So in our internet savy culture people are buying everything online or in a big box store (that they have researched online). The feeling is that I can watch HGTV or DYI or even search the “how to” online and I now know as much as the professional interior designer. I’m going to tell you that window treatments can be a lot more that just measuring and ordering. The first reason that you want an interior designer to do your window treatments is that we know what is going to work best in your home. We are going to talk to you about how you use each room, what you need out of the window treatment and what kind of treatment is going to work best. For instance you may think you just need blinds well there are many different kinds of blinds. There are vertical blinds that can be made from PVC, fabric or metal. They can be manually operated with or without a continuous cord loop, or they can be powered and operated by remote that can be hardwired or battery powered. And that is just one kind of blind there are wood blinds, faux wood, cellular, and mini to name a few. But what if you were really thinking that you wanted a shade and not a blind. What is the difference between a shade and a blind? When do you use a shade and when a blind? And when it comes to shades there are Roman shades hobbled or flat, roller shades, woven woods, and on and on. And we haven’t even touched the topic of shutters, drapery, cornices, or valences. Are you getting the idea that there are a great deal of options and that they all have a different use and function?

Window treatments are the finishing touch that every home needs but not every home needs the same thing. And in this buy online internet big box store life that we are leading now we need to remember that just because you can buy it online or in the big box store doesn’t mean that you should.

So let’s say that you are more educated than the normal consumer and you know the difference between all the types of window treatments and where to use the correct type. Do you know the difference between the brands? Do you know which brands are made by which companies? Do you know what is being used to make the treatment? Do you know how to properly measure your windows for the right fit? Do you know the deduction that has to be taken for an inside mounted treatment? One of the things that I have run into over and over again in all areas in the design field is that really low bid. That is just way below what could even be feasable to make the product let alone deliver it and install it. And I hear the same response every time from the client “but it looks exactly the same”. It may look the same. It may even be sold to you as the same but I can pretty much guarantee it is not the same. Fabric mills will make the same patterned fabric in different thread counts for different companies. So for instance I can show a client a fabric that I know wear tests for 30,000 double rubs. Well they might find that “same” fabric online but at half the price made by a different company. Guess what it is half the quality. That “same” fabric that was found online only wear tests for 8,000 double rubs. Now you may say that’s still sounds like a high rub count but in reality it’s not at all. That fabric is one that I would expect to be extremely delicate and would only use on something that was not going to be moved or touched. Where the fabric that I had could be used on a piece of furniture that could last a lifetime. That’s a big difference! Especially when is comes to draperies or shades that are going to be opened over and over again. You may have paid half the price but you are going to get a quarter of the use out of the product.

Then there is installation and guarantee. When you work with a professional we are going to make sure the product is properly installed and that it is going to function as promised. You have a licensed and insured person installing the product. If there is a problem there is a real live person there to either fix it or replace it. Not a phone number to call and argue with a customer service person that has no idea what you are talking about because they are not paid to know about the product. Who can only say “I can send you a return mailing tag and once we receive the product back we will determine if there is a defect and if we can refund your money”.  Does this sound familiar?

When you deal with an interior designer you can have the peace of mind that the window treatment is going to be the right one for you and your home. That the treatment is going to be of higher quality and will last longer. That the treatment will be properly installed. And that of there ever is a problem there is a professional there on had to take care of it properly.