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Downtown Phoenix is home to a very trend establishment known as Ocotillo. This location offers a full service kitchen, bar, dining area, coffee hut, plush indoor / outdoor seating and office facilities for the staff. The kitchen, dining room, and office all had west facing windows which had no window coverings. Additionally, the office had an east facing window which was just brutal.
The heat and glare from these windows was affecting the comfort and ambiance of this high end meeting place. It was so intense that some of the kitchen staff were complaining of getting sunburn while working at the food prep station in the kitchen. The solution was to install solar roller shades. Solar roller shades worked very well with the decor of the restaurant, as its modern look complemented the high end design elements. Additionally, we provided a 5% Apricot / Charcoal commercial fabric which provided amazing relief from the heat and glare without making the space feel dark. The pictures above, taken during installation, do a decent job of showing the glare control difference. And, these pictures were taken before direct sunlight was on these windows. Of course, we would love to help your trendy establishment with its roller shade project. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation. Thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!
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The pictures above are from a shutter project we had the privilege of doing for a remodel in Tempe, Arizona. The customer opted for a medium "Z" frame, with 3.5" louvers, a standard tilt bar, and a bright white finish. However, on two of the bedroom windows there was a chair rail in the bottom portion of the sill and a hand crank mechanism for outdoor rolling storm shutters on one side. This necessitated some special considerations.
What we did for these bedroom windows was move to a standard "L" frame and designed it to work as an inside mount. All other specifications remained the same. But, additional standardization was required as the window frames were not square. So, our master installer needed to provide fill and chalking to cover the uneven light gaps on the side. When he was done the customer commented, "I can't even tell that this needed to be caulked." Shutters are always a great option for any remodel as they are timeless and tend to hold their value over time. Of course, we would love to help you with your shutter project! Contact us today for a complimentary consultation. Thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!  Now that summer is near, we all look forward to vacations and long sunny days but not the excessive heat gain. This heat gain results in an uncomfortable home environment and rising utility bills. According to the US Department of Energy, windows can account for 10% to 25% of your electric bill.
Before the latest innovations in glass, films, and coatings, over the last decade, a typical residential window with one or two layers of glazing allowed roughly 75- 85% of the solar energy to enter the home. During the summer, sunny windows make your air conditioner work two to three times harder. This has a negative impact on summertime comfort and cooling bills, especially in hot climates. But turning down the thermostat or agonizing over R-value statistics is not the answer. R-values and shading coefficients are confusing and hard to understand. We try to help our customers make good buying decisions by evaluating a window coverings energy efficiency based on the products material makeup, basic construction, and proper usage. The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy says that horizontal blinds transmit 5%, reflect 40% to 60%, and absorb 35% to 55% of radiant energy. Horizontal blinds are not be the most energy efficient window covering available, but when used correctly they can help in conserving electricity. To maximize the energy efficiency of your wood or faux wood blinds think about following the rising and setting of the sun. During the summer season, horizontal blinds should be tilted completely closed in the upward direction, especially when direct sun is on your windows. You will want to be sure to adjust your blinds through-out the day to keep those direct sun windows tilted closed in the upward direction. Once the sun sets, blinds can be adjusted to let the remaining light in until privacy is needed. In fact, you might consider just tilting the all your wood or faux wood blinds up in the closed position during the hottest hours of the day. This will do the most for summertime energy efficiency, but the trade off is less light during the day. With that said, if energy efficiency is your top priority for your wood or faux wood blinds, then following this plan will result in energy savings. We would love to work with you on your wood or faux wood blind project! Contact us today for a complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!  Extra Wide Sizes
Our vendor has upgraded hardware allowing us to cover larger openings up to 26′ wide. Sun Control Fabrics for Outdoor Living These solar screen fabrics provide great glare control characteristics on a patio. Selecting dense solar fabrics (1%, 3%, or 5% openness) can resolve harsh glare situations from the setting sun. Dark colors provide the best view-through and glare control characteristics. Solar screen fabrics with greater openness (8%-10%) provide better view through while still providing excellent heat protection. There are a wide array of colors, textures and styles to complement every patio design and color scheme. Outdoor Durability All of the fabrics used for our exterior roller shades are made with either PVC-coated fiberglass or polyester to stand up to the outdoors. They are designed to be durable in spite of the elements, and will last far longer than many fabrics in pre-made exterior shades. Of course, we would love to help you extra wide roller shade project. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!  Plantation shutters may be the most versatile window covering on the market. Windows come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and as such can be challenging to cover in a way that is pleasing. Over the years, we have seen all sorts of customization using various different types of blinds on specialty shaped windows. However, no window covering option offers the beauty and flexibility of shutters. Fortunately, we now live in an economic reality where the cost for shutters has dropped significantly while the craftsmanship and production quality has increased. There are many reasons for this, but primarily its the globalization of plantation shutters which has made this timely window covering option within economic reach of the average consumer. The image below shows the many different options available for specialty shaped windows to be covered with plantation shutters. The image also shows the measurements which are needed to manufacture these specialty shapes.  Of course, we would love to help you with your shutter project. Contact us today for a complimentary in-home or in-office consultation! Thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!
