§ Arch Window
A half circle, quarter circle, eyebrow, quarter eyebrow, circle, or any other irregular window opening that is found at the top of a window or can be incased separately in your home. We sell various arches to cover these windows with inside and outside mounts. You can have stationary or movable slats/louvers that allow you to control the amount of light entering the window opening.

§ Basswood
The Basswood is a light weight wood with a fine grain used in making Horizontal Blinds. Basswood is considered top of the line in wood horizontals.

§ Blackout
Blackout shades ensure total light blockage for privacy and efficiency. In cellular shades it is a foil lining inside the honeycombs and is referred to as blackout shades. In roller shades it is a white liner on the back of the selected shade and is referred to as blackout liner.

§ Bottom rail
The bottom piece on a blind or shade; secures the ladders and cords to the bottom of the blind; usually thicker and heavier to provide proper hanging of the window treatment.

§ Café Shutter
A type of shutter used to cover the lower half of the window, leaving the upper half open. Café shutters remind me of the swinging doors of an old western salon.

§ Ceiling Mount
This mount refers to mounting window covering brackets on the top of the window casing or ceiling.

§ Cellular Shades
Cell shades are also known as “honeycomb shades”. Cell shades offer smooth and textured fabrics from sheer to opaque in a single cell construction that traps air for maximum energy and efficiency and sound absorption.

§ Center Support Bracket
A support piece that can be used on wider blinds to help prevent potential sagging of blinds that is heavy. Faux wood blinds are usually 20-30% heavier than basswood.

§ Clear view shutters
A Plantation Shutter option in which you do not have a louver tilt bar present. It is hidden in the shutter louvers and you open the louvers by simply tilting a single panel.

§ Cloth Tapes
Used as an option in place of standard braided cord ladders. Come in a 1 ½” wide cloth strip in a variety of colors.

§ Control Length
Refers to how long the tilt and lift are on a blind. Is generally half the length of the blind.

§ Cord Free Lift System
Using a Spring Roller Clutch to raise and lower shades to the desired height. This Lift System is the safest product where children are present due to it being a cordless system. Available for certain selected fabrics in the Alanna and Deanna Shades.

§ Cord Lock
A cord lock holds the blind in place when you lower or raise the horizontal blind.

§ Cord Tilt
A cord tilt operates with 2 or 4 cords instead of using a tilt wand.

§ Cut-Out
When a portion of a blind is cut out to allow for tile or molding that causes a narrow section in the window opening and is usually found at the base of a bathroom or kitchen window.

§ Depth
The distance from the front edge of a window to the back is know as the depth. Some inside mount window coverings require a certain minimum depth.

§ End Bracket
The metal box bracket that is affixed to the wall or in the window casing that holds the blind head rail in place is known as the end bracket.

§ Extension Brackets
Optional piece: used to bring a blind out/away from the mounting surface; helps to make the blinds line up where you want them, especially when lining up with a window sill. Also know as an “L” Bracket.

§ Factory Deduction
The amount of blind automatically trimmed by the manufacturer to ensure proper fit of an inside mount is known as a deduction.

§ Faux Wood Blinds
Economical alternative to real wood blinds; fauxwood blinds are more resistant to high humidity climates and are less prone to warping slats or cracking or peeling paint.

§ Grass Cloth Shades
Made from Natural Fibers like the woven wood shades. Edges are slightly frayed similar to the bottom of cut off blue jeans. Part of our Melhanna Shade Collection.

§ Hanging Strip
Wooden rail that mount in a window frame to hang a standard inside mount shutter.

§ Headrail
The metal enclosure at the top of the blind that contains the tilt and lift mechanisms of the blind; you can put one, two or three blinds on a single headrail

§ Height
Measurement used from top to bottom on a window

§ Hold-Down Bracket
Holds the bottom rail in place, usually on a door, that prevents the blinds from swinging side to side or banging against the door.

§ Honeycomb Shade
Also know as Cellular shade. This window shade combines to two or more sections of pleated fabric and can be purchased in single or double cell options. Honeycomb shades come in light filtering, room darkening or blackout options.

§ Horizontal Blind
Also known as Venetian Blinds. Blinds where the slats run side ways and can be tilted and lifted

§ Inside Mount
Term when you measure for and install a blind on the inside of the window frame as opposed to the outside window casing.

§ Ladder or Ladder Cords
The vertical cords/strings that hold and control the individual slats of a horizontal blind

§ Ladder Spacing
The distance between ladders

§ Lift Cord
A pull cord that will raise and lower a blind

§ Light Filtering
Refers to a shade that allows light to filter through the window shade yet offers visual privacy.

§ Louver
Refers to the slats of a plantation shutter or the slats of a window arch covering.

§ Mini Blinds
See “aluminum blinds”

§ Motorized Tilt
Optional device: mechanism that controls the angle/tilt of the slats using a wireless remote

§ Mount type
Refers to how you choose to hang your blinds; inside mount (inside the window opening) or outside mount (outside the window opening).

