window treatments to “blend” into the background. Functionally, solar shade fabrics are used on roller shades to block harmful UV rays and promote energy efficiency. It is without a doubt a window covering hitting its stride and only going to become more popular as the years go by. Continue reading The Roller Shade: Easy, Clean And Contemporary

Often referred to as the “Great Debate” (just kidding), there has always been the ongoing conversation of where and how to buy window coverings. In the past, there were definitely no options, you would go back and forth to and from your local store finalizing all of the details behind your order. However, with the recent advancements in technology, life has become just a little bit easier. With just a couple of clicks, in the comfort of your own home, you are now able to get prices, see fabrics and even order FREE sample swatches. Both methods work, but the real question is what is best for you? Continue reading Where To Buy Window Coverings: Online Vs. In-store?

If you could only choose one room in your home to put all your effort into designing, the LIVING ROOM would definitely top your list. It is the center of your home, and the main “hosting” area for your family and friends. It is the one area that sets the tone for your decorating style throughout your home and it all starts with your windows! Choosing the best window treatments for your living room involves deciding what type of décor style you would like to go with. Keep in mind, that this style will follow you into each and every room in your home. On one hand, you can go with a window covering that is simple, and will blend in with your furniture and paint colour. On the other hand, you can go with a shade that is stylish, something that will dress up your window and stand out a little bit more in your living room. Either way, you want to choose a window covering that will represent YOU and your style in your home. Here are some options that will lead you in the décor direction you wish to follow.

Roller Shades for Your Living Room

Roller Shades provide a modern, clean design that will give you a streamlined look to any room in your home. With a wide variety of textures and colours, these shades will give you the ability to blend your window treatments in with the other elements of your room. Additionally, the different weaves can also offer you with various levels of light blockage and privacy for the optimal custom experience.

Sheer Elegance Shades for Your Living Room

One of Shade Works’ top selling products, these shades truly have at all! They provide the ultimate combination of fashion and function. The fabric bands woven within a beautiful piece of sheer material provides an elegant look that dresses up your window. With many fabrics and colours to choose from, these window coverings can be subtle and stylish, or the main focal point of your living room. However, with one slight pull of the cord, you can line up the bands to obtain your privacy and light blockage. This window treatment is second to none.

Sheer Horizontal Shades for Your Living Room

The first word that comes to mind when seeing Sheer Horizontal Shades is ELEGANT. These shades define class, and elevate the look of your living room. They provide a timeless, refined style, with an added sense of function. Having fabric vanes allows you to have the best control of natural light entering the room. However, due to the sheer design (two pieces of sheer fabric) of the product, even when the vanes are closed, filtered light will still be able to enter the room. These shades will certainly upgrade your living room.

There is never a “right” or “wrong” window covering to use in the bathroom, however, there is always the BEST window treatment to use! Today we are going to focus on the simple, yet complex factors relating to the bathroom in your home. Not the hardest of windows to cover, as there are usually only a couple of windows, but choosing the right window treatment is extremely important. Why you ask? First off, the bathroom is always the smallest room in the home. Next, the temperature range is the most extreme, from cold air conditioning, to steamy hot, during a shower. Finally, brightness and light to elevate the look and style, but privacy needing to be maintained. For these factors and more, the following tips will help you immensely in choosing the perfect window covering for your bathroom.

Bathroom Roller Shades

The best blinds for your bathroom will always be the ones that are moisture resistant, while at the same time still maintaining your privacy. It is without a doubt the one room in your home that needs to be the most private. Roller Shades can endure the moist and humid conditions the best. These shades also have the ability to blend in to your décor or stand out as an accent piece in the room. Any light filtering fabric (most popular being a white colour) will brighten up the room and preserve your privacy. Definitely the most popular choice when it comes to covering your windows in style and function in the bathroom!

What is the best all-around window treatment to use in the bathroom? 2″ Fauxwood Blinds

Not only are they budget friendly, but these blinds are easy to upkeep and clean, as well as the most resistant to the conditions found in the typical bathroom. Please NOTE – we are suggesting Fauxwood Blinds – NOT Wood Blinds. Wood Blinds are not resistant to the heat and sunlight and are more likely to go through colour discolouration, as well as warping of the horizontal slats. Fauxwood Blinds are the most durable blinds out there. Made not to warp, you also have the ability to tilt the slats up and down to allow light into the room, but conserve your privacy.