Wooden Venetian Blinds

Wooden venetian blinds are a beautiful option for any home, and are very functional in all climates. Their basic construction is a series of very thin wooden strips connected by strings or cords either horizontally or vertically.

The strips can pivot, usually via an easy-to-handle rotating rod, to go from being fully perpendicular, which allows the greatest visibility and light, to nearly parallel such that they slightly overlap and block all visibility and most light. Typically the strips are hung horizontally and multiple cords, bound together, can be used to raise and lower the blinds for an even more open configuration. The blinds can also be hung vertically and slide to one side to be fully open.

Horizontal blinds are used almost exclusively for windows, while vertically-oriented blinds can also be used for doorways if the strips are long enough to reach from above the door to the floor (or desired height above the floor). This gives an interesting option for covering a sliding glass door, for example.

Venetian blinds, in general, have numerous benefits. They allow a great degree of control over the amount of light passing through the window, as the strips can be twisted to and angle between flat and perpendicular. Wooden venetian blinds also tend to be very durable, and can come in a variety of wood types to complement any decor. When considering venetian blinds, it is generally preferable to use those with wider strips, meaning more distance top to bottom on horizontal layouts or side-to-side on vertical ones, as they block light more completely when closed and make a room brighter when fully opened. Also, wider strips are easier to clean, as one simply needs to wipe with a dusting cloth or, when necessary, a cloth with appropriate cleaner or polish.