 We carry Skandia brand GrandView wood blinds and arches and we want to brag on them a bit. These blinds bring out the best in a room with the sumptuous look and feel of real wood. Having handled many brands of blinds, we can honestly say that the Grandview blind is one of the best on the market. They have a look and finish that just looks top of the line. They are often confused for far more expensive Hunter Douglas wood blinds.
With today’s styles ranging from highly contemporary to all out country and every realm between, GrandView wood blinds and arches are at home with any style decor. Handcrafted of basswood, these blind and arches come in a variety of finishes and colors. From painted to stained there’s a finish guaranteed to work for your decor design. GrandView wood blinds have two valance options: the standard GrandView valance with a traditional style, or an upgraded valance with a contemporary look. The valance clips are hidden upon installation. Another feature of this blind is the option of tape ladders. Tape ladders give the choice to make a statement by either subtly complementing the color and finish of the blind or adding contrast to the decor. With the rectangular bottom rail, tape ladders are ensured a finished look and stay flat to the windowsill. Controls can be specified as wand control or cord control. Certain applications can and will dictate which control option is to be used to ensure function ability and ease of operation. The wand control is of the same color wood. GrandView blinds are made with the low-profile head rail that takes up less space and helps eliminate unsightly light leakage. The head rail is also narrower than the valance so less of the head rail is visible. The ends of the wood slats are carefully painted with a double-pass technique with a color-matched paint. This technique grants the blind a tailored, furniture-quality finish. We are always happy to provide Grandview wood blinds by Skandia Window Fashions. The end product is always one that makes us feel good about the work that we do. With that said, we would love to help you with your next wood blind project. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!  Did you know that the roller shade industry has developed a fabric with high-tech antimicrobial properties?
Sentry Translucent fabric Kills MRSA, C-diff and more on contact. Sentry translucent fabric was engineered specifically with the healthcare industry in mind. Its Ultra-Fresh™ antimicrobial technology brings another layer of defense to hospital rooms in addition to adding privacy with filtered light. This application is perfect for patient rooms, examination rooms and high touch areas where privacy and a sterile environment are needed. Sentry Translucent allows no view-through and filters light and has special features which include:
Of course you know that antimicrobial materials are an important part of a hospital's line of defense against transmitting infections, such as MRSA. As such, we offers numerous fabrics with ASTM G21 certification, as well as various other anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties and certifications, including:
Of course, we would love to help you with your healthcare facility roller shade project. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation, and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!  T-Posts are used in plantation shutters to for extra support on very large windows, or to match specific mullion locations, or to meet a certain design parameter. T-posts are just a small up-charge and so are readily available to all consumers based on need and desire. T-Posts divide a window vertically into sections. T-posts can be used with any frame style. And remember, always measure from the left side of the window to the center of the T-Post for each location. The diagram below will help you visualize how these systems work and how to measure your window for T-post locations.  Of course, we would love to help you with your T-post shutter project. Contact us today for your complimentary in-home or in-office consultation. Thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!
 Here is a scenario for you. Let's say you have a need to do an inexpensive clean-up of your window coverings. Your budget is limited but your current blinds are just done. What do you do? You know full well that you generally get what you pay for - so, you are hesitant to buy the super cheap deals you see online or at your favorite box store.
What should you do? Well, our suggestion would be to consider the InLite Faux Wood blind offered by Skandia Window Fashions. Why? Because in all of our years of handling the faux wood blinds, in our opinion, the best low cost option is the Skandia InLite Faux Wood. We have sold and installed these blinds for many customers over the years and have had very few minor issues. This is stunning given the price point of this offering. Here are the specs:
We would love to help you with an affordable quality option for your faux wood blind project. Contact us today for a complimentary in-home or in-office consultation. Thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters!  Did you know that black-out roller shades now offer a "design" statement with the desired room darkening effect? In some scenarios, it is best to have uncovered windows part of the time - with room darkening privacy at other times. In these situations, the black-out roller shade is an amazing option. However, the issue with black-out roller shades has always been a lack of variety. In the past, the design offerings for black-out roller shades were generally about 4 options - all some neutral flat color - that sort of looked like a plastic sheet. Think old-timey spring roller shades of the past.
Today, variety and technology have converged to create more options than you can imagine. For instance, our manufacturers line carries many different types of roller shade black-out fabrics. These design options now include unique patterns, all sorts of core colors, and soft textile appearance fabrics. In the combined black-out fabric program collections, our line offers several fabric styles in lots of color and texture combinations - so the possibilities really add up. And these fabrics range from the easily wipe-able to the elegantly textured. Our collection of blackout fabrics does not allow light to pass through, with flame retardant options and anti-microbial/anti-fungal options for commercial applications. Bottom line, take another look at black-out roller shades for those areas where privacy and room darkening need to meet a clean look with a designer feel. Of course, we would love to help you with your black-out roller shade project. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation and thanks for your interest in Latreia Blinds and Shutters! |
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