Bamboo Shades Give Your Home an Ethnic Look and Feel - By: Allan Michael Taylor

In the home furniture and construction industry, bamboo is the jack of all trades. Bamboo is used as a raw material in a wide variety of applications: walls, roofs, floorings, and window treatments, to name a few. The biggest grass species in the world, bamboo has woody stems and can grow as high as 35 to 40 meters. That is why bamboo is a popular material especially for window treatments. Window shades made of bamboo are perfect accent items to homes that have ethnic or Asian styling schemes.

A bamboo shade is a window treatment made of materials that are usually woven together to achieve a natural, textured appearance. The materials used in making a bamboo shade include bamboo, rattan, jutes, reed, woven woods, and faux woods. Because a bamboo shade is made of light materials, it may not be as tough as shades made of other materials. But if durability is not a concern for a buyer, then a bamboo shade won't be much of a problem. For homeowners who want simple yet eye-pleasing shades for their windows, a bamboo shade is a hands-down choice.

Bamboo shades come in a variety of styles to suit different tastes. The most in-demand bamboo shade styles are bamboo roll up shades, bamboo woven wood shades, bamboo roman shades, and exterior bamboo shades or porch blinds. Bamboo roll up shades are lifted and lowered with an easy-to-use pull cord mechanism. However, these shades are not ideal for children's bedrooms since they can easily succumb to constant pulling. A better option for households with young kids is a bamboo roman shade that is raised in folds. Bamboo roman shades, which resemble pleats, look splendid when they're open.

In the early days of making bamboo shade manufacturing, bamboo reeds are dried and then woven together with rope. Nowadays, technological innovations have produced many styles for window shades made of bamboo, and some of these are nearly identical to original handmade shades. Whatever style a bamboo shade has, it still carries the distinct natural look associated only with bamboos. Match the bamboo shade with bamboo or rattan flooring or walls, and you get a stunning ethnic look for your home interior!

The value of bamboo shades goes beyond visual appeal. Shades made of bamboo are functional as well—they provide adequate privacy and shield the interior of your home from the sun's rays. To boost privacy and insulation at home, you may opt for shades that come with a privacy liner. So even if your window shades are open, the liner keeps outsiders from having a full view of your home as well as prevents sunlight from passing through.

What's great about these window shades is that they are easy to maintain. You don't have to break a sweat just to make sure that the shades are always in pristine condition. You simply dust the shades using a lambs wool or feathered duster. Also, you can clean the window shades with a vacuum cleaner. No need to get wet and dirty!

All in all, bamboo shades are not your ordinary window treatments. They certainly add pizazz to your home while providing benefits that other window shades could not.

About the Author

Jennie Keithson is a decorative type, a designer who loves to write and is a qualified home and office planner, who lectures about bamboo shades, with all of her window shades audiences. Check out her online shop for more info.

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Allan-Michael-Taylor/45501

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