If you are an avid watcher of television, and you have seen the film noire style detective shows, you will see the glass door with the embossed or printed name of the detective. You will see the hat rack. Perhaps you may notice the Underwood typewriter on the desk. But, if you look on the windows, you will also, invariably, see the true sign of the times. The wood blinds from that time were so commonly available that they decorated the windows of windows, real and virtual, regularly. While this bit of trivia may seem trite, a retrospective of wood blinds may useful to consider when selecting window treatments.
Venetian blinds were invented many years before the common centuries. In fact, there is evidence that adjusting blinds are as old as 600 years old, or more. This certainly does not mean that if you put a wood blind in your window, that you will have a Victorian look. In fact, the current systems for controlling wood blinds is relatively modern, and there are enhancements regularly. The previous generations of wood blinds were those which used pulleys for tilting, by moving a larger top slat, which was attached to the lower slats on the edges. The method for raising these blinds used a pulley system, which the cords would have been tied off on the side, or even tied in a knot.
Modern wood blinds use a cord tilting mechanism and a cord lock to hold their place. The tilting mechanisms that were popular in the eighties and nineties were wand controlled. These were replaced by the sleeker, but not safer, cord control systems, which have a cord to pull to rotate one way and a different cord to rotate the other direction. The lift cords have not improved much on these, but the cord locks replace the separate systems for tying off the cords to the walls, which is not needed with wood blinds, any longer.
The look that wood blinds give is a bit retro. The seventies had a time when people either went with miniblinds or with the larger venetian blinds, many of which were made from wood. The Look of real wood in the windows, however, was not very popular during that time, so the real wood blinds did not truly take off until much later, when consumers started to demand the natural elements. The partnership of lacquered furniture and miniblinds is clear, and the look of real wood blinds with a real wood floor is a true harmony. People stopped covering their wood floors with carpeting at about the same time that they started using real wood blinds.
So, with the end of shag carpet, people started into the natural look of real wood and tiles around their homes. So, wood blinds became the go to choice in the nineties for many homes. Later, designers for commercial establishments, such as restaurants, took the cue form the trends and began to use the wood blinds in their designs. The look became so popular that some suppliers of wood blinds offered more than 200 colors of wood, and a very large amount of those colors, more than 100, were different shades of white.
In the last few years, there was a bit of a backlash against this look. If your favorite restaurant uses wood blinds, you may also start to think that this is a commercial treatment, as opposed to the beautiful residential look that the wood blinds had in the beginning. In the end, consumers start to seek out options. Fauxwood blinds became the trend for the replacement, then the high end started to be where the wood blinds went.
Enter shutters into the market. As traditional as wood blinds are, shutters also fit the same bill. However, shutters can cost as much as five times the cost as wood blinds, or more. So, people sought out lower cost versions of shutters, and found shutter blinds. These are basically large slatted blinds, which work almost the same as wood blinds, but have a bit of the look of plantation shutters. In the end, we have come full circle.
The timelessness of real wood blinds is evident by the memories that they invoke. Consider where you fit in history when you select the types of blinds you desire, and perhaps you will be solving the detective mysteries, yourself.
It has come to light recently that window treatments may not be as safe as once thought. In the United States of America, the Consumer Product Safety Council, has identified several possible risks associated with window blinds. These are sometimes called hidden dangers or hidden risks. Fortunately, the known dangers can be corrected, both on new wood blinds, as well as on existing wood blinds. Most of the risks associated here are with cord loops getting tangled around children's necks, and we will address these risks and others, and show how to make safer wood blinds.
The first, and most commonly known danger for wood blinds, is a danger related to the cords which dangle in front of the wood blinds. These cords can become a dangerous loop, which can become a hanging point for young children. We all know that children play with these types of things, so the first point of safety is to discourage this playing with the wood blinds? cords. The next thing is to ensure that the cords are not connected to each other in a window blind. Wood blinds manufactured these days should comply with the Consumer Product Safety Council rules, which state that there cannot be multiple cords connected to a single tassel. Basically, each cord must have its own tassel on a wood blind. It will make your blinds dangerous if you connect the cords, tie them in knots, or allow them to become entangled. Keep wood blinds cords separate.
The next danger for wood blinds is a bit more hidden. This one is what is called interior cords. These interior cords are the ones that pass inside the blinds- from slat to slat to the bottom of the wood blind. The cords, in older wood blinds, can be pulled out to form a large enough loop that the head of a child can become entangled in them. This risk has been a potential risk, as there may not yet be any confirmed injuries from this issue. However, one can secure wood blinds by using a retrofit kit which will prevent this ?reverse motion? of the wood blinds cords to create this loop. While these pieces which attach to the cords may not make the wood blinds look beautiful, they do make safer wood blinds.
Another risk for concern is the quality and composition of the paints used in wood blinds. It used to be that paints for nearly all products had lead content. This lead helped paints adhere, or stick, better to the products underneath. These lead paints were used on house walls, toys, and even in window treatments. Recently manufactured wood blinds, however, will not use this lead-based paint. While the paints may appear a bit different from the older styles, the new methods have been able to ensure long life, but more than that, removing lead from wood blinds has made them into safer products all around. It is advisable that if your home has older painted walls, you should have this situation addressed, either by hiring a specialty contractor, or by painting the walls with the newer style paints. With wood blinds, however, the solution is far easier to correct. Simply replace the wood blinds. If your blinds are old enough to have lead, then it is surely time to update to the modern styles
A danger not often discussed is that of the wood blinds and improper installation. A blind must be installed firmly into a solid back in order to ensure that it does not detach or fall. Often blinds installers will rush and only insert a single screw, when at least two are required. Sometimes installer will not check the strength of a screw placement, and they will not realize that the screws are not properly locked into the walls. Check the installation of your wood blinds by verifying how many screws are there, and ensuring that they are all firm and tightly placed. This can prevent a blind from falling hard onto the person sitting underneath when the cords are pulled.
The blinds sold today are substantially safer than those of the past. Wood blinds can have safer cords, and can be installed more securely, but it is always going to be the responsibility of the homeowner to make a regular safety check in the home. When the check gets to the wood blinds, homeowners should check that the cords are not looped, that they are not knotted, and that the blinds are still firmly in place, and not pulling out of the wall.
Judith Persit has sinced written about articles on various topics from Family, Interior Design and Home Management. Judith Persit is an qualified interior decorator with a focus on window coverings. Judith writes about . Learn more regar. Judith Persit's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.