Blinds vs. Shades: What Style is Right for Your Home?

The Eternal Debate… Blinds vs Shades. In this battle for window covering supremacy, who wins? The better question, as you may have guessed, is what style is right for you and your home? Blinds and shades each have their best uses, their pros and potential cons. To better understand which type of covering you should go for we’re going to lay it all out.

The Key Difference

If you boil it all away to the most basic level, the difference between shades and blinds is this. Blinds are hard window coverings. Shades are soft. Ok, that’s pretty obvious we know but that’s the difference. In function, they both do the same job, filtering light, providing privacy, but beyond that they vary greatly!

First let’s layout the different types of blinds and shades – just a quick list for easy reference!

Types of Blinds and Shades

Blinds:

• Wood Blinds
• Faux Wood Blinds
• Aluminum Blinds 
• Vertical Blinds
• Motorized Blinds
• Vinyl Blinds
• Composite Blinds

Shades:

• Cellular Shades
• Roman Shades
• Roller Shades
• Solar Shades
• Woven Wood Shades
• Bamboo Shades
• Pleated Shades
• Sheer Shades
• Graphic Shades

Blinds

Privacy and Light Control

When it comes to privacy and light control blinds come at this from a different approach than shades. Blinds are built with solid slats that are able to be tilted and controlled to adjust the amount of light coming in. The slats will cast shadows though and because of their range of motion it’s possible that they won’t block the sun in the exact right way you’re looking for. 

Another plus? Blinds can usually offer more privacy than some shade options (many shades can be somewhat transparent).

Cleaning and Durability

Upkeep is of course one of the major concerns for every window covering. Blings shine here because they can wiped down quick. Add some furniture polish to a soft cloth, wipe, and you’re in a good spot. Depending on the material they can be easier, or a bit more finicky for cleaning. If your blinds are real wood you’ll want to be careful not to get them too wet, otherwise you risk warping them. Faux wood you don’t have to worry as much about.

Blinds are made of harder materials: wood, faux wood, PVC, aluminum. Because of that, they hold up pretty well to wear and tear, often better than shades. They’re harder to cut, poke holes into, that sort of thing. However, depending on material, there is the potential for bending or breaking slats, especially around pets and kids!

Style

Let’s talk style now. Blinds are a very classic option. They look pretty much identical other than color and material. Because of that they can also be considered common too, nationwide, more than 60% of all window coverings are blind, so if you’re worried about your windows looking the same as everyone elses, well that might make you want to think twice. Of course, you can always invest in some high-end wood or faux wood blinds to really elevate the look.

Insulation

Insulation, while not the most overt benefit of window coverings, is one of the most crucial to consider. Insulation is measured in “R-Value,”  which is the resistance of the material to heat flowing through it. The higher the R-value the better it’s heat resistance. 

In general, blinds don’t offer great insulation. Because of their construction they let plenty of heat through between the slats. They excel more for light and style than keeping heat in or out. 

Alright, now let’s talk shades!

Shades

Privacy and Light Control

When it comes to light control, with shades there’s really only two options – open or closed. Either the shades are up or they’re down. But you can get more control based on what kind of fabric you select. There are more powerful light filtering fabrics, or more sheer options if you’d prefer for more natural light. The way shades are constructed you can get an option that lets in plenty of natural light and  provides total privacy.

Cleaning and Durability

Cleaning shades can be a bit more tricky. You’ll need a brush attachment for your vacuum or a good duster to keep the shades from getting dusty and dirty. But any serious stain or grime will require some professional cleaning help.  Shades, being made of softer materials, are also not as durable as blinds. They’ll cut, can be poked, and might fringe with wear and tear. This can especially be a problem since they are one piece of fabric so that any repair might require replacement.

Style

Here’s where shades really shine! Shades have a huge range of versatility! There as many shade options as there are colors, prints, and fabrics – which is to say a lot! If you want your windows to truly stand out, shades can make the statement you’re looking for!

Insulation

While blinds struggle to insulate, shades perform admirably. Cellular shades in particular are the best insulating window covering because of their unique construction to trap air, preventing heat and energy transfer.
Phew. That was a lot! Hopefully that answered any lingering questions or thoughts you had about the differences between blinds and shades, and where one performs better than the other. Now how about we match your unique home to the right window covering solution? GIve Budget Blinds of Tempe a call and we’ll get you scheduled for your free consultation today!