Motorized Window Coverings - Introducing "Platinum Technology"

Always something new in the window covering industry; especially at the Hunter Douglas company. They are the obvious leader in supplying homeowners with the finest, newest window covering products on the market.

Introducing "Platinum Technology", the next generation in motorized window coverings. This system offers both infrared (IR) line-of-sight and radio frequency (RF) out-of-sight group controls. So now raising, lowering and adjusting window coverings is as simple as touching a button.

The beauty of "Platinum Technology" is the ability to operate an individual window covering or an entire group of them, even in multiple rooms from the same remote. You can also operate multiple groups at the same time up to 100 feet away with radio frequency control.

"Platinum Technology" is available with: Duette shades, Silhouette shades, Vignette shades, Luminettes, Country Woods, Brilliance pleated shades, EverWoods and Modern Precious Metals. Look at the video below for more information. Call us for a FREE estimate.

Did You Get Your Utility Bill? Window Coverings May Help!

My Gosh! Were you as surprised as we were when we opened our utility bill for last month? Wow, our energy bill had gone up 43% from the month before. Yes, it was Christmas and we did have a few low voltage lights in the trees outside in our front yard but the natural gas was the real culprit.

Just trying to keep our house warm was the real issue, especially with the high price of gas and other fuels today.

This high bill made us begin to think of what we could do to try and keep our bills down. The obvious is to wear more sweatshirts in the house and to turn off the lights when we leave a room. The other things we could do is to check the weather stripping around our doors and windows, which we did; and to turn down the water heater temperature. Probably the next best thing that we could do was to look at the energy loss we were experiencing from several windows that we had chosen not to cover because we wanted to maintain the views from these windows. What a mistake! Now they are covered with Silhouette shades and what a difference - the rooms are about 10 degrees warmer, no kidding! And, the views will not be lost as the shades disappear almost completely when they are raised into their headrails.

Window coverings cut heat loss in winter and increase your home's cozy comfort as they slow the escape of warm air. It is a proven scientific fact that heat gravitates towards cold and when a window is not covered the glass is always cold and the heat just disappears. This creates a huge loss in warmth from your room. Window treatments act as insulation, covering the glass to keep warm air inside. Window coverings also cut infiltration of solar heat, the single largest contributor to the workload of your home's cooling system in the summer. By putting the best window coverings on your window you will save money on utilities and save the natural resources used to generate energy. On top of all these benefits you save your interior fabrics, furnishings and woods from fading and deterioration.

Visit www.hunterdouglas.com for their listing of test results for their fine window covering products. R-values range from 2.01 to around 7.0. Oh, and you still have time to purchase Architella Duette, honeycomb style shades with the factory rebate now underway, see my previous entry on this blog with all the details. Visit us at our shop and we will be happy to show you all of their fine products or visit our website at www.drapesandmore.com.

Fresh Flowers - Preserving Their Life

Keukenhof Gardens, in the Netherlands near Amsterdam, is one of the most beautiful gardens in the world. Its tulip display lasts for only about 6 weeks each spring but the trip is worth it as you will see some really beautiful flowers there, you will be surprised at the variety and colors. We saw so many tulips that just don't seem to grow in Northern California when we were there. (Website: www.keukenhof.com) & click on the language flag at the bottom of the home page.)


It is the middle of winter here in Northern California, I've had a little time to start "going through" some of my garden travel photos and the thought of what's to come in the spring, as our garden begins to wake up, has come to mind. It is also the season to think about bringing fresh flowers into our home so we can enjoy their beauty and to remind us that spring will be here soon. Fresh flowers improve our moods. We love them in our gardens, on our decks and patios and on our dining room tables.

When you cut a fresh flower or buy them from your local flower shop, you want them to last as long as possible. If buying flowers try to pick the ones that are just starting to open. If cutting them from your garden, gather them in the early morning before the dew has dried or in the early evening. Cut them with sharp shears, snipping above the dormant bud to spur new blooms. It is best if you immediately immerse the cut flower into a bucket of lukewarm water until you can begin your arrangement.

When you are ready to arrange them, re-cut the stems at a slant - underwater if possible. Use a clean vase. Fill the vase with warm water - about 110 degrees F. is ideal - because freshly cut stems take up lukewarm water more easily than cold water. (One exception is with bulb flowers such as tulips & daffodils, which should be placed in cool water.) Add a preservative to the water. You can prolong the life of many flowers by adding a floral preservative. Commercial brands are available but you can also make your own as follows:

Floral Preservative

1 Cup regular 7-UP

1 Cup water, lukewarm

1/2 teaspoon household bleach

After your bouquet has been completed, replace the water and re-cut stems every couple of days. Some flowers give off sap that is toxic to other flowers, so it is important to frequently refresh the water of a mixed bouquet. Water changes will also help prevent the growth of bacteria that can clog the stems and block water uptake. Keep your vase out of direct sunlight and away from the heater, the best place is in the coolest place in your room. Yes, a fresh bouquet of flowers in your home is an antidote for the winter blahs!

Trevi Fountain - The Voice of Rome

Before we joined a group of window covering dealers (who sell Hunter Douglas products) in Venice in May, 2007, to board a ship for the Greek Island cruise, we spent six days in the "Eternal City". Rome, Italy has many wonderful places to visit and many fountains, but none eclipses this "voice of the Eternal City" - the Trevi Fountain.

The Trevi Fountain is huge, 65 feet wide and 85 feet high, literally part of the host palace's facade. It appears that the fountain just flows from the base of the building itself. What an impressive structure, seemingly tucked away in a confined space off narrow streets. The mythical figure Oceanus (or, some say Neptune) stands proudly in his shell-shaped chariot, controlling the flood that cascades beneath him. Water gushes around the other figures and tumbles over the rocks below. The water basin takes up a large part of the piazza making you feel as if the fountain is part of the piazza itself.

The Trevi Fountain was commissioned by Pope Clement XII and designed by Italian architect Niccolo Salvi. Construction was started in 1732 and completed in 1762. The fountain is fed by the first-century BC Agua Virgo aqueduct.

An interesting story we heard from the guide we had hired to show us Rome's fountains, was that there had been a barber shop across the street from the fountain's construction site, to the right of the photo, when it was being constructed. Evidentially, the barber gave the architect and his workmen quite a bit of trouble because he objected to the noise of the construction. So bad was his behavior towards the builders that the architect "fixed him" by building a large obstruction on the wall of the fountain in front of his shop so that the bottom shops in the building, including the shop that the barber occupied would never be able to see the beautiful fountain. This explains the rather large obstruction on the right side of the fountain's wall still standing today.

Hundreds of visitors visit the Trevi Fountain each day to toss coins into the fountain (legend says that the fountain has special wishing powers), the money left by tourists averages about $11,000 per week which is collected and donated to a religious charity.

Both Walt & I want to thank all of our 2006 clients for making this trip possible. This year, 2008, we will be again going on a Hunter Douglas trip to Europe - a cruise of the Baltic Sea. How can we thank all of our wonderful clients in 2007 for making another wonderful trip possible?

We wish everyone a wonderful, successful & healthy 2008!