Home Decor

Window blinds are the perfect window treatment for any home. They come in so many shapes, styles, colors, and designs that you’re bound to find something you like as you begin perusing.

Still, making the final choice can be a challenge. Fortunately, we’re here with # key tips for choosing the best factory direct blinds for your home. Before we begin, however, let’s go over the key differences between blinds and shades.

The Differences Between Blinds and Shades

First, blinds tend to be hard and more durable than window shades. You’ll notice, for example, that blinds come in materials like vinyl, faux wood, real wood, and aluminum. They usually feature slats or vanes, which angle and tilt so that you can direct light from the sun into your home as you please — or block it completely out.

Shades, on the other hand, are soft as they are generally made out of fabric or material. These roll or scrunch up and don’t offer as much versatility as blinds.

Top Tips for Choosing Window Blinds

When it comes time to go shopping for your new factory direct blinds, take these key tips into consideration.

1. Consider the décor near where they’ll be placed.

First, thing’s first: décor. You’ll want your factory direct blinds to match the overall theme of whatever room they’re in. For example, you might have an earthier setup in one of your rooms or a more modern style in another location. There are blinds available in all types of styles from loud and bold to subtle and simple.

2. Think about what kind of light you want to let in.

Blinds are the best-possible window treatment for gauging the light that enters your home through the windows. Still, you’ve got to choose the right blinds for the job you want to accomplish. If you want to be able to completely block out the sun, for example, you’ll need blinds made out of a thick material that seamlessly close together to deliver a tight, sun-blocking cover. On the other hand, if you simply care about dimming outdoor light, other blind options will do.

3. Settle on a budget before you start shopping.

This should go without saying, but to avoid exceeding your budget after the fact, always settle upon a budget before hitting the blind stores.

4. If you have pets or kids, always opt for cordless blinds.

Finally, remember that children or pets may pull or play with the cords that attach to blinds if they are within reach. Fortunately, there are cordless blinds available that are a much better fit for households with kids or pets.

Choosing the right blinds for your home can certainly be a challenge, but with these tips, you’ll be sure to make the ideal choice for you and your family!

Whether you’re about to start a DIY painting project or are hiring a professional, you’ll need to prepare your living area before the painting begins. If you want to get the best painting results, you’ll need to spend time making sure every room is properly prepared. Below, we’re covering the steps involved with pre-painting room prep so you know how to prepare a room for painting.

Step One: Remove the Furniture and Rugs

Remove any expensive items from the room. Your future workspace needs to be navigable, and it needs to be free of potential accident areas. Remove any rugs, furnishings and chairs, too. While the process might be a hassle, it’s incredibly important.

Step Two: Remove Wall Fixtures

If you’re going to paint the entire room, you’ll need to hit every spot. Before the painting begins, remove any wall fixtures. These fixtures include light fixtures, doors, doorknobs and even nails. Don’t worry: You can replace them once the painting job is complete.

Step Three: Remove Electrical Outlet Panels

Electrical outlet panels can be tough to work around. That said, they’re also hard to avoid during a painting job. Remove all outlet panels and switches while you can. A multi-tool device should get the job done. 

Step Four: Clean the Walls

Next, you’ll need to prepare the walls, themselves, for painting. Mix water with a mild detergent. The mixture can remove wall stains and smudges, leaving them bare and accessible for new paint. Such a mixture can also remove mildew. Remember: Your walls need to be completely dry before the painting begins.

Step Five: Patch Up the Imperfections

Every wall has imperfections. Once you’ve prepped the wall surfaces via cleaning, you should remove any materials which make the walls difficult to paint. Cover up any holes with a drywall compound. Use a spackling product where necessary. Then, sand the entire wall to eliminate any unevenness.

Step Six: Caulk the Gaps

Run your caulking tool along any gaps, too. By closing the gaps between the wall, door cracks and baseboards, you’ll assure the integrity of the future paint job. An acrylic latex caulking compound will work. Don’t forget to stick masking tape to any wall moldings, window borders and door borders. If you don’t, these areas may be ruined.

The pre-painting room preparation process might seem lengthy, but it’s a vital step to take. Ask a professional provider for help, if need be. Otherwise, take care in preparing your living space. Your painting project will redefine the area, but its success depends on a proper setup.

Nashville is a large prosperous city with a well-developed network of colleges and universities, and the world-famous Performing Arts Center. But first of all, the city is associated with music and is considered to be the birthplace of country style. Nashville is the second largest center of the music industry in the US. Many famous countrywide singers were born in this city. There are numerous radio stations, clubs, as well as sound recording studios.

However, Nashville is known not only for music. Here are 8 worthwhile places that should be definitely visited while traveling to the state capital of Tennessee…

Tennessee State Capitol

Tennessee State Capitol is a masterpiece of neoclassical architecture built on the highest hill in the center of Nashville. The building is designed in the strict Greek neoclassical style and is crowned with a chapel. Each of the four sides of the Capitol is decorated with porticos in the style of ionic temples. The building houses a collection of Tennessee State Museum with exhibits covering prehistoric times before the Civil War. The 200-year-old park of the Capitol with its numerous fountains and statues also deserves an attention. Free excursions are available at 9am.

