Over the last couple of years, I have been remodeling my house. I took out everything in the house except for the wood floors and finally have it the way we want it, well almost. I still have some smaller odds and ends to take care of and one of those was the shades. I am a little ashamed but it took me almost a year to get shades on the windows. When my wife started threatening me that I would be sleeping on the couch, well I took the idea of getting shades more serious.
I am not going to get into my thought process on Blinds and shades but I would suggest reading the “Bali Blinds & Shades – The Real Story Behind Blinds – Part 1” so you can get a sense of where I stood on this subject.
What I want in a Shade
I just finished remodeling my whole house so I didn’t want something cheap in regards to build quality or looks. I wanted something that was easy to install, easy to operate, and felt like a million dollars every time I lifted or closed the shade, but I didn’t want to pay through the roof. I just wanted a good value for a great product, which isn’t always easy to find.
Since I just finished remodeling the house, it was also important to find a product that not only was built to my standard but something that looked great. I wanted the shade to make a statement but not take away from the rest of the house and especially the trim. My house was built in 1924 so my goal when I remodeled the house was to try and keep some tradition along with a little of today’s style.
Why I went with Bali Shades
There were a lot of reasons I went with Bali Blinds and Shades. What first drew me to the Bali blinds was how smooth they were during operation. They lifted nicely, they closed easily and I loved how they felt when using.
The second reason was all the different varieties of colors and patterns they offer. I knew I would be able to get the exact shade I want for each room where it looks great but doesn’t take away from the trim. I wanted it to work with the trim where the shade made the trim pop and look great and the trim made the shade stand out and look great.
The third reason was when I was looking at Bali, the quality was above the rest of the competition. Yes, they operated great but it was the little things that made Bali stand out. There weren’t gaps between the end pieces and the main-frame like I saw with other shades on the market. It’s hard to explain, they just looked like an expensive blind and they looked and portrayed quality.
The last reason I went with Bali was because of the company. When I did my research and found out who Bali was and how they operate, I knew it was a company I wanted to do business with.
So in the end I went with Bali because of the ease of use, the quality, the variety, and the company behind the product. For me, it was an easy choice.
Quality
Quality is a huge issue for me. As you can see the end cap fits nicely and there isn’t a large gap. I like how the top of the shade is covered. Sure no one will see it but it stops dust and debris from entering and ruining the mechanical part of the shade.
When the shade is closed, it’s a nice tight fit with a nice sleek line that looks great. How many times have you seen blinds where part of the blind closes and the other part is down a 1/4″.
Even the end caps that fit on the top and bottom rail are tight. There is a smooth transition from the cap to the frame.
Here is what is great about these shades. These are Bottom Up/Top Down shades. Instead of using only one or two magnets, they went with three which means when in the up position, the shade will stay there and not fall down. Sure it’s three magnets but what I like best is these are strong magnets. They aren’t some cheap magnets, they are strong and I am pretty sure two magnets would do but the fact they are overbuilding this part of the blind says a lot to me.
It’s hard to tell but all the folds line up nicely so it looks great. I have seen other shades where one is a little bigger or smaller and it can give it a weird look.
I am not sure how they make the shades but my guess is the ends are cut in order to provide the correct width for the customer. What I like is that the ends have a nice cut. There are no little fibers hanging out on either side, it’s not a messy cut. The cuts are clean and look nice.
It’s hard to see by the pictures but two things to note in the shade. First is the pattern. The pattern is beautiful and really stands out. But what I like most, is the shade is thick. I am not sure the exact material makeup but it’s not the cheap old shades we previously had. These shades are thick and will hold up over time. They should hold up to my kid’s abuse and the years of cleaning them.
I will go more in detail about installing the blinds in part 3 but there is a front channel on top that the hanger fits into. Once these blinds are up, they will stay in place and you don’t have to worry about them coming off the hanger, which is a huge plus.
Looks
As I talked about earlier, Bali has so many blinds and shades to choose from. As a homeowner, it’s easy to find exactly what style, color, and patterns will best fit your needs and make your space stand out.
It always looks nice to see the patterns and colors on the internet or a brochure but another plus with Bali is you can order swatches so you can see first hand how it will look in your space. This was a huge plus for us. We really liked the look of one color we saw in the brochure but when we got the swatch, we realized it was a little too dark for our rooms and found a lighter color that fit better.
Talk about not your parent’s shades
This says it all. I was the guy who told my wife, shades are shades, just get the cheapest one and let’s move on to the next item on the list. After I did my research, I realized that not all shades are created equally. When I really started to do my research and see the Bali blinds first hand, I realized that these are not our parent’s blinds. These were high-quality blinds with a lot of features and benefits that allowed us to customize our home.
Other Benefits
Speaking of features and benefits, the shades offer more than what we thought. Sure the ease of use and easy install is a great benefit and feature but I never realized the R-Value a cellar shade offers to the end-user.
Now that we have our shades installed, it is amazing how much less our A/C unit kicks on during the day. No longer is the sun blaring in and heating the house. I am not saying it replaces insulation but it is something we can definitely tell that it adds to the house.
Another benefit to shades is it stops the aging or fading process. We have hardwood floors and some wood furniture. When the sun beats on this all day long, it will take a toll after a couple of years and fade the stain. With blinds or shades, it helps slow down that process and protect your interior.
Final Thought
I am not here to sell you on these shades and Bali. To me, I am just excited about the journey. I went from not caring about shades to being a shade geek. I realized that not every shade is the same. I realized that shades don’t only have quality differences but they can make your home look so much different and unique. They offer huge features and benefits to the homeowner. For me Bali is the shade of choice for me. I still can’t believe that I invested so much time in my home remodeling project and I was going to be okay with just putting any shade up. Now that I am looking back on this, it is amazing to me how I thought. It’s like running for a touchdown and stopping at the 5 yard line. Why would I spend all this time, make the windows, the trim, and the paint on the walls look so appealing only to not have a nice accent with a great shade.
