Window blinds are not very old when it comes to covering your windows. They required some techical skills and actually some manufacturing to be made – the basic idea must have come from curtains. The most simple way to create window blinds or shades is to put a piece of cloth hanging from the top part, in front of your window. Then attatch a piece of string to the end of this fabric and pass the string through a loop that is on the wall on the top of the “blind”. When you pull the string you are going to pull the fabric up and voilá you have rolling window blinds. The roman blinds must be an evolved version of this, when people noticed that they could make the blinds look a little better when they added weights or wooden sticks to the fabric. This would make it fall of nicer and more even, and when it was pulled up only partially it would still look good. Something that has been created while after this are the pleated shades.

Curtains are something that have been around probably for the longest of window blinds, curtains and valances. The simple idea is to put a piece of fabric in front of the window that will prevent people from seeing in, at the same time it will prevent you from seeing outside, and reduce the amount of light that is allowed to pass to get inside the room. Something that must have come from the traditional curtains is the vertical blinds that are basically just curtains that have been ripped to narrow bands and are attached from the top. During time this has been developed in to different materials and they can usually be adjusted by turning them sideways. This will allow less and more light to pass, and at the same time less and more privacy. Curtains are something that will always remain in window treatments and by choosing different, interesting materials they can make a big difference in the decoration of a room. They are not necessary to build a nice room, but they can truly make an impression when used correctly.

Valances are more intended for decorative purposes than anything else. They do not offer a great deal of obstacle for the light, and usually cover just a small part of the window – this can be enough to prevent the sun from shining from the top part of the window to your eyes, but usually it is just there to cover the mechanism of the window blinds, curtains or other window treatments. Great design tips are all around and by combining valances with blinds and curtains you can definitely create interesting ensembles that will draw attention to your windows.