OCR Text |
Show living in the Joseph Taylor tm O VEH M A JN 'S 111 ill iuts., we a. Jan. 20. Here are decorating, measuring, and care suggestions to help in getting your Venetian blinds exactly right T" rTODERN-DAY decorators both I . . . I at home and at places of busi-XJL busi-XJL ness know that Venetian blinds, in addition to being practical, can add new beauty and living comfort to rooms. Here is a roundup of suggestions for those already al-ready using Venetian blinds and for those considering purchasing some soon suggestions sug-gestions to give that desired balance. Careful Care 1. Blinds should be dusted regularly, just like other furnishings, with thorough cleaning clean-ing applied once or twice a year. 2. Always tilt slats to a horizontal plane before raising or lowering blind. 3. Do not use wax on slats because wax prevents effective thorough cleaning and refinishing. Accumulations of wax often discolor light colored slats. 4. Dust with soft cloth, lamb wool brush or vacuum attachment. 5. For more thorough home cleaning, use a synthetic soap or a prepared Venetian blind cleaner that contains no oil or wax. Apply with cloth or soft brush almost rung dry. Start at the top and work down, avoiding avoid-ing the tapes. ' Dust and wipe away from tapes, and then brush tapes with small stiff brush. In many cities there is now 24-hour Venetian Vene-tian laundry service at nominal charge. 6. After many years of use, blinds may be factory refinished with new tapes and cords. Decorating Ideas It's easy to create an air of spaciousness in a small room if you heed the advice of experienced decorators who say, "Look to your windows have you made the most of them?" Windows lend themselves to decorating ideas better than almost any medium in your home, and well-dressed windows can change the entire atmosphere of any room-Problem room-Problem windows can be redecorated to achieve the effect of today's fashionable picture pic-ture windows, creating an air of spaciousness spacious-ness in a small room. Groups of two or three small windows, which have always been a problem when decorating, can be easily turned into lovely picture windows if you treat the entire group as a unit. A plain or decorative cornice corn-ice should span the group, with one pair of draperies at the extreme sides. One large Venetian blind should be used, hung as an "outside installation", to clear the frames of the individual windows. Windows Win-dows can be left open without raising the blind, if you install tiny hold-down bracketj which prevent the blind from flapping in the breeze. Narrow windows can be made to appear wider by "outside installation" of blinds, and by putting wide cornices or frames around the window. Inexepnsive cornices can be made from scalloped wood which can be purchased by the yard at any woodworking wood-working shop. The wood can be painted, wallpapered, or even upholstered in a color that matches slip covers or the upholstery of an important im-portant piece of furniture in the room. " In small rooms, match rather than contrast con-trast the Venetian blinds to the walls. This will make wall space appear larger. By having the blind tapes the same color as the slats, it makes them less noticeable, creating the illusion of a large blind, and giving an air of greater spaciousness. If you have a very wide, squat window and want to obtain an illusion of height, use contrasting tapes on the blind. The tapes can be matched to upholstery to carry out the color scheme. Not only are Venetian blinds important for their decorative value, but also they serve an extremely valuable purpose in insulating rooms, and in protecting furniture furni-ture and draperies from sun-fading. Because of this they have been listed by the Federal Feder-al Housing Administration under Title Loan 1, as part of actual construction for home improvement. How To Measure Undoubtedly the most important step the step that spells success or failure is measuring properly for Venetian blinds. Done improperly, the entire effect can be lost. So be sure to follow these steps carefully care-fully when preparing your order. Measure carefully, using a wood or metal rule. (Do not use cloth tapes or strings because be-cause they stretch.) Make no allowances; give the exact measurements. meas-urements. Watch for window hardware and other projecting interferences; plan to hang blinds to clear them. ' When two windows are framed together, you can use one blind to cover both in many cases. Blinds may be hung either on the inside of the window casing (between the jambs or stops), or on the outside of the window casing (its face), or from the ceiling immed- , ;y;:;,;i.r vM;M$SSli jr. J . .M.vi,.-- - -1 : v W'' ..... . '"'.i -vi .-: J l :' " ( vx-" X?? ... .w.-"-- , :"",-t !' : I f ...... .y-- -'-' .y- . .-.vw:---! -v f -. . t .J pi- 'M rinn - -H , . .,-1 ' -i n n i . i i t T . 1 H 7 " , t - - -T 22 -1 -i . J' 7 - - - q; iately in front of the window. Blinds used as screens, partitions or for other special purposes away from windows are installed by the most appropriate of these three methods of mounting. INSIDE CASING: This is how to measure meas-ure for installation of blinds inside of the window casing. For width, measure exact distance between points on inside of casing where the brackets are to be placed. There must be not less than one inch of flat surface sur-face on which to attach the brackets. Give the exact measurements make no allowances. allow-ances. If the blind is to be hung in a plaster neveal, measure width at several points and give narrowest measurement as Width A, as plaster reveals may be uneven. For length, measure exact distance from inside the casing to the window sill. OUTSIDE CASING: This is how to measure for installation of blinds outside of the window casing. For width, measure exact ex-act distance between points on outside or efface ef-face of casing where brackets f placed. This should be at least ' ! more than the window opening to iT j inches overlap at each side of to Brackets should be at least Vi in the edge of the casing to avoid splJ wood when the brackets are screws For length, measure exact distic top of casing where brackets are to a ed, to the sill or desired point V. This should be at least 3 inches lor. the window opening to allow overt;' top. If blind is for ceiling installation.:', exact distance from ceiling to sill or point below sill, and give that as irf ment. i ' And remember to always give tlx' measurement first, then the length irf ment, when placing your order. Following these directions you're f the right foot which means y' exactly what you want. ' t i. , ",naow ment g.re. effect of larger window.. A l r ; , . . . .. 777 , ..A .. . . " t-"c "i ny wmaow oj inainv the Venetian blind n" ,. ,,n" windows into a out on either aide of an orJin.r. XL 11. 11 Jr.oern' : . .j.i s ., ... , j blind, hung aa an "outside installation Picur. window. for-.,ded cornice completely house, blind and it. cord. |