Styles & Designs

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A bedroom with a bed and a dresser.
Choosing window treatments can feel like a dizzying maze of options. Blinds or shades? Curtains or drapes? Solid color or patterned? Motorized or manual? Even within the blinds family, there’s room for debate. Wide slats or narrow? What material? And then there’s the most significant point of contention — do...
A man is painting the shutters of a wooden house.
Decisions, decisions. You have 50 choices of cereal at the grocery store and 30 choices of salad dressing. Now, you have to pick a finish for your new indoor shutters. It’s enough to make your head explode. Fortunately, it boils down to a simple commitment: stained or painted shutters. There...
A man with sunburned skin lifting up his shirt sleeve.
In the Mediterranean climate of Southern California, the sun is a blessing and a curse. We count our blessings from November to May, but in September, we may be cursing the misery of another protracted summer. Summer sun can be brutal in Los Angeles, with each year seemingly reaching new...
A bedroom with a large bed and sliding glass doors.
Sliding glass doors are a beautiful addition to any room. They allow natural light to flood in, connecting your indoor space with the outdoors. But you may not want that connection at 6 AM on the June solstice, or late at night as brilliant beams from the nearby street light...
Modern living room with grey walls and a tv.
The Romans gave us aqueducts, concrete, and the best roads of the day. They forged the foundations of modern law and a numeral system that only the Super Bowl Host Committee understands. But Roman shades are perhaps their most significant contribution. At least, that’s how we see it in the...
Two men are putting tint on a window.
Every adult Los Angeleno knows what it’s like to drive into a blinding late afternoon sun. Frightening. Frustrating. Extremely unpleasant. That same glare can invade your home if you have large picture windows, an open western or southern exposure, or live in an area with lots of reflective surfaces, such...
A white awning on the side of a house.
Awnings possess a timeless elegance that transcends passing design trends. Their myriad styles, colors, and materials can enrich any architectural aesthetic, from traditional to contemporary. They blend form and function effortlessly, providing weather protection and shade while enhancing a property’s exterior. Furthermore, technological advancements in the awning industry, such as...
A man cleaning blinds with a vacuum cleaner.
Your window blinds take care of you. They filter harsh sunlight, insulate against the heat and cold, and block prying eyes. But do you take care of them in return? Like everything else in the house, horizontal blinds need maintenance and cleaning — not as much as your finicky dishwasher,...
Sun-protective glass in an office building
SunScreen solar screening has dramatically reduced cooling costs for the Wachovia Building, an 11-story office building in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Building Manager Bill Highsmith said energy costs have been cut by approximately $3,000 per month since SunScreen was installed in mid-1990. In addition to saving energy, the 800 charcoal SunScreens...