§ Mullion
The strips that separate the window panes of a window. It makes you wonder who dreams up these terms.

§ Multiple Blinds on one Head Rail
Recommended on windows that are wide or will have heavy blinds like Faux wood; you can put one, two or three blinds on a single headrail with a single valance (cover over headrail) and each blind will have independent controls; this will prevent a blind from having trouble being raised or lowered due to too much weight.

§ Outside Mount
Blinds that are installed outside the window frame; usually because some windows are out of square, crooked or have defects or cutouts or have outside molding to be covered.

§ Perfect Arch
A window arch in which the height is half the width.

§ Pleated Shades
Light Filtering and Opaque Shades that are in an accordion style pleat, similar to temporary shades that stack compactly when raised. Pleated Shades are made from soft durable fabrics that gently filter light but maintain privacy. Pleated Shades are the best choice when shopping on a budget for window shades.

§ Remote Control
Battery-powered infrared wireless remote that controls the angle/tilt on blinds

§ Return
Distance from the front of the head rail to the wall or frame. Also refers to the sides of a valance that is on an outside mount.

§ Reverse Roll
Roller Shades can have a forward roll option in which the shades rolls off the front of the roll toward your room as opposed to rolling toward the window which is the standard option.

§ Roller Shade
A sheet of fabric or vinyl that rolls down the front of the window. My grandmother had these as I was growing up and I would let go of the roller and it would flap and spin at the top of the roll. Now they have a continuous loop chain to raise and lower the shade. It is just not as fun as it used to be. Part of our Melhanna Shade collection.

§ Roman Shade
A single sheet shade that rises up by lift cord in a tear drop or flat style that looks like an accordion folding up back and forth on itself. Reminds me of an opera house window treatment swag. Part of our Melhanna Shade collection.

§ Route Holes
Small holes in blind slats that the ladder cords run through; can be covered with cloth tapes

§ Routeless
Blinds that have small notches in the front and the back of the slats instead of using holes; offers the best privacy and sunlight screen; these blinds will have ladder cords and are not available with cloth tapes

§ Sill
The bottom ledge of the window casing.

§ Simple Ascent Lift System
A continuous loop control cord that raises and lowers the shade. Offered with certain Solanna and Deanna Shades.

§ Shutters
Or Plantation Shutters. Wood Panels with Louvers in assorted sizes that can be opened or closed to fit your desire of light or privacy. We offer shutters in vinyl, composite wood and basswood.

§ Slat
Individual pieces of a horizontal blind that angle/tilt to give privacy

§ Slatburst Arch
Window Arch that contains slats or louvers. This arch window covering can be ordered as a blackout arch, slated arch with lightgaps or as an operable slatburst with moving louvers.

§ Spacers
Used with mounting brackets to give more room between mounting surfaces and the blinds; used when installing a blind over raised molding, especially with door mounts; only for use with outside mounting

§ Stack
The height of the horizontal slats of a blind when raised to the top of the window.

§ Stock Arch
An Arch window treatment that is pre-made and ready to ship.

§ Sunburst Arch
A moving louver arch in which the slats can be opened or closed to control sunlight, heat and privacy. Comes in all sizes and shapes.

§ Template
Used when ordering a custom made arch. You make an arch template by taping butcher paper over the arch window opening and drawing a picture of the opening. This is mailed in so that the arch can be made to fit your exact arch window opening.

§ Tile or Molding Cut-Out
A portion of the blind is cut narrower than the rest of the blind to allow space for tile or molding that comes into the window opening. Usually in a kitchen window or bathroom window.

§ Tilt Mechanism
Controls the angle of the slats; is available in a cord or wand

§ Treanna Shades
Newest Shade on the market offering the tilt/lift system of horizontal blinds and the sheer delicacy and look of cloth shades. Treanna offers soft fabric vanes layered between two elegant sheers. Light diffusing or room darkening, you can close for full privacy or open to reveal a veiled view.

§ Trim Z Frame
Newest Shutter Molding offering a sleek, clean look to plantation shutters. Also comes in a size that does not require additional square footage cost when pricing shutters. Helps hide any imperfections in the sheetrock or window casings.

§ Valance
Decorative top treatment used to hide and beautify the headrail. For Basswood Blinds is a basswood crown molding, for Faux wood it is a PVC crown molding.

§ Valance Clip
Clear plastic clip that holds the valance to the headrail. These are hidden from view on inside mounts.

§ Valance Returns
The end/side pieces of the outside mount valance that extends from the front of the valance towards the back of the wall or window frame. Used on door mounts, outside mounts and for those people looking for a decorative look on the inside mounts.

§ Venetian Blind
Also know as a Horizontal Blind.

§ Wall Mount
Type of blind installation in which the headrail is mounted on the wall or trim surrounding the window or door.

§ Wood Blinds
We offer Basswood Blinds in 2” or 2 ½” slats that run horizontally. Real Wood Blinds can be painted or stained. Sometimes referred to as Plantation Blinds.