advice on window shades/blinds

I actually prefer the look of curtains to blinds because I feel they are often more decorative and "softer-looking", but I agree with you that they are difficult to keep clean and often the small dimensions of many NYC rooms don't suit the length of curtains. Blinds and shades seem more practical and with light-filtering options, you can choose how much light will filter through the windows. In terms of style, the various types of Roman shades can add decorative detail to a room.

When I was shopping for blackout curtains for my bedroom, I found it difficult to find a NYC shop which offers both design assistance as well as measuring and installation. Most of the shops I visited contracted out the installation work and often the sales associate would just hand me a bunch of sample books to sort through on your own with little assistance. I had a consultation with a window treatment designer who came to my rental apartment and offered her suggestions. She made her own window treatments and works with her own installation person, but her estimate was more than double what the shops charged and I felt that the cost was too high for a rental apartment.

thanks Lobster. i had posted this a while back and since then have been up to see the renovations and actually decided on the bulk of the shades. Curtains will not work as i had built-ins done around the new hvac units under each window. So that would necessitate half curtains or drapes which would be pretty ugly i think. However, after looking at the apartment renovations to date, i did decide to have all the windows trimmed out top and sides with moldings that match the crown moldings. The architect and I went to the Shade Store in midtown and with his help (his fee includes help with design which has been wonderful) i picked out some interesting shades which are a very very open weave and gray/bronze in color though almost look metallic. they are made of some kind of plastic or resin and will be easy to wipe down if necessary. but the weave is so open that you could leave them down all the time and still have your view and the light. These will be perfect for the public rooms where i don't need privacy. In the bedrooms we chose a solar shade that gives privacy in a light beige color and the master bath which has a window will get a wooden venetian blind. i don't have the price quote yet but am expecting it this week and will let you know.

Rosina, you have made some very good choices for shades and blinds - nice colors and textures. I agree that curtains don't work well with HVAC units which are very common in NYC apartments. Glad to hear that things worked out so well for you.

If you want to use fabric but don't want or don't have room for drapes (for all the good reasons already noted here), an option is Roman shades. These can be made out of almost any material, certainly fabric.

For our windows we've been working with Metropolitan Window Fashions (stores on both UES and UWS) for our window treatments. We've been impressed by their sales people -- very consultative and hands on. Ours came to see our apartment and reviewed our ideas for solar shades and also wood blinds, and offered alternatives and suggestions (like use a cord instead of a light color tape on wood blinds because in NYC they get dirty fast, good to know since we were ordering white wood blinds; she also fussed about whether hardware/pulls went on the left or right side of each window -- very attentive to details). She also did all the measuring herself. They are a Hunter Douglas rep but they also use local producers for drapes, Roman shades, solar shades and other items.

They have accounts with all the major fabric showrooms so they can get you anything without needing a designer/architect/decorator to place an order.

Price? Everything with windows is always so damn expensive.

Rosina -- your choices sound exquisite. Looking forward to reading how the prices and final ordering/installation goes.

NextEra, I wanted to thank you again for mentioning Metropolitan Window Fashions. I was on the UWS last weekend and met the saleswoman that you mentioned - Janet Webster. She seemed very knowledgeable and I am keeping the shop in mind for future window treatment shopping. I really like the fact that they offer design assistance as well as installation and sell many window treatment options.

Hi Lobster -- Yes, Janet is wonderful to work with and we've been impressed so far with her expertise, helpful manner, and very good design suggestions. In our previous apartment we had worked directly with a fabricator for solar blinds and drapes and they were no faster, better, or cheaper than Metropolitan Windows. I had mistakenly assumed that because a supplier has an UWS storefront that they'd be more costly than the company that works from an outer boro factory space. But to our experience, that was absolutely not the case.

I also recently did some fabric showroom visits at the D&D building and it seemed like everyone knew (and liked) Metropolitan Windows and welcomed me as their client. Nice. No snobbery about having to have a decorator to do business with them.

If you end up making some decisions about your window treatments, please make a note here. It's always interesting to read what others choose to do.

I used this guy david From Craigs List....He did a GREAT job His # Is (631)368-0420 he comes to the city 3x aweek