What are the design trends we are seeing and hearing about this fall? One of our favorite designers has the following new design trend:

This season it’s time to forget the match all look. The trend is moving away from the sterile all matching feel to a warmer more relaxed look. The contemporary style offers clean lines, creating simplicity and simple appearance. No clutter, little color, often white on white. The traditional look on the other hand is created by utilizing rich colors, accessories where antique furniture often is the foundation. By mixing contemporary and traditional decor you create a fresh and youthful look. We love it!

Here is what this could look like: Take a traditional couch as the center piece and pair it with contemporary chairs. Or you might want to revamp a sofa with a cream colored fabric and accent it with pillows in floral print. You get the picture… how interesting these pairings could be.

However when mixing such contrasting styles it is important to include calming elements, says Sally the interior designer. We would recommend sheer window shadings for this. Our horizontal sheer window shadings like the Comfortex Shangri-La would work well in a contemporary as well as traditional environment. Clean lines are calming, making sure that the room does not turn into a busy chaotic scene. The sheer front and back can help here to soften the look.

We are thinking another great product to compliment this mixed styles and doesn’t overpower is a roller or solar shade. When choosing a roller shade, it is important to go with a solid material; we would want to skip all patterns or prints to take out anything that creates “busy”. Roller and solar shades don’t have additional pleats or lines making them a great element that soothes and tones down ;-

It’s finally here. We had been waiting for a while to see a cordless lift option on the popular Envision Roller Shades. While the continuous beaded cord is great, for a clean, streamlined look the cordless is the way to go.

The new cordless lift is one of the smoothest roller systems in the industry. This featured slow rise system controls the shade as it lifts to the top, leaving the shade safely in position. The shade with this lift is available up to 92” in width (depending on fabric) and is therefore also great for large windows. At the moment this feature is available with the standard headrail / roller tube only. But it won’t be long, and it will be available with the cassette headrail as well.

Most important thing about the cordless shades is that they are safe for children’s areas or households with pets. This month is October, safety awareness month for the window covering industry! We are reminded of how many accidents have happened that lead to injury or even death. Cords can be the worst health hazard in your home, it is so important to eliminate cords where one can.

To start this introduction of cordless roller shades with a bang, we have decided to practically give it away for $9.75 per upgrade. So hurry, this price won’t last long

Bali has come out with their revamped Roller Shades and Solar Shades line. Fresh fabrics, bigger selection and a new lifting system have arrived.

First about the fabrics: In the Solar Shades line we find new materials that cover the 7% and 5% openness category. Also new: We find texture. Besides the traditional screened Vinyl on Polyester material, we now find texture, warmer colors and grass or woven inspired looks. New materials include Steppe, Shoji, Arbor and more. In the Roller Shades line we also have new fabrics in the offering. New prints and fabrics with sheen, grass-inspired feel, or sheer fabrics have been rolled out. These new fabrics are Tuscan, Gemstone and Fiddlestix. Colors are fresh and modern and work with almost any decor.

Bali is also introducing the new Dual Shade function. The Dual Shades allow you to have two shades in one. Two fabrics can be combined.  You now can pair a sheer solar shade material for a screened view out with a darkening material for light control and added privacy. Two shades are sitting inside a decorative large curved cassette, the left chain operates the sheer material, whereas the right shade lowers and raises the room-darkening shade or vice versa.

Also new is the SmatPull retractable cord. To eliminate cord loops which can be a hazard to small children and house pets, a retractable cord has been added to improve safety. This cord always remains at a constant length when retraced.   

Bali Roller Shades usually come with the exposed tube. The shade is operated by a plastic or stainless steel beaded chain. Upgrades can be made by ordering the cordless lift, SmartPull or motorized lift for added convenience. Another option is to conceal by adding a curved fabric covered cassette headrail or a square corner valance.

