Blinds vs. Shades: Which is Best for Your Home Windows?

8 Feb 2019 Samantha Munoz

While windows are great for letting in natural light and making a room feel more spacious and airy, you’ll also want the ability to limit the amount of light entering or leaving your home—after all, you probably don’t want light from the rising sun to wake you at five in the morning, nor do you want to give your neighbors a clear view into your bedroom.

There is actually a wide range of window blinds and shades available on the market to ensure your comfort and protect your privacy. These two types both offer effective solutions to these problems, but there are a few important distinctions between the two. In this article, we will outline those differences, so you can make the best choice for your home windows.

• Blinds – Blinds consist of hard, horizontal slats that can be made of a number of materials, including laminate, wood, and aluminum. Using blinds for your windows offers you a high degree of control over the amount of light entering a room, as they can be not only raised and lowered but also tilted to achieve the desired degree of brightness. Blinds are a great choice for those who want to have lot of natural light in their space while also preserving their privacy, as the slats can be tilted to allow in sunlight but not prying eyes.
• Shades – Shades differ from blinds in that they are made not of slats but of fabric. Since this fabric can only be raised or lowered, shades offer less control over the amount of light in a room. You can choose shades made of a light-filtering fabric if you want some natural light, or a more opaque fabric if you want to create a complete blackout. Like blinds, shades are great for protecting your privacy, ensuring that nosy neighbors or passers-by won’t be able to peek into your home windows.