Address: 600 Charlotte Ave

Operating Hours: Monday-Friday 9am-4pm, Saturday and Sunday closed

Music Row

Nashville is a musical city, and this is the birthplace of country – the most iconic American music. Music Row district is the center and heart of Nashville’s music industry. In addition to diverse radio stations, clubs, sound recording studios, souvenir shops and museums dedicated to music and musicians, many monuments, memorial plaques and places associated with music are situated there.

Address: Music Row, Nashville

Belle Meade Plantation

The fans of history are encouraged to visit Belle Meade Plantation. In the center of the plantation there’s a huge white mansion dated 1853. Nowadays it’s also a historical museum. Not far from the mansion you’ll find a small hut, which was built in 1790. Belle Meade is a small “piece of history” reminding the era of plantation slavery. Also, there’s a small cozy park with well-groomed green lawns around the plantation. At the entrance to the plantation, visitors are met by guides dressed in historical costumes.

Address: 110 Leake Ave

Operating Hours: Monday-Sunday 9am-5pm

Country Music Hall

The museum is located in a magnificent building on 5th Avenue next to the Music City Center and Bridgestone Ice Arena. Before entering the museum, pay attention to the upper floor – the windows of the facade are made in the form of piano keys.

Country Music Hall features a breathtaking multimedia exhibition of historical performances, costumes, instruments, records and memorabilia of America’s most famous county-style musicians. The key attractions are ‘Cadillac’, which once belonged to Elvis Presley and a massive 40-foot guitar.

Address: 222 5th Ave S

Operating Hours: Monday-Sunday 9am-5pm

Downtown Presbyterian Church

Presbyterian Church is one of over 600 churches in Nashville. Featuring a magnificent sample of the Renaissance architecture, this is one of the few temples in the United States builtin Egyptian style. Egyptian decorative theme is continued inside of the church thanks to the numerous wall paintings, wooden carvings, as well as stained glass windows. Downtown Presbyterian Church was used as a hospital during the occupation of the city in the Civil War: it housed over 206 woundedsoldiers. Self-guided tours to the church are available.

Address: 154 5th Ave N

Operating Hours: Monday-Sunday 8am-3pm

Belmont Mansion

Built in the 1850s, Belmont Mansion has been one of the best luxurious royal houses in the US. Its 16 rooms retained their original decor and furnishing. Belmont was designed in the style of an Italian villa with a garden full of marble sculptures and a lot of outbuildings. It boasts of many historical exhibits, including furnishings, paintings, and original statuettes of American sculptors.

Address: 1700 Acklen Ave

Operating Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm, Sunday and Monday closed

Cheekwood: Estate & Gardens

Cheekwood is well known for its beautiful gardens and lovely parkland. Occupying 22 hectares of land, the garden features four greenhouses with camellias and orchids, as well as a science center with galleries of contemporary art and the city museum placed in a Georgian-style mansion. The museum offers a rich collection of American art of the 19th and 20th centuries. Also, there’s Tennessee Agriculture Museum with its great selection of artifacts, and Folk Art Museum.

Address: 1200 Forrest Park Dr

Operating Hours: Monday-Sunday 9am-5pm

Nashville Zoo

Nashville Zoo allows you to explore the plains of Africa, delve into the tropical forests of South America and discover the majority of Asian animals. In the zoo there are such amazing and rare animals as clouded leopards, Baird’s tapirs, toucans and Bengal tigers living in enclosures representing their natural environment.

Address: 3777 Nolensville Pike

Operating Hours: Monday-Sunday 9am-4pm

As you see, Nashville is very diverse. The city features a plenty of interesting spots, which create a wonderful conditions for a multi-faceted holiday. All these sights are ready to give you an unforgettable experience and easily reachable by under 25 car rental in Nashville. So, don’t miss the opportunity to get breathtaking emotions by visiting them!

To keep your home and your outdoor spaces more livable against the Australian climate you need to use affordable shutters and blinds. Since they are for keeping out the harsh hot weather, it is best to find those that were made in Australia by those who know climate in Australia. It is something you must live there to know about. Some things to look at include:

• Plantation shutters
• Timber venetians
• Roller blinds

There are some places where they will install Sydney wide, and where they offer the best range with guaranteed low prices. And they will quote and measure your windows for free.

Winter and summer

This will make you and your family’s home a sanctuary and a cozy hide-away in winter and a cool retreat in the summer. Some of these blinds give some areas the outdoor look and feel. The knowledge of options and ranges is widespread so wear your good walking shoes. Customer service people will help you made your decision.

Shutters

These shutters are measured just for your windows, so they are stunning when installed in your home. There are three different ones to choose from – hinged plantation shutters, slide/bifold plantation shutters and custom shaped plantation shutters.

Vertical blinds

Vertical blinds are great for both formal and casual areas of any Australians home. They are also great for glass sliding doors as well as large windows. Vertical blinds not only offer light and heat control but also blend with either modern or traditional furniture.

Roller blinds

Roller blinds appeal to many families as they are simple to operate and the ability to give your home that modern and clean look. They are also easy to operate and clean and can be use on the outdoor patio.

To find affordable shutters & blinds go here.

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