Please feel free to browse the newly added products. We’d be glad to send color samples for you to review. Every shade comes with a Limited Lifetime warranty and is priced just right

Our Bali Roller Shades are gorgeous, offer smooth operation and versatile functionality. But there is always room to improve

Bali has just re-done their Roller Shade line, which means more fabrics & colors inspired by the latest fashion-forward styles and colors. The fabrics choices cover different opacity levels great for different rooms in the house. New fabrics types for all Bali Roller Shades include sheer, light-filtering, room-darkening and blackout materials. Some of these material include Oeko-Tex Standard 100, Confidence Textiles, which certifies that fabrics are free of harmful chemicals and meet all VOC content limits.

Also new is the Dual Shades, which combine two Roller or Solar shade fabrics in one shade, giving added versatility to privacy and light control.

Bali is also introducing the new Smart Pull lifting system for their Roller shades. The new lift system raises or lowers the shade with a gentle pull of the cord, the cord always remaining the same length. No long dangling cords or pooling unattractive cords on the floor! The traditional and continuous cord is great for large and traditional windows, where the cordless lift or motorized lift is preferred by houses that are looking for child and pet friendly operating systems.

A very popular option to give a roller shade a finishing touch is Bali’s square corner valance or the cassette headrail which feature a matching fabric strip to cover up the roller tube. The valance is attached to the front of the shade, connected by the same mounting bracket that holds the shade. The cassette is a housing that holds the actual tube, with a slight curvation to its design, working well in more contemporary or casual décors. Another added personal touch is the hem and trim option. The gimp trim can be a coordinating or contrasting color, making the design options and possibilities fun!

As all Bali products, the Solar and Roller Shades are covered by a no-hassle warranty, to give our customers assurance of quality craftsmanship!

Many homes are equipped with drapes to cover the windows and while these work to a certain degree, they are not nearly as functional or attractive as new roman shades or roller shades. They offer the warmth of a fabric with the modern convenience of a shade.

Curtains usually give you only two choices, either open or shut. And most of the time, neither of these is what you want. The perfect answer lies somewhere in between open and shut and roman shades or roller shades allow you to find this perfect happy medium so that you can get the perfect balance of light and privacy in any room at any time of the day.

Roman shades have a very elegant, traditional look. When closed, they hang over the window in large pleats. Then you can use the cord to draw them up and they pleats fold up into each other until you are left with an attractive bunching of material at the top of the window. Even open the fabric provides weight and color to the window. When shut the heavy, solid look of the roman shade adds warm and intimacy, as well as privacy, to the room. More functionality can be added with the top down feature, which will allow you to lower the shade from the top down. This way you can have privacy at the bottom while enjoying the openness of you window on top.

Roller shades are great for a versatile, contemporary look. They are easy to use and since they roll up very compactly they make an excellent choice for large windows. They also come in a variety of fabrics that allow you choices in color as well as transparency. So depending on how you use the room, you can find just the right shade for your decor.

Roller Shades are back!

An old favorite has been revamped, and is now offered with options like never before. The fabric choices available today are plentiful, ranging from simple to classy, meeting the most exquisite taste.

Important to point out is the fit of a Roller Shade. Roller Shades are different than any other blind or shade. The deductions taken off the fabric and tube on inside or outside mounts are much bigger than on any other window covering. A Roller Shade mounted on the inside of a window casing, has two little brackets that “grip” around the sides of the shade. The tube has a pin on each side, which rest inside these brackets. The construction of the shades therefore has a tube that has to be quite a bit narrower than the opening of the casing. Same thing with the fabric, it has a deduction taken off the ordered width that is bigger than any other product, in order to properly spool on the tube.

The deduction taken off the fabric ranges from a little over 1” (providing a clearance of +1/2” on each side of your shade) to almost 1 ¾” (clearance is 7/8” on each side). It is not possible to simply order the shade wider than the opening of your window fram, since a fit is not possible, once the pins and brackets are installed. Therefore, for everyone who is looking for a room-darkening product, working with an inside mount application, be aware of the light gap!! The product might not be the right choice, if this gap will bother you. Also, having a gap on very small window applications might not be what your personal preference is. In such a case, please look into other products where small deductions are taken. Cellular shades have minimal deductions taken, Comfortex even makes a system which eliminates this light gap altogether by using a track that is mounted on each side. Another solution is to simply switch to an outside mount application, where the shade can overlap each side by the desired amount.

