Have It All With The Right Window Treatment

It's a common conundrum – you want plenty of light and privacy during the day, but it needs to be pitch black at night. Curtains seem too fussy, but regular Venetian blinds let in too much light and provide very little daytime privacy. The solution? Combine sheer and blackout roller blinds and enjoy both the darkness and the light.

Start With the Sheer roller blinds. These let in maximum light while cutting down on glare and providing privacy – a must if your windows face out on a busy street.

Double up for darkness at night. Just because you want light and privacy during the day, doesn't mean you can block out all light at night. Light-blocking roller blinds installed with sheer on a dual bracket gives the best of both worlds.

Basic Installation:

• Measure the width and length of the window. You can mount the blinds near the ceiling or just above the window frame, depending on your preference. Dual blind hardware isn't suitable for installation inside the frame so measure from the outside edges of the window frame. Select a bracket length to match the window width and a blind length slightly longer than the window length.

• Install the bracket using the included hardware. Dual brackets have an upper blind roller that protrudes out slightly further than the lower roller, so make sure you position the bracket with the upper roller in the top position.

• Slide the sheer roller blind into the lower bracket and install the blackout blind in the top roller bracket. Placing the blackout blind on top allows you to partially pull it down over the sheer blind if you need to block some sunlight.

Add some bling if the blinds seem plain. Roller blinds are minimalist window treatments, fading into the walls when fully closed. You can spice them up if you prefer a more colorful window treatment by gluing a lightweight fabric of your choice onto the opened blind. Most roller blinds are vinyl, so glue works best. If you have fabric blinds, attach the fabric of your choice using an iron-on interfacing.

Ribbon, trims, and even paint on a vinyl blind can also add a pop of color, but make sure the trims don't interfere with the blind roller hardware. If the top bracket interferes with your décor, install a decorative wood or fabric valance to camouflage it.

A Few Tips:

• Safety first! The simplest roller blinds use a pull chain or cord to pull them up and down. Although this is fine in an adult only home, the cords are a deadly strangulation hazard to young children. Use cordless roller blind designs if you have children in the home.

• Clean up only requires a damp cloth on vinyl blinds. Spray fabric blinds with a fabric treatment so they won't stain. Vacuum weekly to combat dust.

• Avoid abrasives, including scrub brushes and abrasive cleaners. These can damage the surface of the blind or weaken the fabric.