Blackout Shades

With the large variety of different shades you can buy it is fairly simple to find blackout shades in many different designs. If you are going for simplicity, perhaps a simple shade to cover a bedroom window, you may want to consider blackout roller shades. Another very popular shade is the honeycomb or cellular shade as the actual cellular shape offers very good insulation to any room. Blackout roman shades are another great choice and these are also readily available and add a nice decorative touch to a room. A more recent favorite is the blackout bamboo shade, a much cheaper alternative to wood blinds yet still imparting a natural look to a room.

While many people choose to install blackout shades for a specific purpose, for example in a nursery or child’s bedroom, in a home theater or a room that is used for resting or sleeping during the day, they are also a great choice for anyone wishing to lower energy consumption and thus utility expenses. They have the added advantage of not only darkening a room but they also limit the intrusion of outside noise and they help any room stay warm in the winter or cool during hot summer months.

Blackout roller shades are also a fairly inexpensive and very effective way to keep light out of a room. They can be purchased in a variety of colors and are extremely easy to install and to care for. Prices vary, depending on the material they are made from and whether or not they are custom made to a specific size.

Cellular blackout shades can be either single or double cell. Double cells offer the best insulation. As with other shades, these type often have runners installed on the sides of the window frame to keep the blinds from swaying around too much—thus keeping too much light from spilling into the room around the edges. You can also choose models that can either be raised or lowered from the top or the bottom of the window.

If you are looking for a more stylish shade, Roman shades may suit. They are great looking shades that fold up into pleats at the top of the window. Made from fabric or other material, they too are available in many different colors and patterns. Blackout Roman shades cost a little more than regular Roman shades. They are perfected suited for installation in bedrooms or your living areas and are a suitable alternative to the often more expensive high fashion drapes. One problem frequently reported with this type of blackout shades is that it is difficult to keep sunlight from filtering in around the edges, thus they may not be the best choice for rooms where you require almost total blackout, such as in a home theater.

Blackout bamboo shades add a nice natural appearance to a room. They come in various designs with the difference often directly related to the actual size of the bamboo itself. Blackout stick bamboo shades are relatively easy to find. They consist of a bamboo blind with regular blackout material added to the back of the shade. They usually fit quite snugly inside the window frames, providing you measured the window properly, and they do not tend to sway around as much as regular fabric shades. Bamboo is a naturally growing wood that has a very fast re-growth rate making this a very ecologically friendly type of shade. They are not expensive as the material they are made from is found in abundance. One thing to watch out about is that like any other wood shade or blind they do not do so well in damp or humid conditions. They can also have a tendency to mold if they get a little damp, so you do need to consider this factor before purchasing them.

With all of the different choices available when it comes to blackout shades it should not be difficult to find something that matches both your home’s décor and your budget.