Let’s face it–we all love the architectural interest that arched windows bring to our homes, but they are a bit of a conundrum for homeowners. You don’t have to cover them, but what if you want more privacy or need to filter or block sunlight? It’s no fun having a great living room with lots of natural light but then getting frustrated when the sun hits your arched window at 4 pm and you can’t see your TV anymore. We get it! But don’t worry, there are plenty of stylish window covering options specifically for your arched windows, even for those that are imperfect or are considered a palladian arch! Why Custom is Best Because arches are a special shape and every window, regardless of whether it’s an arch or not, is a bit different, custom is the best option for dressing your windows! Custom window coverings give exceptional coverage, providing you with more light filtering, room darkening, and privacy. Custom window treatments are also made from higher quality materials, so your custom window coverings will stand the test of time. So while you may pay more up front for custom, in the long run, you’ll be glad you didn’t go with a big-box store option like your neighbor, who’s already having to replace their cheap window covering! Custom Window Coverings for Arches Let’s dive into our top two favorite options for covering an arched window. Each of these options allows you to have a separate covering for your arch, perfect for story or transom arches (these have a bit of wall between the arch and the lower window or door), or you can opt for an all-in-one covering for arches on single windows with a curved arch at the top. Cellular Arch Cellular arches are a beautiful way to cover your arched windows. The pleated fabric offers a stylish feel and creates soft, filtered light in your home. The pocketed design of cellular shades also offers insulating properties, making them perfect for drafty and sunny windows alike! Interior Shutter Arch Made of real wood or composite, these bold and striking window coverings give you a sunburst-style arch and slatted design that makes them perfect for pairing with your interior shutters or blinds! If your arch isn’t considered a story or transom, you can get an all-in-one custom shaped arched shutter. Bonus: Interior shutters are the only window treatment that add value to your home, making them a great investment! Elevate Your Arched Windows! If you are ready to cover your arched windows with a chic and stylish window treatment, Elevated Views has you covered! We’ve seen windows of every shape and size and can help you find the perfect solution for your lifestyle, budget, and style! Schedule your free in-home consultation and quote today and we’ll bring the showroom to you!

When you look at them straight on, pleated shades and cellular shades look awfully similar. Both types of shades are made from similar materials, operate in much the same way, and offer the same types of light control and light filtration. It isn’t until you look at them from the side that you notice a slight divergence in appearance. So what’s the difference? And why would you choose one over the other? Don’t worry, we can help! We’re going to dive into what makes cellular and pleated shades unique and the benefits of both. Cellular Shades Cellular shades are often referred to as honeycomb shades. This is because of their pocketed or cellular design. This pocketed design has a function and that is to insulate your home. The cells trap hot or cold air that seeps in through your windows, helping keep the temperature inside of your home more regulated. This can cut down on energy costs! In fact, cellular shades are considered the best energy saving window covering. You can opt for multiple layers of cells, and with each layer, you get even more insulation. When selecting the right cellular shade for you, you’ll want to consider the number of cells, the material, the shape of the cells, and the pleat size. Besides the pocket construction and material, other design features you can opt for include cordless and bottom-down top-up design. You can also add an additional lining to help with room darkening. Pros of Cellular Shades: They offer better insulation than other window coverings. The small stack height means the shades compress tightly when raised, creating a wonderful view through your window! They offer great privacy, especially with a blackout option. They come in a wide range of colors. There’s an optional upgrade to cordless for child safety. The pleats retain their shape better over time than pleated shades. The pocketed design also reduces noise for a more restful sleep. Cons of Cellular Shades: The fabrics that cellular shades are made of are harder to clean than wood or faux wood blinds. They are more expensive than pleated shades. Rooms Cellular Shades Work Best In: Bedrooms Living rooms Dining rooms Pleated Shades Pleated shades, often called pleated blinds, do not have slats. From the front, they look like cellular shades, but from the side, you can see that pleated shades only have a single layer of fabric that creates a zig-zag, so there are no pockets to insulate your home like in cellular shades. But like cellular shades, you can choose material, color, and other upgrades such as cordless and bottom-down top-up design. Pros of Pleated Shades: They are less expensive than cellular shades. The small stack height means the shades compress tightly when raised, giving you a great view through your window! They come in a wide range of colors. They let in more light than cellular shades. There’s an optional upgrade to cordless for child safety. You can add additional linings for more privacy or room darkening. Cons of Pleated Shades: The single layer of fabric means less privacy and many pleated shades can be quite sheer without an additional lining. The fabrics that pleated shades are made of are harder to clean than wood or faux wood blinds. They are not as energy efficient as cellular shades. Rooms Pleated Shades Work Best In: Living rooms Dining rooms Elevate Your View Today! Ready to buy your new window coverings? Or do you still need help deciding? Either way, the experts at Elevated Views are ready to help! We believe in helping you find the best options for your style, budget, and needs. Schedule your free in-home consultation and quote and we’ll bring the showroom to you!

