You Can't Go Wrong With a Bamboo Shade

I sometimes hear from friends that they want to "complete" a look in their living room or bedroom by using a window treatment, but they don't know how to even begin - curtains? blinds?  The choices are endless, and what if we make a mistake??

Why not make it easy on yourself and just pick a nice bamboo shade? I'm serious when I say you basically can not go wrong with a bamboo shade! Here are the top three reasons I am a HUGE fan:

1) Bamboo shades have a designer look (interior designers use them ALL the time!).

2) Bamboo shades go with almost ANY style in almost ANY room.

3) Bamboo shades can be very inexpensive!


Let's take the following room as our first example of bamboo shade fabulous. One of my favorite blogs is Cote de Texas. Look at the blogger-designer's family room BEFORE:

{ via Cote de Texas }

And then AFTER:

Doesn't the room look so much cozier and well-proportioned after having added those bamboo shades? (And of course those neutral curtain panels too!). 

Once you notice the bamboo shade, you'll see it everywhere. It really does make decorating so much easier knowing you can rely on the bamboo standby.

{ Via House Beautiful's Dec 2011/Jan 2012 issue }

{ Via Pinterest }

{ Via Pinterest }

Another variation is the matchstick blind. Let's take a look at the windows below. Now, imagine they were covered with white metal blinds or something similar. The "matchstick" shades & the curtain panel really take this room to the next level.

{ via Oak Ridge Revivals }

Here's a darker version of the bamboo shade - designer Lauren Liess' kitchen. It adds a nice natural wood element to the room:

{ Via Pure Style Home }

I have to give a shout-out to my sister-in-law Emily who helped to inspire this post! I noticed a while ago that my nephew's room has these great, dark bamboo shades hanging on the windows - they give off a light-hearted, surfer vibe in his room.

Another shot:

It's hard to see with the sun in the background, but between the beadboard ceiling, the bamboo shades and the teal blue walls, this room really does feel like a cute little surfer shack.


Here are some more examples of the bamboo shade "done right":

{via Pure Style Home }

{via Pure Style Home }

{Via the inspired room }

{via thedecorologist.com }

{Via Pinterest }

Of course, like anything home decor, a bamboo shade can cost you a pretty penny. But you don't have to go super high end with a bamboo shade - that's the beauty of the whole thing. You can choose something that's "budget" and the effect will essentially be the same. I just checked out Home Depot's website and found that their Bamboo Roman Shade in a standard window size is less than $20!

{ via Homedepot.com }

In my next home, I fully intend to put the bamboo shade to good use.  It's such a relief to know that no matter how I decorate my new living room, those bamboo shades will fit right in...

Decorating is not about making stage sets, it's not about making pretty pictures for the magazines; it's really about creating a quality of life, a beauty that nourishes the soul.

~Albert Hadley