Wood Blinds from a Hunter Douglas Gallery Dealer

Wood slats in South Coast houses

Wood blinds have a long history in the older houses near our North Dartmouth showroom. In Padanaram, colonials and shingled capes still have their painted window trim, wide floorboards and small-paned sash, and a stained or painted wood slat looks as if it has always been there. In the ranches off Faunce Corner Road and Slocum Road, a stained slat adds some warmth to plain drywall openings and long living room windows.

The farmhouses toward Russells Mills often have nineteenth-century sash set deep into thick walls. That depth is useful: it lets a blind sit neatly inside the frame, so the trim stays on show. And in South Dartmouth’s water-facing rooms, where afternoon glare comes off Apponagansett Bay, the solid slat blocks a lot of light when closed and tilts precisely when you want some of it back.

Two ways to get the look of wood

Hunter Douglas makes two families of blinds with a wood look, and the right one depends on the room more than the style. We show both side by side at the consultation so you can feel the difference.

Parkland, real wood

Real hardwood slats with natural grain, in stains that let it show or in solid paint colours. Best suited to living rooms, dining rooms, studies and bedrooms.

See Parkland

EverWood, alternative wood

A composite slat with a wood-grain finish, made to stay straight and keep its colour in steam and strong sun. Bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms.

See EverWood

Finishing touches

A matching cornice or valance over the headrail, cloth tapes down the slats instead of visible route holes, and cut-outs for window cranks.

Real wood or alternative wood?

Most of the decision comes down to moisture and sun. Real wood is a natural material: it looks rich and weighs less, which matters on a wide window, but it does not like constant steam. Alternative wood is heavier and tougher, and it shrugs off humidity.

A simple way to think about it:

• Choose real wood for rooms where you want warmth and grain: a fireplace wall in a Padanaram cape, a home office, a dining room with stained trim.
• Choose alternative wood for the bathroom over the tub, the kitchen window above the sink, a mudroom by the back door, and rooms that bake in afternoon sun off the bay.
• Mix them. Many houses use real wood in the main rooms and EverWood in the wet rooms. With matching colours, the slats look the same from the street.

Controlling light with wooden slats

These blinds give you three settings in one. Slats open level let in daylight and keep your view of the yard. Slats tilted up throw light onto the ceiling and keep sun off screens and furniture. Slats closed give you privacy and a much darker room. Raised fully, the blind stacks at the top of the window and the glass is clear.

In a bedroom or media room, wider slats close more tightly and leave fewer gaps. For a room that needs to be properly dark, we can talk about adding side drapery or a cornice that covers the light gap at the top.

Picking a colour and finish

Colour is where most people take their time. Stains range from pale natural tones to deep browns that suit dark furniture and older trim. Painted whites and creams are the usual choice when the blind should match painted casings, which is common in the colonials and capes around Padanaram. We bring finish samples to your house so you can hold them against your trim in the light the room actually gets, morning and afternoon.

From consultation to fitted blinds

1. You request a consultation and we arrange a time to visit.
2. We look at each window, the depth of the frame and how the room is used.
3. You compare real wood and alternative wood samples against your own walls.
4. We measure every window ourselves and give you a free estimate.
5. Your blinds are made to those measurements and fitted through certified Hunter Douglas installation, then checked for level, tilt and lift before we leave.

Lift options vary by line and include cordless styles, which keep cords out of reach of children and pets, and PowerView motorization on some models. We will show you what applies to the style you choose.

Why buy wood blinds from a Gallery dealer

Blinds & Designs is a Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer. We help you choose, measure each window, order and fit through certified Hunter Douglas installation, so one local business is responsible for the job from start to finish. We offer in-home consultations with sample vans, free estimates, interior design consultations, and repairs on window coverings you already own.

Browse the full wood range in the Hunter Douglas catalogue, then let us bring the samples to you. For every other style of blind, see our blinds page.

Wood blinds across the South Coast

From North Dartmouth we visit houses throughout the area, with showrooms in Franklin and Sagamore as well. Town pages include New Bedford, Acushnet, Westport, Rochester and Lakeville.

See the slats at your own windows

Request a consultation and we will bring real wood and alternative wood samples to your house, or come into the North Dartmouth showroom to compare them first.

Every Hunter Douglas line we carry is on our Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer page.