I have used Hunter Douglas in several houses. Mostly because they offer the bottom-up/top-down feature, which most other brands don't.

In my area the Budget Blinds franchise also sold Hunter Douglas, but they were a lot more expensive than another local Hunter Douglas distributor..

I didn't like the offerings from the Shade Co and they had none with the bottom-up/top-down feature.

Oops, just noticed you were looking at roller blinds! I used the Duette cellular shades.

Do you mean roller shades? What level of privacy? Or do you mean a cellular shade?

"Your apartment is small"

That has not ONE thing to do with the windows in the walls. What , where, what size, how much light control and privacy?

Show the windows, show the dimensions and label the rooms. A bedroom rarely has the same need for opacity as a bedroom....: ) or a bath.

If you can use a screwdriver? Home Depot has cellular shades - they cut to fit virtually any width on site. They are cordless! They can be inside mount, or outside mount. They can be had in light filtering, in black out. They are not expensive, and work like a charm. Incredible value, easy peasy in both top down and bottom up options. All you need? Very accurate measuring: ) and simple tools or a handy man.

Waht kind of roller blind ? Are you doing solar shades or just regular roller blinds ? I need more info as to what you need form the blinds like heat and UV control, privacy etc> Too much info missing to advise.

Do you have one of those local companies that come to your house with samples? In CT and MA there is a company called Shades on Wheels; we have used them several times and have been extremely pleased. You can get a better feel for materials, colors, etc. against your windows rather than running around to different places. Personally, I would never give Home Depot the time of day.

Hi I've worked with window treatments for many years. It will boil down to cost & features. As someone pointed out, box stores = DIY. You will recieve little support during or after the sale if needed. Are you handy? Most shade manufacturers sell under different names (so confusing!) occasionally making some features more or less "exclusive" to certain brands. Reach out to your local businesses 1st. See how you are treated. Do they offer free measuring, do they have their own employees install, what happens if something breaks? Will someone help you pick out fabrics in your home? You can't really know what looks right standing in a warehouse. Most shade manufacturers have good warranties, how to obtain service is an impotant piece of the puzzle. Ask :-) Also, check with your landlord. Some may have issue with you installing things yourself. Good luck!

question about the budget blinds - received their proposal but how can one visualize and/or see all components priced in as they don't have any physical locations like the Shade Store or Hunter Douglass to see all the details? anybody is experienced with the process with them to buy roller shades? thanks in advance.

Theres a Budget Blind store near my house so they do indeed have physical locations. If not ask what the proposal is for. Is it a Hunter Douglas item? Go elsewhere to look at the sample. Is it Hunter Douglas fabric on a house brand headrail? Leap of Faith for you. Perhaps you can be shown a sample size of exactly what is on the proposal.

Linda MillsI would not buy Hunter Douglas Blinds for several reasons. First of all, they were bought out by another company and usually that is not good sign. I was told the new company is from the Netherlands. I will say their blinds I purchased are high quality, and I paid top dollar for 11 motorized blinds.....but that being said.....Hunter Douglas doesn't stand behind their product. I purchased motorized blinds (you can't open and close by hand). However, the motors are beginning to fail. I have called the local dealer and they said Hunter Douglas does not have Generation 2 motors anymore, and the Hunter Douglas manufacturer that made the clip is not around anymore. I called Hunter Douglas and they said Generation 3 motors may work at a cost of installing each motor for $300, which is a high cost. However, HD has failed to produce any motors after several months. Later, I was told Hunter Douglas has discontinued the motors and I will need to throw all my blinds out and replace all my shades at a cost of thousands of dollars again. These Blinds should last 25 to 30 years. If the shades could open by hand without the motors, I could live with that. What is a customer suppose to do when blinds won't open and close?