Shopping for window coverings means running into a lot of unfamiliar language: louvres, headrails, inside mounts, cellular construction, and dozens of product names that sound similar but mean very different things. Knowing the vocabulary makes it far easier to choose confidently and describe exactly what you want. This glossary breaks down the most common window treatment terms Ottawa homeowners encounter, organized by category. For a broader overview of the categories themselves, our guide to the kinds of blinds and shades is a helpful companion, and you can explore the full blinds window treatment range at Randall's.
Blind Types
- Blinds: Hard window coverings made of slats or louvres that tilt to control light and privacy and raise or draw aside for access. Custom blinds ottawa ontario homeowners rely on are made to measure for a precise fit.
- Venetian (horizontal) blinds: The classic slat blind with horizontal louvres you tilt open and closed. Wider louvres, sometimes called large slat window blinds, give a cleaner look and a better view.
- Vertical blinds: Blinds with louvres that hang vertically and draw to the side on a track, ideal for wide openings. Vertical blinds for patio doors canada wide are the classic choice for sliding doors.
- Panel track: Wide fabric panels that glide along a track and stack to one side, a modern alternative to verticals for large windows and doors.
- Faux wood and composite blinds: Engineered slats that resist moisture and warping, making them ideal for bathrooms and kitchens where real wood would not last.
Shade Types
- Shades: Soft window coverings made from a continuous piece of fabric or material, rather than slats.
- Roller shades: A single panel of fabric that rolls onto a tube at the top of the window for a clean, minimal look. Browse roller shades ottawa fabrics in every opacity.
- Roman shades: Fabric shades that fold into soft horizontal pleats as they raise and lie flat when lowered, combining the look of drapery with the function of a blind. Explore roman shades ottawa styles.
- Cellular (honeycomb) shades: Shades built with honeycomb-shaped pockets that trap air for insulation, the most energy-efficient option. Randall's carries alta honeycomb shades in single and double-cell constructions.
- Solar shades: Roller-style shades woven to cut glare and block UV while preserving the outward view, popular for sun-facing rooms.
- Sheer shadings: Shades that float fabric vanes between sheer layers to diffuse daylight into a soft glow. Signature options like pirouette shades are a refined example.
Shutters
- Plantation shutters: Interior shutters built into a frame around the window, with wide louvres that tilt for light and privacy. A permanent, architectural fixture, shutters in ottawa homes value for their timeless look and resale appeal.
- Louvres: The horizontal (or vertical) slats on a blind or shutter that tilt to adjust light and privacy.
- Tilt rod: The vertical bar on a shutter used to open and close the louvres by hand.
Fabric and Opacity Terms
- Opacity: How much light a fabric lets through, ranging from sheer to blackout. Opacity is often the single most important choice for how a room feels.
- Light-filtering: Fabric that softens and diffuses daylight while offering daytime privacy, though limited privacy after dark.
- Room-darkening: Fabric that blocks most light and provides strong privacy day and night, though not total darkness. Our opaque window blinds fall in this range.
- Blackout: Fabric that blocks virtually all light for near-total darkness, ideal for bedrooms and media rooms. See our blackout blinds ottawa selection.
- Sheer: Translucent fabric that provides a bright, airy look with minimal privacy, often layered under heavier treatments.
Operating and Control Systems
- Corded: A traditional lift system using a pull cord. Corded coverings pose a safety hazard around young children and pets.
- Cordless: A lift system with no exposed cords, operated by pushing or pulling the bottom rail. Cordless designs are a core part of child-safe window coverings.
- Motorization: A motorized lift that raises, lowers, and schedules coverings by remote, app, or voice. Learn about motorized blinds ottawa systems, and see them in action in motorized roller shades living the dream.
- Top-down/bottom-up: A system that lets you lower a shade from the top or raise it from the bottom, offering light and privacy at the same time.
- Wand: A slim rod used to tilt or traverse a covering by hand, replacing a cord on many modern blinds.
Mounting and Measurement Terms
- Inside mount: A covering fitted inside the window recess for a clean, built-in look. Requires enough frame depth and precise measurements.
- Outside mount: A covering mounted on the wall or trim above the window, covering the whole opening. It hides an out-of-square window and blocks more light.
- Headrail: The housing at the top of a blind or shade that holds the operating mechanism.
- Valance: A decorative panel across the top of a treatment that conceals the headrail for a finished look.
- Stack: How a covering gathers when raised or drawn open, for example how far vertical louvres bunch to the side of a door.
Drapery Terms
- Drapery (drapes): Heavier, usually lined fabric panels that most often hang to the floor for a formal, insulating effect. Explore custom drapery ottawa options.
- Curtains: Lighter-weight fabric panels, often unlined, that hang from a rod for a more casual look.
- Pleats: The folds sewn into the top of drapery that shape how it hangs, from tailored pinch pleats to relaxed styles.
- Panels: Individual lengths of drapery or curtain fabric, typically hung in pairs on either side of a window.
Visit Randall's for Expert Window Treatment Advice
Understanding these terms takes the guesswork out of choosing window coverings, and Randall's specialists can walk you through materials, opacities, and operating systems in person. Book a free in-home window treatment consult to see your options, contact us with questions, or visit one of our locations at 555 Bank Street and 1891 Merivale Road.