Blinds are perhaps the most ubiquitous window treatment out there. And it’s not just because they are what most big-box stores offer. It’s because blinds are amazing and so versatile, especially custom made blinds! Here is why we love blinds and why you should too. 1 | Blinds Give You Full Light Filtering Control With blinds, you get absolute control. If you want as much sunlight as possible, pull the cord up and fully open them. You want to darken your room to watch a movie or go to bed? Fully close and tilt the slats. If you want something in between, then tilt your slats to get just the perfect amount of sunlight. 2 | You Get Enhanced Privacy with Blinds Blinds also deliver enhanced privacy that most other window coverings just don’t have. Because blinds can be completely closed, you get maximum privacy. If you want privacy but still want light filtering, such as in a bathroom, we recommend top-down bottom-up blinds, which will allow you to have the slats closed at the bottom but bring the blinds down from the top to have a bit of your window open for light. You can’t get much more perfect than that! 3 | Blinds are Easy Maintenance Blinds are relatively easy to clean, especially faux wood and aluminum options. Occasional dusting with a damp cloth will keep the slats clean and grime free. Be sure to use a vacuum hose attachment to remove dust from the strings and mechanism to keep your blinds looking like new for years to come. Need a deeper clean? Faux wood blinds can be soaked in the bathtub or hosed off outside. If you opt for real wood, just be sure to oil them once in a while to keep the wood shiny and hydrated. 4 | Blinds Come in Many Styles and Options Blinds offer many different options to choose from including: Slat width (the thinner the slat, the more modern looking they are) Material (aluminum, faux wood, and real wood) Color/stain Horizontal or vertical (vertical is ideal for large windows and sliding glass doors) Regular top down mechanism, or top-down bottom-up mechanism Corded or cordless (we recommend cordless for homes with pets and small children) Adding a cornice or decorative valance to cover the mechanism housing Adding a motor for control at the touch of a button or by voice command 5 | You can Layer Blinds with Soft Treatments Blinds are considered a hard window treatment, which means you can layer them with soft fabric treatments such as custom drapes. This gives a more luxurious feel to your room, perfect for formal living rooms, dining rooms, and bedrooms. This can also maximize light control, privacy, temperature control, and noise control even more than you already get with blinds! Install New Custom Blinds in Your Home with Elevated Views! Elevated Views is your trusted custom window covering company of the Pikes Peak Region! Whether you are looking for faux wood, vertical, real wood blinds, or even blinds for your bay window, we have you covered! Our expert team will help you select the right option for your needs and budget. Schedule your complimentary in-home consultation and quote today and we’ll bring the showroom to you.

Houses come in all shapes and sizes from small one level ranches with small cottage style windows, to multi-level homes with spacious rooms and oversized windows. Add in bay windows, those little octagon-shaped windows, short ceilings, and other oddities, and it can get overwhelming trying to find the right window covering for your needs and budget. But fear not! We’ve literally seen every type of window and style home and there’s always the perfect window treatment for your home, needs, and budget. Here are our top picks for 5 of the most common window and home issues. Issue: Small Windows Small windows may leave you feeling less than inspired when it comes to finding the right treatment. Your canvas isn’t as large here, but it’s possible to work some magic and even make your window feel larger with the right treatment! Our top solutions for small windows are treatments that keep your room feeling light and airy. Some of our favorite coverings for small windows include interior shutters, sheer shades, roller shades, and blinds. Issue: Oversized Windows and Hard-to-Reach Windows Large windows present a weight issue; you don’t want the mechanism housing your window treatment to be too heavy or it will literally rip away from your wall. Hard-to-reach windows shouldn’t be out of your reach for controlling light filtering and privacy either. Our solutions for oversized windows are treatments that offer a lighter housing mechanism, such as vertical blinds, vertical slats, and roller shades. For hard-to-reach windows, we recommend upgrading to a motorized control, which allows you to open and close your window treatment at the touch of a button on a remote control. Issue: Low Ceilings or Small Clearance Above Your Window Low ceilings or a short clearance between the top of your window and your ceiling can bring some challenges. However, there are plenty of window covering options and even tips to help your ceilings appear higher than they actually are. Let’s start with solutions for a small clearance. If you can hang the mechanism inside the window casement, then your problem is solved. But if for some reason you can’t, knowing how much room you have for mounting the mechanism above your window is important. Just be sure that your design center helps you find the right treatment to fit your specs for an outside mount. For short ceilings, we recommend selecting treatments that are more simple, such as blinds, shutters, and fabric shades with simple pleating. Treatments with more voluminous pleats add bulk to the top of your window and can make a ceiling appear heavy and even lower. Another trick is to use vertical stripes to help the walls appear taller. Or you can try an outside mount, hanging the treatment as high as you can above the window (which is great for custom drapes, which can be layered over other hard treatments like blinds or interior shutters). Issue: Casement Windows Casement windows typically hinge open on the side, rather than being opened and closed by pulling or pushing a part of the window up and down. While this has its advantages, it can mean you need to take extra consideration when it comes to window coverings. The best window treatments give you access to the mechanism to easily open and close your window. Some of our favorite options include blinds and interior shutters. Another good option is top-down bottom-up cellular shades. Issue: That Odd-Shaped Window Whether it’s a bay window, an arch, a sidelight, or an octagon, these odd windows can be a problem to cover for privacy and light filtering reasons. Odd shapes present more of a challenge than your basic square or rectangle. The solution is to buy custom window treatments for your odd windows. Custom window treatments are made and cut to fit your exact window dimensions so you won’t have to worry about having a set of mini blinds to cover an octagon-shaped window in your bedroom. There are some treatments that work better for these odd windows. We’ve got an entire article dedicated to these odd and problematic windows that you can check out here. Work with the Best Custom Window Covering Company in the Pikes Peak Region Elevated Views understands that the right window treatment can literally change your point of view! Our no-pressure process is designed to create a fun experience of choosing your new window covering, plus help you find the perfect window treatment for your needs, style, and budget! Check out our family and locally owned business and experience the Elevated difference!

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