Monday, April 30, 2012

We've got blinds

So, I bought blinds (from Select Blinds) for our kitchen and living room a long time ago.  We kept meaning to put them up, but were much too lazy to actually do it.  We actually did it this weekend, and we are very happy with them.  As happy as you can be about blinds, anyway.  After we figured out how to install them, it was pretty easy.  I would mark the screw holes for the brackets, and Shaun was in charge of drilling and mounting them.    
My job was clearly very important.  I would also take many annoying photos of my husband while he was trying to do this.  
Because our window stops were only an inch wide, we had to center the bracket on them and use the big square holes for the screws.  Is this ideal? I'm not sure, but that is the way it worked.  
Once these were mounted, the blinds snapped in and the magnetic valance simply got stuck on.  Easy!  I do have to mention that all the valance pieces were a quarter inch too short to cover the blind frame, so I will be contacting Select Blinds about it.  Pretty annoying.  
The color I chose for the blinds is Pecan, It's a nice warm color that looks great with our floors.  Blinds are pretty necessary in here, since our neighbors are about 15 feet away and the right window looks directly into our bathroom.  We don't always close the door all the way while in the bathroom, are we the only ones?
In the living room, the windows have been blindless since we bought the house in 2008.  We never really feel exposed in here being pretty far from the street, but I still wanted the added privacy of blinds to deter possible baby-stealers.  You never know...
The day is cloudy and I have pregnancy brain and can't operate my camera too well these days, so here's the best pic I could come up with for the 'afters'....
We also added some new sash lifts to the windows, we haven't had hardware on these windows since we got them installed in 2010.  I didn't want to pay for Marvin lifts when I could find cheaper ones myself, famous last words until two years later.  I chose these nice, solid brass ones from House of Antique Hardware:
For $25 including shipping, I'm sure we saved at least $75 from what Marvin would charge for the same thing.  I'm so happy these windows are finally complete!
And, here is an exersaucer we put together yesterday.  I think the assembly made Shaun bleed, baby things are serious! 
I guess I should just get used to seeing brightly-colored plastic in my living room....

12 comments:

  1. Do I need an Exersaucer? This is what I took away from this.

    And, I think the blinds look really nice, although what's the valance issue? Seriously? And the handles really make a difference. Very nice!

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  2. Your rooms will have all things baby soon. Just think new decor is always fun.

    I've had white faux wood blinds in most of my windows for many years now and I love the function of them. I've been debating if I should switch them out for bamboo, but by the time I get around to doing that the bamboo train may have left.

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  3. The blinds look great with your wall colour. We always take forever to get things done, but boy does that make me happy when they finally are finished.

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  4. My parents just blinds and went with the same company. They had the best price by FAR.

    And I always imagine blinds in white, which is kinda boring.. it was smart to go with ones that match the tone in the floor!

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  5. Tick another box .... something else completed. Blinds are perfect finishing touch.

    Forget baby stealers ..... one look at that Exersaucer and who could resist ... hahaha

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  6. Convert a room into a playroom for the baby before he turns two - make sure it has a door. You'll thank me later ;)

    Were the blinds reasonable? I priced some a year or two ago and almost fell out of my chair. I need about thirty so maybe that's why?

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  7. Kim - I don't think you need an exersaucer, but my hubs cousin had one for her little girl and she loved it, so they got us one. To go with the bouncer...cradle/swing...activity mat...jumparoo, OMG so much stuff.

    Deb - with the 30% off and buy 3 blinds get 1 free, it came to $250 for five windows. I thought $50 a pop was reasonable for custom-cut wood blinds. 30 though? That would be tough to swallow! ha

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  8. Hello! My name is Angela, and I've been following your blog since googling "Coventry Gray" 3 months ago and finding your dressing room. I enjoy your entries!

    Where did you get your current set of curtains in your living room? And this is the third set, right? I'm looking around for my dining room, and keep changing my mind. I love your latest.

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  9. No...you are not the only ones. I keep waiting for someone to be at my back door while on the loo. You can see right in the back door to the bathroom. So far, so good!!! LOL!

    Love the blinds.

    B.

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  10. Gorgeous room! I love the rug, and the built ins were a favorite to watch as you created them.

    And yes, get used to the plastic. Once its resident arrives, it will make you smile every day, even when it evolves into controllers and fake guitars.

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  11. Angela - yep, our third round with curtains in the living room! They are the Nola curtains from World Market, but they are discontinued now. :(
    http://www.polyvore.com/nola_print_curtain_panel_spice/thing?id=27555425

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  12. Oh, I love the drapes and blinds...great job.

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Thanks so much for reading....your comments mean a lot to me!
Sara