The New Normal for Window Coverings

Remember back when you had to stand up and walk to the TV to change the channels?  And then you had to twist the "knob thing" to set the antenna in motion?  Thank goodness for the remote!  Well, the time has arrived and most window coverings are now capable of being motorized!  You can even program you window coverings throughout the whole house to be controlled by your phone or ipad and they can be programmed to open and close when you are not home!  Who knew?

At Exciting Windows by Stacey Hudson, we provide motorized blinds, shades, shutters and drapery! Just like the calculator, after being out on the market for a while, the prices have started to come down for this fabulous upgrade!   We offer a brand of honeycomb shades and roller shades that, with the motor included, is less than the price of most other companies motors alone!  And the really neat thing...they always run at the same speed.  Many of you probably don't realize, but when a battery powered shade starts to wear out, it moves slowly, while the rest of the shades will run more quickly.  It is normal for most company's shades to always run at different speeds.

Introducing the Serena Shades from Lutron!  We guarantee that the shades will always run in unison!  Lutron, who is best known for it's electronic gadgets and the dimmer switch, has figured out a way for all the shades to run in unison to the slowest shade speed.  It is quite a show, when entertaining, when all the shades lower at the same time...giving the appearance of luxury! Serena also runs whisper quiet which is great for children's rooms!  Two great benefits of motorized shades are that they are great for hard to reach places and they are cordless which makes them safe for children and pets!  Lutron has gone the extra step and has reduced their battery consumption to just 4-8  D batteries, depending on size, versus 12 AA batteries!  The battery compartment is right in the headrail to the front, and is as easy to open as a glove box!  There are 2 tabs that you press on and the battery compartment  opens just like a glove box.  Pluck out the old batteries and pop in the new ones and close the compartment.  It's really that easy!  Also, with daily use, the batteries can last anywhere between 3-5 years!  One other great benefit is that they offer an 8 year warranty that is transferable to the new home owners, should you need to move!

If you would like more information about Lutron shades give  Exciting Windows by Stacey Hudson a call today!  512-299-4052.

Transitioning Spaces

Often  I am asked if it is necessary to use the same fabric in adjacent spaces.  My answer is always "no!"
When transitioning colors from one room to next there are several ways to accomplish this!  First, you can use the same fabric, but I don't like all the rooms to feel exactly the same.  Fabrics often are designed in coordinating styles...I call these "sister fabrics."  They go together but are definitely different.  Secondly, you can choose a secondary, less dominant color from an adjacent room and make it the primary color in another room.  Thirdly, you can transition the fabrics from one room to another.  I'll demonstrate this here for you.

 This client purchased a gray sofa and chair along with 2 club hairs with a circular modern floral pattern.  In the kitchen, which is easily seen from the living room, we choose to play up the circles in the roman shades The fabric is a contemporary circle print, upholstery fabric, that had all the colors that were in the living room furniture and rug but the small scale didn't compete with the circles on the club chairs.

We decided to use a tone on tone dark charcoal gray fabric for the living room panels to bring out the dark colors in the club chairs. Notice the tiebacks are made from the same fabric as the kitchen roman shades.  This allowed us to bring in just a little touch of the kitchen fabric into the living room.

Next we married the kitchen and living room fabrics into a roman shade for the door that is located between the two rooms. This is a great way to transition and blend 2 different fabrics, from 2 rooms, and use them in one window treatment.

The clients were very pleased with how all the fabrics worked together in this space and it looked quite lovely and very cozy.

If you need help blending two adjacent rooms so that they are complimentary and cozy, call Exciting Windows by Stacey Hudson today at 512-299-4052 for a complimentary in home consultation!

We'll be happy to listen to your ideas and needs and we'll come up with wonderful design ideas to meet your budget so that you can have the home you always wanted!  Call today! You can also visit our website at www.excitingwindows.com/staceyhudson