For anybody interested in the beautiful Roller Shades, we have provided on each product page a “mounting requirements” section, which does display the finished dimensions of every product avoiding any surprises. And as always… give us a ring when uncertain about any technicalities or any issues for that matter. We love to help!

Roller shades are a highly popular window covering that is mostly used in screen rooms and bathrooms because they are durable, easily maintained and simple to clean. Roller shades are window coverings made from vinyl, laminate or fabric and are available in a variety of thicknesses. Roller shades are made up of a single sheet of fabric and are raised by a spring like mechanism that retracts and closes by manually pulling on the bottom corner of the shade. The vinyl and laminate roller shades are fairly easy to clean and can be cleaned using simple house cleaners.

When attempting to clean fabric roller shades you will find that they are not as forgiving when it comes to cleaners as the laminate and vinyl roller shades are. Fabric roller shades require regular maintenance to assure that they do not get damaged from dust and dirt. Fabric roller shades should be regularly vacuumed using the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner and dusted. It is possible to clean fabric window roller shades by lightly spot cleaning with a clean cloth and hot water. Vinyl and laminate roller shades are simple to clean because the material is not absorbent but instead repellant. This makes the roller shade a great window covering choice when you need durability and style. The best cleaning solution for vinyl and laminate is a regular all purpose cleaner such as 409 and Mr. Clean. Simple wipe the dirt off with a damp cloth and some all purpose cleaner and they will look like new in no time.

As all window blind manufactures revamp their fabric lines from time to time, one new fabric that is worth mentioning has emerged in every major window covering brand. It is the new Micro suede look. In all actuality the material is made of 100% Polyester, but looks like warm, soft suede. This new material can be found in the Roman Shades line by Bali, Graber and Comfortex, as well as every Roller Shades line, including Hunter Douglas’.

The material is plush and thick, only transmitting limited light and is therefore a great choice for rooms where light control and privacy is an issue. The material itself creates warmth and depth and will complementing any decor, working especially well with rustic or modern interior styles.  The color choices are neutrals, tan and brown.

Below to the left is a room scene of a Graber Roman Shade and to the right a Bali Roller Shade with the micro suede look: 

As a refresher, Roman Shades are offered as flat panel shades or can be ordered with the popular ‘tear-drop’ feature, also called looped panel shade. Roman shades are available as regular bottom up shades, but have the optional top down feature as well, well suited for a darkening material like the suede.

Roller Shades, everybody knows them, are the regular roll up shades. They are available with the beaded chain for precise operation or the cordless lift for added child and pet safety.

Remember to call us for samples, if you are considering the new suede look for your home!

There is always something new and exciting going on here at Ace of Shades Window Coverings. We certainly do not let the economy or the Christmas season slow us down, well maybe the Christmas spirit is slowing us down a little

This month we have launched a wonderful new product line on our website and that is the Bali Blinds Roller Shades. This is a great addition to our wide range of products and provides you with a really cool modern alternative for your decorating needs. We have seen a solid increase in the interest in these roller shades and they deliver a clean and decorative appearance to any room in your home or office.

The Bali Blinds Roller Shades are extremely versatile in the sense that you have a wide range of fabrics to choose from. The fabrics range from sheer to room-darkening and are available in many different styles including smooth or textured looks to prints, woven or solid materials.

There are also numerous colors, hems and trims, cassette options and other fancy bells and whistles. Please read much more about it here on our Roller Shade page.

What would a new product launch be without an introductory sales offer? Right, that is what we thought too so we are starting out with a 10% off for the rest of December 2008 to make this an unbeatable deal.