A More Exciting Treatment for My Tired Sliding Doors
Truth. I hate vertical blinds with a passion. And yet I’ve tolerated the set hanging in our dining room for at least two decades. The reason? They are a low maintenance, functional, easy, and affordable solution.
Today there are a number of other options for sliding glass door treatments available. But when you have a lot hangups like me, even the alternatives turn into slim pickings.
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That leads me to Truth #2: I’ve got a lot of hangups when it comes to window treatments. One of them is that while I love a clean home, I hate to clean. In fact, my decor choices are almost always based on my cleaning preferences.
Armed with these two truths, I systematically shot down most of the choices available to me.
Drapes were simply out of the question due to the maintenance required. I only use drapes in my bedrooms to darken them for sleeping.
Sliding panels, which look oddly similar to vertical blinds, only with wider slats were also a “no-go”
Vertical Cellular shades offered the modern look I wanted, but the side-sliding function of the shade meant having to expose the entire inside of my home just to see outside.
Sliding plantation shutters was indeed a cool (and expensive) idea. But having to clean louvers in a high-traffic area situated right next to the HVAC return in my dining room was immediately unappealing.
Why I Chose Zebra Shades for My Sliding Doors
Considering the above list of rejections, you’ll quickly understand why choosing treatments for my sliding doors has been a recurring dilemma. I wanted a sliding door treatment that:
- Looked crisp and chic without being complicated
- Could work with any decor style, especially eclectic bohemian
- Would compliment the window treatment on the opposite side of my open floor plan
- Would be easy to clean
- Was affordable
After making my list, it occurred to me that these seemingly elusive hangings were in front of me the entire time! Select Blinds, my longtime go-to for window treatments, carries a product, called a zebra shade, which is unlike any other I’ve seen.
Recall my use of them in my bedroom makeover. We have these zebra shades all over our home and we love them! They function as a roller shade with the look of a horizontal blind. I had long considered them for my patio doors but wasn't sure how successful the look would be in this setting. You see, these are not meant for use on sliding doors.
As usual though, participation in the One Room Challenge has pushed me to do the unthinkable. Despite my misgivings I decided to finally install the zebra shades over my patio door for Week 5 of this six week makeover.
If you’re just joining me and would like to catch up on the previous posts from this challenge please view this schedule:
Week 1 (the plan) // Week 2 (the planter hack) // Week 3 (that wallpaper tho’!) // Week 4 (pink chair covers) // Week 5 (zebra shades) **YOU ARE HERE // Week 6 The Reveal
If you’d like to view the work of the more than 200 other bloggers participating in this challenge with me, feel free to click the “ORC” image below.
Installation is as simple as hanging vertical blinds. Because of the way sliding doors operate, an outside mount was required. This left us with an exposed track floating in the center of the room. Our solution was to add a bit of architectural interest. We did this by building a basic cornice to cover the track. Then we added a bit of crown molding.
We knew that mounting two of these side-by-side over the door panels would create a seam in the center, but we were okay with that. The results were quite impressive.
Why They’re Called Zebra Shades
These are way cooler than blinds don’t you think?! It’s a flat roller shade that blends solid and translucent bands of fabric into one panel. When the bands are aligned, light filters in causing an exciting striped effect like a horizontal blind. To close the bands, simply pull the cord to “mismatch” the bands. Et voila! Instant privacy. If you don’t like the pull cord, you can swap it out for a remote controlled motorized lift system. Is that awesome or what?
The best part? The mesh texture of the fabric makes them so easy to clean. We’ve used these shades in other parts of our home for more than 8 years. I have yet to see one of these shades collect dirt like my horizontal blinds do.
A very special thanks to Select Blinds for giving me a special opportunity to showcase a product that I was already smitten with! These zebra shades have breathed new life into my small dining space, and they blend effortlessly with my zebra wood cabinet.
Welp, we’re coming in for the home stretch in this double-room makeover. If you’ve been keeping up with the series, I’m sure you’re wondering what’s going on with the living room. At this point it’s about 90% complete. I’m hoping to add some finishing touches by this weekend so that it will be ready for photos next week. Wish me the the best!
For now though, I’d love it if you could share your thoughts on these exciting door coverings in the comments below.