We had wood in all the bedrooms in our old house, but was considering going with honeycomb or cell for the new house. I liked the woods, but found that I usually opened them all the way each day and would prefer that they take up less space when opened all the way. I know that I'll go that route in my br, but still not sure what to do with the kids' rooms. The cells are lighter when opening/closing, but I do prefer the look of the wood when they are down.

Sorry, not of much help here, but hoping to hear from others too.

sewwhatsnew I meant to address my comment about faux white blinds to you. Wood is so much more expensive and having now owned both wood, faux wood and honeycomb I'll never pay for real wood again UNLESS I want wood color. But painted white??? Get the good faux wood instead. I love the look of 2" blinds and 2 1/2" shutters. I love them both open, up or closed. Very happy.

I have off-white faux wood blinds in all my windows, I love the look, especially from the outside; however, I have the hardest time raising them all the way up. In
fact, I don't even attempt it anymore. These weren't
inexpensive and I don't know what to do. When the installer raised them, he had no problems, when I do it,
one side is up and the other down and I spend hours trying
to get them back down. I only open and closed them now.

Wood and faux wood blinds are wonderful if you like to look out your windows yet still be able to control the amount of sunlight/privacy for your home. They are more maintenance than cellular blinds - the slats need to be dusted. I have a variety of 2" blinds and 2 1/2" blinds in faux wood and real wood in my home. The elements break down the paint on real wood blinds and they eventually need painted or replaced. Most people with slatted blinds leave the blinds in place and only open and close the slats. They are very heavy to raise and lower. Also, the average space they take up when raised is typically 8" or more.
Cellular blinds are great for privacy and energy efficiency. Once down though you can't see out. Consider the top down/bottom up feature to allow flexibility to see out the window while still maintaining privacy. When raised they usually take up 1 to 2" of space. Some higher quality shades can be cleaned with water.

I have cellular shades in both livingroom windows and dining room window. We have a large great room so these are all in the same area. we went with the single cell because they were cheaper and I didn't realize that the thicker will keep the room darker. So after we installed them I ended up with roman shades over the top. I don't like having 2 different sets of window treatments so I was looking at a faux wood blind with the sheer fabric on front and back.

I would love to have a blind in the down position and still be able to see outside. W/the cellular if they are down you can't see anything.

But I dont like the idea of not being able to pull the wood blinds all the way up. I think that would bother me. So I am in a real pickle.

Any thoughts?

I have Levelor white wood blinds on most windows in our home. If they hadn't been so darn expensive I would replace them with cellular shades - we moved in *just before the faux woods came on the market :/ I don't like them in our family room because they just don't close enough to darken the room and cut the glare on the tv. I don't like them in our MBR for privacy - if I have them open enough to let the breeze in I feel like I'm on display - not a pretty sight!! If I could I'd use top-down cells in my MBR and room-darkening for the FR. Oh, and I think the woods are a PITA to keep clean.

Thanks Nellie for your insight. So they don't block enough light? I feel like there should be another option - I feel trapped between two bad decisions. lol
I have cellular blinds in MBR and DS's bedroom w/blackout and I wouldn't change those for the world!!! The unsulation and darkness are unbeatable.
The delima continues...

I would love to have a blind in the down position and still be able to see outside. W/the cellular if they are down you can't see anything. But I dont like the idea of not being able to pull the wood blinds all the way up. I think that would bother me. So I am in a real pickle. Any thoughts?
MyClementine - Silhouette blinds might solve your problem, except they are not light blocking.

Hi, I have cellular, wood and faux wood. My cellular shades are white, but dingy after 10 years. I can not find any info on whether I can take them down and give them a good gentle washing. However, out of the three window treatments, the cellular ones do the very best in insulating! I love the look of the wood blinds, and don't care for the faux wood ones. The wood blinds really don't insulate and that's my only problem with the.

Silhouette blinds might solve your problem, except they are not light blocking.

I really need the light blocking so we can see the tv. Our windows are 8' wide and 4 1/2' tall. 3 of that size in the great room along with french doors w/typical windows and a kitchen window. So I have lots of light :)

So Silhouette isn't light blocking. What about wood blinds with the fabric sheeting on front and back? If I close them then I will still get light through the slats?

And I am wondering about how far they will come down when pulled all the way up.

Myclementine...no they aren't light blocking. However, mine were installed 14 years ago and work on a twisting wand. I have since seen woods (or faux; didn't look that closely) that open and close on an up-and-down pull system that appear to eliminate the gaps we have. Saw them at HD.

To cut the glare I've just ordered custom lined drapes from Penney's that we will close over the blinds. If they are dark enough I imagine I'll keep my woods pulled up all the time. I don't need privacy during the daytime.

Good luck!

Thanks Nellie. Looks like I need to go to home depot. Just a 45 minute drive.

I posted a while back for help deciding on wood blinds. In the end, with much help from posters here, I decided to go ahead and order some standard size wood blinds from JC Penney. I started out by putting them just in our family room windows. I found that I loved them so much that I wound up ordering them for every window in the house. I ordered the white ones and find that they reflect a lot of light and really brighten up the rooms, too. I'm sorry that I can't add any info about how they are to raise and lower on a daily basis because I just tilt them open and closed. We haven't had them for long, but so far we only raise them a bit if we open a window. Hope this helps.

The wood blinds in my dining room have 1" slats. In the upward closed position they completely block the light. Have wood shutters with 1" slats in the office and those too completely block the light.

Thanks everyone! It sounds like it depends on which kind you have - whether they block the light or not. I have some shopping to do :)

I probably should have mentioned that I have 2" blinds and when they are closed they do (of course) allow privacy, but don't block out all of the light.

Silhouettes can be light blocking if you get the opaque fabric for the vanes. I think the light filtering is very pretty, but if you need a darkened room, there is an option.