Modern Technology And Traditional Window Blinds

By: Judith Persit

Old-fashioned movies and television shows featured sepia color tones, dark smoky rooms, large wooden desks, creaky leather chairs, coat racks, and wooden blinds in the windows. This is the classic look of the fifties genre shows, where the detective will stand by the window, looking through the slats on the window blinds, waiting for the beautiful vixen to come to have him solve the mystery. These old spaces, reminiscent of cloak and dagger, are only a small part of the great history of wood blinds. The historical implications of window blinds are always relevant when selecting products for your spaces, and the consideration of the antiquity of window blinds is well worth your while.

At a time when technology started to shape culture, and society started to lead to make demands for various inventions, there became a desire to manage lighting and privacy. There is strong archeological evidence that the adjusting window treatment, also called blinds, were present in occupancies as early as the age of exploration. In the 1490’s, there were a great many voyages to the new world, and, apparently, a proliferation of new inventions. Many of these inventions were unpleasant, like the rack. Other inventions made life much better. Among these enhanced products, it is alleged, was the tilting window blind, which worked on some of the same mechanisms.

The tilting wood blind used a top level of wood, and that was raised or lowered on the front or the back. This actuation of the top was related to the interconnected wood blinds louvers that were suspended from there. A cord tie-off may have been used, if the blinds were raised. Evidence of the pulleys was also found, and this indicates that these may have also been used. Odd as it may sound; horizontal blinds have been around for a long time.

Technology has continued to enhance window blinds to this day. Over the past fifty years, the enhancements to control systems have taken several major leaps forward. Standard window blinds began to use a wand tilter actuation mechanism. This system had a hanging wood wand in the front of the wood blind, and this wand, when turned, would cause the slats in the blinds to turn. Soon after that, the creation of a cord tilting mechanism enhanced the beauty and function of these blinds. The blinds would be caused to turn simply by pulling down on the cord to tilt the blinds one-way, and pulling the other cord to tilt the blinds the other way.

Now, instead of needing to tie the window blinds lifting cords off onto a cleat or other block installed in the wall adjacent to the blinds, a cord lock system is in place in all manual lifting window blinds. The system, which is also used in mini blinds, uses a locking pin to grab the cords and keep them in place.

Newer enhancements have created systems that will lift and tilt blinds with either a single continuous loop, installed on one side of the blind. These systems allow for a smooth blind function, but do require substantial manual action to raise the window blinds. On the other hand, motorized window blinds are not available, and these, which allow either only a tilt action or can allow a lift and tilt action, are quite nice to use to control your window blinds from your easy chair.

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Wood blinds are modern and attractive. To learn more about wood blinds, make a visit to the store on the web where Judith Persit is an qualified interior decorator. There, you can learn about many kinds of window blinds available at her website.

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