Wood Bamboo Blinds – Sustainable & Beautiful

When it comes to window treatments, we have a multitude of choices. There are draperies and curtains that come in thousands of colors and textures, as well as fabric shades or valances that exist in numerous styles and designs. But one of the most popular “green” options today is the bamboo blind.

Bamboo is a sustainable material since it’s easier to grow than the hardwood variety. Most hardwood types take about forty to fifty years to mature, but the bamboo only takes a few years to grow, particularly since it is a type of grass. Within 5 to 7 years, the bamboo becomes really hard enough for processing; so, it can be formed and made into all sorts of items. When growing bamboo plants, the yield is usually high. Since there is a steady supply of bamboo, consumers will often find high quality bamboo furniture items at really reasonable prices.

Bamboo is abundant in East Asia, but it’s also found in some areas in the Americas and Australia. There are a number of bamboo varieties, from small houseplants to large and towering bamboos. The bamboo doesn’t have a trunk. The supporting structure for its leaves and branches is a stem, which is known as a culm. Bamboo culms are typically green, but there are also yellow, brown and black kinds. Some culms have solid colors while others have a striped look. Since bamboo culms come in a diversity of hues, it’s an ideal material for furniture or decorations. Bamboo is widely used in many ways. But some of its vital applications are in construction, as well as in building shelters, fences, and bridges. In cities today, bamboo is also a main material for window treatments, particularly as bamboo blinds.

There are many forms of bamboo blinds and these are used to complement most window styles. Such blinds can also be used for patios, decks or verandas, and may be mounted indoors or outdoors.

Here are some styles of bamboo blinds that are in the market today.

1. Bamboo Roll up Blinds
In the standard roll up bamboo blind, one pulls a string to gather or roll the bamboo blind on top of a window. It gives a person more control on how much light he wants to let inside his home as the roll up blind can just be gathered half way or all the way through.

2. Bamboo Roman Blinds
The bamboo Roman blind has a similar structure to the roll up blind. But when the Roman blind is gathered on top, it forms pleats or layers instead of a roll. Roman bamboo blinds can either be flat or hobbled. The flat Roman blind lays perfectly flat when let down, while the hobbled style forms layers or pleats. Because of its extra pleats, the latter provides more insulation.

3. Matchstick Bamboo Blinds
As the name implies, this type of bamboo blind is made from strands of round bamboo, a form similar to a matchstick. These strands are woven tightly together with durable thread.

4. Venetian Bamboo Blinds
The usual types of Venetian blinds we see are made of metal or vinyl. But there’s also the Venetian bamboo blind made from flat bamboo slates. This functions like a roll up blind where you pull a cord to gather the blind on top or even adjust the blind so that it only goes up part way or in an angle.