Brushed Aluminum Mini Blinds
Have you noticed how, no matter the designer look of a home, the kitchen always holds its own stamp of individuality? Ever wondered why? I personally feel that despite the fact that the kitchen is no longer a woman’s exclusive bastion, her warm personality imprints itself there, for what is home without ‘mother’, and mother means ‘comfort’, which translates into food that only she can produce with the inimitable taste of ‘home’!
I recently paid a friend who’d just move into town a visit – a mother of four nursing an empty nest, she and her musician husband decided to give up suburban living for lively pulse of the city life, and moved to Brooklyn Heights, where they’ve bought this narrow, brick townhouse that used to be part of a 1870s development for workers. A small but charming place they fell immediately in love with, the couple quickly gut-renovated the dark interiors, and while they now have an open stairwell with a large skylight brightening up the place, they have stayed true to the Victorian aura of the building. What struck me was the complete departure in the styling of the kitchen – done up in white and silver, the only relief, a large potted palm in the corner sporting glass bricks! But it looked fantastic, modern and cozy at the same time! An Italian modular kitchen, all the cupboards are white with brushed steel handles, as are all her appliances (fridge, oven, hob, electric chimney, dishwasher), and sink. The only splash of color appears when she brings out her KitchenAid Stand mixer, which is scarlet in color! Nice – cutting edge style meets with motherly warmth!
And more interesting still, her kitchen window covering – cordless brushed Aluminum Mini Blinds. I’ve only ever seen aluminum blinds in all sorts of colors, never in its original form, albeit brushed for elegant looks. Neat! Making up for an otherwise uninteresting 3’ by 4’window that slides upwards to reveal a postage stamp patch of a herb garden.
I was fascinated by the brushed aluminum blinds. They blended in so well with all of Laura’s brushed steel appliances. Brushed aluminum is apparently the aluminum that’s belt sanded to dull its shine; the final product is a matt finished look attained by even stripping of the sanded surface, all in one direction. In keeping with stark modernity! Talk about sleek, and what comes to mind? Steel, chrome, aluminum. Clean and antiseptic? The same! Fast cars? Alloy wheels, chrome extras. Silver is IN folks!
The advantages of using brushed aluminum mini blinds in a kitchen are many:
Clean, modern elegance – the sleek looks they portray are both streamlined and velvety smooth. In keeping with ease of cleaning steel cutlery and utensils, they offer extreme refinement where care is concerned. And don’t break your head over type of detergent to use if heavy cleaning is required, as aluminum is non-corrosive and won’t get scratched easily if a Scotch Brite scorer is used. And all women know that no matter how much of care and attention you give to any appliance in a kitchen, there is always the chance that some amount of grease will latch on to stuff in the long run. So, aluminum blinds are a very practical option to use in kitchens. Brushed aluminum mini blinds are given an anti-static finish that repels dust, so feather dusting need be done only ever so often.
No cracking and chipping due to expansion and contraction – metals are inherently tensile, so deformity due to expansion and contraction that tends to beleaguer stuff due to the heat and cold of changing seasons don’t affect aluminum blinds. In addition, aluminum does not absorb moisture that is associated with cooking, so no expansion and contraction there, either.
Safety and Ease of control – though mini blinds are traditionally outfitted with cords to lift and lower them, Laura opted for the cordless control option that comes with a wand to tilt the vanes open or shut – she has a ginger tabby that frequently jumps in and out of her kitchen window, and in order to minimize risks of the cat getting entangled in the cords, she decided to go with the cordless option. The cordless device comes with a spring-loaded mechanism hidden in its headrail that is connected to the cords holding the slats in alignment and allows it to be raised and lowered by pressing down on the bottom rail. Neat in appearance due to the absence of the dangling, unsightly cords! And today, the difference in cost is negligible.
Economy – finally, the brass tacks! You can buy custom cordless aluminum blinds for as little as $18 for a standard window with free shipping. If you’re looking to do up kitchens and bathrooms room by room, this is wonderfully achievable, especially for homes with children and pets running around. You can even opt for motorized vane tilts, for further convenience, especially as they can then be timed to open and close at preset intervals.
Brushed aluminum mini blinds come in various vane sizes made of 6 or 8 gauge – from half of an inch to two inch slats and the broader the vane, the higher the gauge or thickness. The broader the vane, the better the view when turned open, and the lighter the blinds are as the number of slats used in construction is lesser. A final word of caution – if you’re looking for insulation properties, these blinds aren’t the best available option, as metals are good conductors. But for convenience, cutting edge looks and ease of maintenance, there’s no better option than these for kitchens!
