Decorate with "R-Values"

Sit by a bare window on a sunny day, and you’ll feel the sun’s warmth. Sit by that same window on a cold, windy night, and you’ll feel chilled to the bone! With today’s economic concerns, smart homeowners are continually searching for ways to cut expenses and save on their monthly energy bills. Naturally, the best place to start is to be sure our homes are well insulated. But all too often, while overall home insulation is a priority, windows seems to be neglected. No matter what your climate, bare windows are a primary spot for energy to escape.

Since windows make up 20% of a typical homes exterior and 40% of contemporary home construction, having many large uncovered windows can break your energy budget. This is especially true when these windows face a cold Northern exposure in the winter or a sun-saturated west wall in summer. It’s important to know that many window treatment products have actually been assigned an R-Value. Building materials are assigned R-Values according to each product’s ability to resist heat movement. The higher the R-Value, the better it insulates your home. Most windows have an R-value of 0.9 to 3.0, and can be responsible for 40 – 70% of heat or cold transfer for an entire home. Using multiple layers at your windows, including cellular constructed treatments, can actually increase an R-value by 1 to nearly 5 points! So let’s look at a variety of window treatment options, and cut energy costs at the same time.

Cellular shades: These honeycomb style window shades are the best of the best for insulating your windows. They usually have an R-value of at least three and up to 7! They come in double and triple cell and trap air in the combs to help insulate. Most brands have many colors to choose from, are easy to clean, mildew resistant and require little to no maintenance.

Vertical Blinds: Available in hundreds of colors, textures and embossed patterns, vertical blinds can increase window insulation by 40 to 123% AND block 95-99% of ultraviolet light. R-Values reach as high as 4 for vertical blinds when closed.

Roman Shades: These beautiful shades have contours of fabric that fold and overlap making a roman shade. They provide a 49%increase in window insulation value and can block 99% of UV light. They boast an R-value of up to 3 and can be custom made or ordered from many window fabricators.

These are just a few window choices that will greatly increase your R-value, but consider that putting something over your window, especially during the daytime when you may not be at home, and during the late night when you are sleeping, will definitely boost your home’s energy efficiency by keeping out the sun and keeping out the cold.

Although there are many window covering sources to choose from, I have always loved Hunter Douglas products. Consider their website when choosing your window covering. http://www.hunterdouglas.com/

What’s Your Line?

Understanding what constitutes good design is essential if your home decorating project is going to be successful. The purpose of spending time, thought, effort and money decorating your home is to make it attractive and functional. Comfort is easier to define. Good design is harder to achieve, but it is good design that pleases the eye and what ultimately evokes incredible feelings in people when they walk in a room. Line is the beginning of all design, because it establishes shape or form.

While we’re all somewhat aware of lines, have you ever considered how lines influence mood? You can set the theme of a room by your choice of lines. This is because the human eye involuntarily travels the length of a line, and different lines give different impressions. Here are some thoughts about lines to help you with your design projects:

Horizontal lines are restful. They create a feeling of relaxation and informality, perhaps because a horizontal position is associated with sleeping. Contemporary styles in furniture are often based on horizontal lines.

Vertical lines are formal. They create a feeling of strength and regularity, especially when repeated. They’re undoubtedly associated in our minds with an upright position, thus signifying alertness and conventionality. Think about many of the architectural forms with columns and the formal feeling they give off.

Circles and Squares are static. The eye recognizes these shapes at a glance. Stars and flowers patterns that fit into circles and squares are also static.

Rectangles and ovals give an impression of motion. This is because the eye involuntarily travels around them due to their less regular shape.

Controlled curved lines are happy and romantic and almost always have a lighthearted look. If you want a light and romantic look in your new room, use furniture designed around controlled curves.

Free form curves reflect the flowing lines of nature. These irregular forms are considered contemporary. Just as controlled curves have a fanciful effect, free-form curves create a casual, free and easy mood.

Diagonal lines usually create a disturbing element, unless supported by opposing diagonals or by verticals to give them strength. A variety of diagonal lines used together produce a very busy look, which is often unsettling.

So, next time you are designing, think about your use of lines and how they influence the feeling you want to evoke in the room.