The pictures above are of a Red Robin roller shade project we completed for a brand new Red Robin located in Queen Creek, Arizona.  It is one of the nicest designs we have yet seen.  They have included glass art walls, flat screen TV's through-out, and a rich color pallet.  Also, rather than using their signature stained wood blind look, they choose instead to use solar roller shades.  

By switching to solar roller shades for this project, Red Robin effectively updated the feel of their restaurant.  It felt bigger and yet comfortable.  The light was perfectly controlled such that floor to ceiling windows were highlighted.  It makes us wonder if Red Robin will soon be updating all of their restaurants with solar roller shades.

​Of course, we would love to help you with your restaurant's or home's roller shade project! 
Contact us today for a complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!

A quick search of plantation shutters on HGTV or Houzz will produce a plethora of gorgeous images which contain plantation shutters in all imaginable design styles. Custom plantation shutters can be made with many different louver sizes, colors, textures and features.  As such, they can be designed to match your decor.
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Plantation shutters can be made to work in modern decor, traditional decor, transitional decor, rustic decor, urban decor, etc. and their timeless nature likely makes them the last window covering you will ever buy.

For instance, to fit in with a traditionally decorated home, you might choose a standard tilt rod, bi-fold panels, combined with a classic "z" frame style featuring decorative details. In a transitional styled home you might choose shutters with an off-center divider rail in an ivory finish to coordinate with a variety of other home furnishings. In a contemporary home, choose shutters featuring a simple, clean lined frame, hidden tilt rod, and stainless steel hinges.

Of course, we would love to help you design your plantation shutter project!  Contact us today for your complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!

Ready for some straight talk?  Okay, here it is.  When it comes to how nice your wood and faux wood blinds look, the valance that is ultimately chosen is one of the key factors.  Yes, believe it or not, a $2 upgrade for a nicer valance will add crazy amounts of aesthetic appeal.  This is one of the little tricks we have learned in years of providing wood and faux wood blinds to our clients.

Your wood or faux wood blind valance, and the way it is attached, can honestly make or break the whole final impression of your project.  Because of this, we tend to stick with blinds that have a crown molding type looking valance.  Our brand is called the Orlando valance and is a full 3 1/4" high and 1/2" thick.  This extra 1/4" to 1/2" in height is noticeable and just goes that extra step in making the blind look and feel custom.  Now truthfully, you would never know these slightly bigger valances looked nicer unless you were an industry insider or were able to see the side by side in your window.  But the little extra coverage really makes for a better look with more coverage of the blind's head rail.

Also, whenever possible, we add small returns to the valance.  Returns are small added parts that often extend approximately 1/2" from the valance to the wall.  We add about an 1" to the width of the valance as compared to the width of the window and then attach these returns.  The end result is a finished valance system at a great price.

It is little understandings like these that cause us to believe that experience matters.  Your average big box or online retailer will likely not know to consider these sorts of nuances - unless they care enough to read a blog  like this.  But, even so there is nothing quite like seeing the before and after of different options as installed in people's homes.

Bottom line, be an informed consumer when buying wood and faux wood blinds.  A lot of value lies in the details - in this case a small upgrade to an Orlando style valance.

We would love to help you with your wood or faux wood blind project! Contact us today for a complimentary consultation with one of our designers and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!

Blocking the sun before it enters a window is the most effective way to reduce heat gain. Exterior sun shades roll down when you need heat protection and roll up when you don’t.  From our perspective, there is something luxurious about having exterior solar screen control for your home's windows.  Allow us to explain.

Imagine a home without the standard bug screens on a portion the windows year around.  You would just have glass to the outdoors, like the luxurious look offered by secluded homes with million dollar views.  However, if you want to open your windows and get some fresh air, you now have to deal with bugs.  Also, as the sun strikes your windows at different times and in different ways, you will have a heat and glare issues to deal with.  As such, most windows come equipped with bug screens and some sort of blind on the interior.

However, there is a luxury option.  Exterior motorized solar shades that are set in a zip system which controls bugs from gaining entry.  With this sort of set-up, you can be inside your home and set the exterior solar roller shades to various heights depending on the need.  Do you want to open your window for some air?  Lower you solar roller shade and open the window.  Do you want a clear and open modern luxury view with no obstruction at all?  Roll the shades up and you have a wide open window - just like a model home.  Do you have heat gain in the summer and need to cut the glare?  Drop the shade to any height that works and stop the sun's rays before they get to your glass to become magnified.  Do you want your windows to warm your house in the winter and save on heating?  Up go the shades and down goes the energy usage.  You get the idea.  Exterior motorized roller shades with a sealed "zip system" offer luxurious options.

These systems do add some hardware to the exterior of your home.  Because of the need for a power source and mounting surface which looks good and is functional, you might consider having an architectural feature built into your home which will accommodate having this luxurious exterior motorized solar roller shade option built right in - just saying.

