Vertically Challenged

Do you remember when vertical blinds were “the thing”? I remember when my mom made the switch to the clickety clackers. They were a rosy brown color (if you can imagine such a color).

I don’t know what made vertical blinds so popular. Was it their affordability? Were they considered a godsend because they were easier to keep clean? Or was it just “the thing” to do in home decor like that whole wood paneling era? Whatever it was, it seems like there weren’t many homes or apartments that didn’t have them in the 90’s.

I can’t quite remember how long my mom kept them but she eventually went back to drapery.

When Brian and I bought our home and was looking for a patio door window treatment, we hesitantly went back to the swinging slats.

Thinking about it, I probably didn’t thoroughly consider all of my window treatment options initially. I just knew that I wanted something simple, neutral, and uniform on the windows throughout the house. My final choice for all of the first floor windows were custom white wooden blinds with black tape.

When it came to the patio door, I wasn’t quite in love with the sliding panels or cellular shades that were offered and I was clueless of what else there could possibly be for a patio door treatment. So by default, we ordered black vertical blinds. My attempt to bring some sort of modernization to them was to get the fabric ones.

Last year we decided to give the house a fresh coat of paint (you can read about that here). So of course, the painters had to remove all of the blinds to get the job done. That’s when I saw the light! The area in front of my patio door looked so much better without the dated, fussy vertical blinds so I told Brian I didn’t want to put them back up. I wanted to find something else that would keep the lighter, cleaner feel.

I went on a Google search to get ideas. Brian’s idea was to replace the patio door with one that had built-in blinds but that seemed expensive and cumbersome. I didn’t want to spend that type of money or time on the door.

Somehow I came across a beautiful chic picture of a patio door with a curtain (using a simple black rod). I chatted it to Brian with a “this is it” caption!

After a trip to Restoration Hardware, we now have beautiful custom, natural colored, Belgian heavyweight linen, ripple fold drapery adorning our patio door. To tie it together even more, I also ordered a custom Belgian linen roman shade in the same color for my kitchen window which is adjacent to the patio door. For greater light control and privacy, we opted for a privacy lining with the fabric.

Instead of a rod, our drapery is on an easy gliding track and uses the same mechanism as the vertical blinds with the rotation cord (except that is it a lot quieter) to open.

No more vanes giving me 90’s vibes! I have finally moved on. Of course drapery is not as easy or convenient to clean as vertical blinds, but it is certainly prettier and more elegant to look at. I guess that saying “beauty is pain” even carries over to home decor! If vertical blinds are causing your space to feel a little dated and look fussy, and you are looking for an alternative, my advice would be drapery for 200 Alex!