Window Treatments with Beauty & Brains

You have wanted to put the final touch on your home’s décor and tie it all together with coordinating window treatments, but you aren’t sure that you can justify the expense.

Consider then, that the properly designed window treatment can not only add beauty and style to your home but also work to significantly reduce your home maintenance costs over time. A well-engineered plan to dress your windows in the right shutters, silks, sheers or shades will increase your home’s energy efficiency throughout the year and protect your furniture and flooring investments from the permanent damage caused by direct sunlight.

With approximately 44 percent of your utility bill attributed to heating and cooling, energy efficient window treatments can translate into measurable year-round savings. Many energy experts recommend adding more efficient window coverings rather than going to the expense of replacing the windows. Use of window treatments to control drafts and heat loss dates back hundreds of years to those heavy velvet puddled draperies found in the castles of Europe. An Eye on Design window professional can introduce you to the most energy-efficient products available today.

A product’s R-Value is a measurement of its ability to prevent the transfer of heat into or out of your home. The higher the R-Value, the better that product is preventing heat gain or loss. A phenomenal product designed to increase R-Value is the Hunter Douglas Architella™ cellular shade. This product features an innovative twist that provides more depth of color at the window and an R-Value of 4.5 in addition to your current window system.

Incredibly, this figure is more than 3 times greater than the R-Value provided by a common 2” faux wood blind making it a better choice for long-term energy savings. Another elegant and time-tested solution for the reduction of heat loss at the window is the selection of classic shutter systems which offer an R-Value of 3 and provide you with multiple levels of privacy and light control. A product’s Summer U-Value is a measurement of its ability to reflect heat. For example, a window treatment that reduces incoming heat by 70 percent, has a summer U-Value of .30. The lower the U-Value, the more effective it is in reflecting heat away from your home. To reduce heat gain, select a low U-Value treatment with white or light colored backing and install it an inch or two from the glass to create an air pocket. The non-reflected heat that builds up in the pocket during the day will dissipate through the glass at night when the temperature outside cools. Not surprisingly, you will find that shutters and cellular shades can provide the low U-Values you need to lower your electric bill. Put your window treatments to work saving you money by employing them in the business of ultra-violet control and asset protection. Ultraviolet light entering your home as sunlight will quickly fade, weaken and destroy your furniture, flooring, upholstery, and artwork. Modern sheers are multi-talented in that they can reduce this incoming ultra-violet light by 65% or more while reducing glare, preserving outdoor visibility, adding beauty, and providing you with daytime privacy. Hunter Douglas has revolutionized the use of sheers by integrating them into beautiful horizontal and vertical products such as the versatile cordless Duolite® shade and the popular Silhouette® and Luminette® shades designed to block 88% of incoming UV rays. An ever increasing variety of stunning sheer fabrics

A product’s Summer U-Value is a measurement of its ability to reflect heat. For example, a window treatment that reduces incoming heat by 70 percent, has a summer U-Value of .30. The lower the U-Value, the more effective it is in reflecting heat away from your home. To reduce heat gain, select a low U-Value treatment with white or light colored backing and install it an inch or two from the glass to create an air pocket. The non-reflected heat that builds up in the pocket during the day will dissipate through the glass at night when the temperature outside cools. Not surprisingly, you will find that shutters and cellular shades can provide the low U-Values you need to lower your electric bill. Put your window treatments to work saving you money by employing them in the business of ultra-violet control and asset protection. Ultraviolet light entering your home as sunlight will quickly fade, weaken and destroy your furniture, flooring, upholstery, and artwork. Modern sheers are multi-talented in that they can reduce this incoming ultra-violet light by 65% or more while reducing glare, preserving outdoor visibility, adding beauty, and providing you with daytime privacy. Hunter Douglas has revolutionized the use of sheers by integrating them into beautiful horizontal and vertical products such as the versatile cordless Duolite® shade and the popular Silhouette® and Luminette® shades designed to block 88% of incoming UV rays. An ever increasing variety of stunning sheer fabrics

To reduce heat gain, select a low U-Value treatment with white or light colored backing and install it an inch or two from the glass to create an air pocket. The non-reflected heat that builds up in the pocket during the day will dissipate through the glass at night when the temperature outside cools. Not surprisingly, you will find that shutters and cellular shades can provide the low U-Values you need to lower your electric bill. Put your window treatments to work saving you money by employing them in the business of ultra-violet control and asset protection. Ultraviolet light entering your home as sunlight will quickly fade, weaken and destroy your furniture, flooring, upholstery, and artwork. Modern sheers are multi-talented in that they can reduce this incoming ultra-violet light by 65% or more while reducing glare, preserving outdoor visibility, adding beauty, and providing you with daytime privacy. Hunter Douglas has revolutionized the use of sheers by integrating them into beautiful horizontal and vertical products such as the versatile cordless Duolite® shade and the popular Silhouette® and Luminette® shades designed to block 88% of incoming UV rays. An ever increasing variety of stunning sheer fabrics

The non-reflected heat that builds up in the pocket during the day will dissipate through the glass at night when the temperature outside cools. Not surprisingly, you will find that shutters and cellular shades can provide the low U-Values you need to lower your electric bill. Put your window treatments to work saving you money by employing them in the business of ultra-violet control and asset protection. Ultraviolet light entering your home as sunlight will quickly fade, weaken and destroy your furniture, flooring, upholstery, and artwork. Modern sheers are multi-talented in that they can reduce this incoming ultra-violet light by 65% or more while reducing glare, preserving outdoor visibility, adding beauty, and providing you with daytime privacy. Hunter Douglas has revolutionized the use of sheers by integrating them into beautiful horizontal and vertical products such as the versatile cordless Duolite® shade and the popular Silhouette® and Luminette® shades designed to block 88% of incoming UV rays. An ever increasing variety of stunning sheer fabrics

Put your window treatments to work saving you money by employing them in the business of ultra-violet control and asset protection. Ultraviolet light entering your home as sunlight will quickly fade, weaken and destroy your furniture, flooring, upholstery, and artwork. Modern sheers are multi-talented in that they can reduce this incoming ultra-violet light by 65% or more while reducing glare, preserving outdoor visibility, adding beauty, and providing you with daytime privacy.

Hunter Douglas has revolutionized the use of sheers by integrating them into beautiful horizontal and vertical products such as the versatile cordless Duolite® shade and the popular Silhouette® and Luminette® shades designed to block 88% of incoming UV rays. An ever increasing variety of stunning sheer fabrics

An ever increasing variety of stunning sheer fabrics are now available on the market with affordable price points for custom made products. Flair 21 offers a clever method of adding sheers to your existing vertical blinds. The Ado-Wrap® allows you to dress up your existing vertical blinds in a beautiful custom sheer thus providing you with the benefits of a sheer during the day and a vertical blind at night.

If you would like to justify the expense of custom window treatments in your home, work with an experienced window treatment professional to select hard-working window treatments that can meet all of your design requirements. You shouldn’t be afraid to invest in window treatments that look magnificent in your home if they are designed to reduce your home maintenance costs. Jennaver Brown is the owner of Eye on Design and a

Jennaver Brown is the owner of Eye on Design and a Certified Window Treatment Consultant as recognized by the Window Coverings Association of America. Schedule your complimentary in home consultation with her or JIll Geoppo, Interior Designer, to design your Custom Drapery and Bedding now.

Visit our 1750 square foot window fashions showroom featuring a beautiful Hunter Douglas Gallery™ at 309 E. Main Street in downtown Belleville to see our products first hand. Or call us at 618.257.9750 and we will come to you to get your home ready for the holidays.