With so many homeowners turning to plantation shutters as their choice for style and function, there are a few simple maintenance items to know about to keep them working well.  One such item is learning how to deal a section of louvers that won't stay in place - i.e. they flop down after you put them in place.  In essence the louvers have lost the tension which holds them where you set them.

Hopefully, you purchased a quality shutter product.  If you did, then you can fix this problem in about 2 minutes.  Here is how: (images below)

• Open the shutter panel and examine the edges of the panel for a series of small round holes.
• These holes should be evenly spaced and on both side of the panel - (i.e. room side and window side)
• Take a Phillips Head screwdriver and insert it in the hole and feel for a connection with the tension screw.
• BE GENTLE - and turn the screw clockwise while holding the louvers steady with your other hand.
• You should feel the tension screw firm up a bit, but do not over tighten.
• Repeat this process with the screws on the other side of the panel.  
• Test the louvers, they should be firm but not over tight when moving.
• That's it - You just adjusted the tension on your plantation shutter's louvers.

Of course, we would love to help you design your plantation shutter project. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation.  Thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!

A client writes, "We moved in over the winter and are finally getting around to replacing our temporary shades with a more permanent window treatment. We've pretty much settled on wood (or faux wood) blinds but can't quite pick a color that won't clash with what we have or what we're planning to do. The walls, carpet and sectional with matching ottoman are all various shades of beige but the windows, molding, fireplace and ceiling are all white. Part of me wants to add some depth and color contrast with a darker color blind like maple or walnut but the other part of me says to keep it safe with a variant of white and just add color via accents around the room. What would be my best choice? Any input would be greatly appreciated."

So, here are a couple questions to help you decide how to proceed.

How long are you planning on living in this house?  If you are planing on staying for a while, then the options open up - as you don't need to worry about what another buyer might think.  If you are moving within a 1-5 years, then stick with a matching white or bright white.  It will bring lots of light into the space, will not risk chasing off potential buyers, and will generally be easier to keep looking clean and new.

How important is heat control to you?  If you live in a place where 117 degrees is fairly common, then white will keep the window areas cooler.  If heat is not an issue, then you can play with all sorts of color options.

Do you want a clean, bright, modern look or a more classic rich look?  And, this is really the crux of the matter.  For the clean, bright, modern look stick with a white faux or wood blind.  If you like a richer, classic look, then move to a stained wood in one of the darker richer tones.

In today's marketplace, white outsells stains by a huge margin, so it is clearly the preferred style for today's taste and economics.  With that said, when we do have an opportunity to complete a project with real stained wood blinds, the results are always stunning.

With any luck, by asking yourself these few questions you can work through the critical thinking process of whether to purchase white or stained faux wood or wood blinds.

We would love to help you with your wood or faux wood blind project.  Contact us today for a complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!

One of the most important decisions you will make when purchasing plantation shutters is the size of the louver for the shutter's panels.  Most plantation shutter manufacturers provide three standard sizes. The 2.5" louver, the 3.5" louver and the 4.5" louver.

The 2.5" shutter louver is best in with traditional decor.  The 2.5" louver is a great choice for smaller windows or areas which require greater privacy.  If you can imagine the old world look of shutters, you are likely thinking of a 2.5" louver size.

The 3.5" shutter louver is one of the most popular and is particularly well received in West Coast homes. The 3.5" louver maintains the traditional look but is a bit more grand in its presentation.  You will also experience over 50% greater view through than with the 2.5" louver.

The 4.5" shutter is best used on large windows with views.  These 4.5" shutters are over 100% more open than 2.5" louvers.  By coupling this louver size with a hidden tilt rod, you can even increase the view through effect.

Bottom line, by understanding the advantages of each louver size, you will be better able to make the best choice for your space and design preference.

Of course, we would love to help you choose a louver size for your plantation shutter project.  Contact us today for your complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!

As another summer approaches with its bright daytime sunlight, many people start to notice the wear and tear of their blinds, floors, walls, and finishings.  As such, we generally see an uptick in the sale of faux wood blinds during the summer as folks take on their indoor projects - painting, floors, kitchens, baths, and new window coverings.

The nice thing about replacing your blinds during your summertime renovations is that they will not break the bank.  This allows you to overspend a bit on your new counter tops and still have very nice looking clean new faux wood blinds.

One more thought: if you have some other type of window covering and are concerned about the replacement costs of cell shades, woven woods, roller shades, etc., then please know that you can safely choose faux wood blinds which will compliment your efforts while saving money.

Of course, we would love to help you with your summertime faux wood blind.  Contact us today for a complimentary consultation.  Thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!

The pictures above are of a new restaurant project we completed for a Smashburger located in Laveen Arizona, near 51st Ave and Baseline.

This brand new Smashburger location just made their restaurant ambiance far greater by including solar roller shades through-out.  We also provided a fixed panel application for a small section of glass alongside the main entrance.  The overall effect was the modern and pleasant light control you would expect from quality solar roller shades.

Of course, we would love to help you with your roller shade project.  Contact us today for a complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!