Decorating
Make Your Home a Work of Art
By
Feb 2, 2006, 22:03

Make Your Home a Work of Art

(ARA) — Your home is an expression of you and it’s your haven from the hustle and bustle of today’s fast-paced world. That’s why it’s not a surprise the results of a homeowner survey found 45 percent said they would change the look of a room at least once a year if they could do so simply and affordably.

By some accounts, women can make up to 85 percent of home buying decisions, and often seek functional, usable spaces in their kitchens and cozy bathrooms that provide a touch of affordable luxury. Many women also prefer charm and character in their homes, not cookie-cutter designs. Finally, they typically want natural light and the ability to keep things in order, with minimal maintenance.

To meet the demand for functional luxury, Pella Corporation created a new design solution with its Designer Series (R) collection featuring windows and patio doors with window fashions — fabric cellular shades, blinds, grilles, and decorative panels — protected between panes of glass that can easily be changed by the homeowner for added style, convenience and safety. This product is ideal for the kitchen or bath because the cordless design keeps the look sleek and simple above a sink or a bathtub. Plus with the window fashions protected between the glass, they may never need dusting and are safe from splatters.

With blinds available in 10 popular colors and cellular style shades in 15 of today's hottest color options, instant transformations to a room as the seasons change or as the décor of a home evolves is easier than ever. New this year are snap-in decorative panels which are textured, colored or nature-themed inserts that create a truly unique look in Designer Series windows or patio doors. The panels allow in natural light but obscure the view, ideal for creating privacy in a room as well as an artful window treatment.

“We’re seeing the trend to personalization extend into home design, both in new construction, and remodeling and replacement projects, so we’ve designed our windows and doors to make it easy to compliment those trends, and express your personal style,” said Sherri Gillette, Pella’s Designer Series brand manager.

The decorative panels that fit perfectly between the panes of glass allow you — the homeowner turned designer — to make a bold statement for a feature window, add a transitional design element for a patio door leading to a garden, add privacy to a bathroom or create a stylish look for a bedroom. They also can quickly and easily be changed over time or as tastes change transforming Pella windows and patio doors into true works of art. For the ultimate in personal expression, decorative panels can be customized to include an image of your favorite pet, person or place.

Kitchens and baths — rooms most frequented by guests and those living in the home — remain tops in rooms being revamped, fueling a $170 billion-plus home-improvement industry, according to house and home editors on BHG.com. As design decisions go, it’s important that in addition to personalization, privacy plays a key role.

A popular option for privacy is the top-down blind or shade, especially for the bath and bedroom, because this design allows in natural light at the top of the window, as the top of the window is uncovered, and the lower portion remains covered for added privacy and security.

”Designer Series windows and patio doors truly connect form and function since they make such a style statement while reducing cleaning time, and they also help lower the cost of your utilities,” said Gillette.

Researchers at the University of Iowa found that Pella Designer Series windows and patio doors with between-the-glass blinds can help keep your home cleaner and healthier — windows with roomside blinds can harbor 200 times more indoor airborne allergens, according to data from this ongoing research conducted by the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health. What’s more is the Department of Energy says energy efficient choices for a home can save families nearly a fourth on energy bills.

In addition to the benefits of improved aesthetics, along with time and money savings, sound and noise reduction is a tangible result of window replacement projects. For example, Pella Designer Series windows and doors with triple-glazing and laminated glass can reduce exterior sounds as much as 85 percent. This is at least double the sound performance of a single-glazed window. By comparison, an eight-inch concrete block reduces sound by 95 percent.

Pella takes it one step further by allowing the homeowner to design the windows and patio doors for their home from the comfort of their home. You begin by going to www.pella.com — there you can choose your interior options — select a room color, window fashion, fashion operation, grille, interior stain color, and hardware finish. Next, select exterior options like screen type, protective exterior EnduraClad (R) cladding color and glass options. Once you’ve finished making your selections you may print the final design, request an appointment with a Pella representative and watch your designs come to life in your home.

To find a local Pella Window & Door store near you or to contact a local Pella expert, call 888-84-PELLA or log on to www.pella.com. Courtesy of ARA Content

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