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Best Alternatives to Vertical Blinds

Sliding glass doors make an excellent transition from the inside of your home to an outdoor living space. Vertical blinds are the standard choice for covering sliding glass and patio doors, but if they aren’t your thing, we think you’ll enjoy these alternatives to vertical blinds.

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A Few Things to Consider

Before you decide which alternative to vertical blinds is best for your sliding glass doors, remember a few things.

  • If there are other windows in the room, you’ll want the window treatments on your door to coordinate with them.
  • For the best look and ease of use, your window treatments should ideally open in the same direction as the doors.
  • Since all doors in a home tend to be in high-traffic areas, make sure the window covering you choose can stand up to daily use.

Skyline® Gliding Window Panels

Instead of the usual vertical slats, panel blinds are made using flat vertical panels of fabric that slide on tracks. Skyline® Gliding Window Panels have a sleek style and stack tightly when open to give you the best view of the great outdoors. An interlocking bottom weight guarantees an operation that’s smooth as butter. These panel blinds are available in hundreds of color and fabric options, including selections from the exclusive Alustra® Woven Textures® collection. Control your panel track blinds using a cord loop, wand, or the ultra-convenient PowerView® Automation.

Duette® Honeycomb Shades

Since windows are responsible for a significant portion of your energy costs, it makes sense to cover the large panels in glass doors with cellular shades. Duette® Honeycomb Shades have an innovative design that uses dual panels of fabric to create interior cells. These cells hold air to provide insulation and absorb sound. The honeycomb style works the same for standard windows and glass doors, with the cells running vertically on doors rather than horizontally. Customize your cellular shades with various opacity options and hundreds of fabrics. If you have standard windows in the same space, Duette® Honeycomb Shades are an excellent solution to have all your window coverings match.

Shutters

What? We must be joking. Not at all. Heritance® Hardwood Shutters not only offer timeless style, but they are also a fantastic way to cover the large panels of sliding glass doors. Natural wood offers character and warmth without being too loud. Go with the 4.5” louvers for the broadest view of the outside. If you have a busy household, you may want to consider Palm Beach™ Polysatin™ Shutters. This vinyl option can look like hardwood with the durability of synthetic materials. Vinyl shutters are easy to clean and will not warp or bend with heat, humidity, or moisture exposure. A caveat to using shutters in vertical applications is that a portion of your door will always be covered even when your shutters are slid open. You can chat with one of our window treatment specialists about ways to extend the shutter tracks beyond the door to give you a clearer view.

Drapes

No application isn’t suited for drapes. Drapery gives your doors an elegant, polished appearance and delivers exceptional light blocking and privacy. It’s also easy to conceal sliding glass doors if you’d rather they not be on display. Design Studio™ Side Panels & Drapery can be tailored to any existing decor with hundreds of fabrics, colors, and textures. Better yet, drapery can be equipped with PowerView® Automation to make opening and to close large sets of drapes a breeze.

Contact Us

Contact Blinds & Shutters Design Center today to explore the best alternatives to vertical blinds. We are also home to an extensive selection of high-end flooring. We can provide expert measuring and installation services; estimates are always free. We serve the North Atlanta Metro area, including Alpharetta, Milton, and Johns Creek, GA.