A great window shade for this type of opening is a Cellular Shade, also known as a Honeycomb Shade. This versatile window covering can usually fit any odd shaped window, including octagons or circles, and in many cases, still remain operable. There are hundreds of color and pattern options, as well as control options, such as cordless, top-down/bottom-up, and motorized shades.

Also, honeycomb shades are one of the most insulating window treatments you can buy and as such, they help to keep your utility bills lower. You can even order them in blackout materials for rooms like bedrooms or media rooms!

It’s always nice when we can help cover those windows our client’s didn’t think were possible!

*Name changed at homeowner’s request

I immediately came up with a great solution that could incorporate our beautiful draperies, while solving Ms. Flaherty’s uneven window issue. By installing the draperies evenly over each of the windows in the room, I was able to hide the fact that the windows were not installed exactly uniform and give the appearance that they were actually perfect.

Although I love almost all window coverings, my passion is with Draperies and soft fashions. They can serve so many different purposes. Draperies or Curtains can add the finishing touch to a room that already has blinds or plantation shutters by adding warmth, softness, or a splash of color. By utilizing heavier fabrics, draperies add a layer of insulation around windows, helping to lower the cost of utility bills. Drapes can also simply filter light into a room or can be used to completely darken a room, such as a bedroom or Theater Room. They can even be motorized so that they glide quietly and effortlessly with the mere press of a button.

Because we have thousands of colors & patterns to choose from, including decorative hardware, accent cording, tassels, tiebacks and more, Ms. Flaherty was able to choose the perfect fabric to match her individual home décor style.

 I love being able to help my clients overcome their challenges by providing them with window coverings solutions that make them feel right at home, and Ms. Flaherty was no exception. I look forward to helping her with her future home decorating needs.

RaDonna Torgeson Call 910-790-3630

Budget Blinds Design Consultant in Wilmington, NC

While he loves the view he receives from his beautiful A-Frame home, sitting on the marsh in lovely Hampstead, NC, Mr. Jordan was in need of more heat and sun protection on his back deck.

Mr. Jordan decided he wanted to add a retractable awning. This would not only help with the sun issues he was having on his porch, but at the same time, would help to add additional energy efficiency to the windows lining the back of his home. The awning will help him to save in utility bills, by preventing the sun from entering in the summer and allowing it to enter in the winter.

With a retractable awning, he is able to control of the amount of shade or sunlight he desires by simply extending or retracting the awning to the point he prefers, allowing as much or as little sun exposure as he wishes.  Also, by choosing to have a retractable awning installed, he is able to protect his interior items from the sun’s harmful UV rays, such as his furniture, carpet, or rugs.  

What I enjoyed most about this project is, because we carry multiple name brands, including Sunsetter, Sunesta, Sunbrella, and Futureguard, we have access to almost every color and pattern imaginable; therefore, Mr. Jordan was able to find an awning color that perfectly matched the wood toned color of his house.

I enjoyed being able to help Mr. Jordan make the most of his outdoor living space and look forward to taking part in future projects together.

Andreas Stavrou

Since you only get one chance to make a first impression, Ms. Stillwell decided to change the entryway since that area tends to set the tone or mood for the rest of the home.  Rather than an ordinary door, she decided to modify it into an extraordinary entryway, with decorative, handcrafted ODL Doorglass.

Doorglass is a practical modification in that allows you to utilize your current door.  By insulating the glass between two panels of tempered safety glass, the entryway remains air and water tight. And, because the doorglass comes in such a diverse line of patterns and styles, such as clear, textured, colored, or beveled, Ms. Stillwell was able to find the glass that was a perfect match to her individual home décor style.  By choosing the pattern that was right for her, she was also able to control how much privacy and light the door allowed.

Another change Ms. Stillwell requested was the addition of operable, exterior shutters.  Just as window coverings complement and provide a finished look to the interior of the home, exterior shutters provide her windows a finished look from the outside.

Her changes made a beautiful difference and we look forward to helping Ms. Stillwell with future projects to come.

Left: Displaying the new, beautiful, exterior shutters and decorative doorglass

Middle: Entryway before the addition of doorglass

Right: Entryway after the addtion of doorglass – What a beautiful difference!

Mr. Edwards has tilt-in windows and wanted to maintain this feature, but also wanted Plantation Shutters for this particular room without losing his beautiful, lakeside view.  His biggest challenge was that his windows, as is the case in many homes, were extremely out of square.  This was due to the sunroom, at one time, had previously been an outdoor porch and many times, the framing of such porches is greatly out of square.

In order to meet his needs, Mr. Edwards chose a 3 ½” louvered Plantation Shutter with a hidden tilt rod throughout the room.  The wider the louver, the fewer there are, therefore, by choosing this larger sized louver, the view was much less obstructed. In addition, by choosing to have the tilt rod hidden, meaning it is placed on the back and over to the side of the panel rather than centered on the front, this also made the view more enjoyable. 

Although the windows were not squared, our knowledgeable Consultants and skilled Installers were able to turn what may have seemed impossible to possible by installing the shutters with the proper framing. This helped make the out of square windows appear to be square and normal looking. In doing so, Mr. Edwards was able to obtain the look he desired, while still preserving his tilt-in feature.

I thoroughly enjoyed working with Royce Edwards and in helping him make his Sunroom a sanctuary in which he can relax for years to come.

Chuck and Donna enjoyed the Shutters Wilmington, NC we installed in their last home so much, that they decide to have them install throughout their new home. Previously they had purchased a 1 7/8” shutter louver which is considered small, in their new home they decided on a 3 ½” louver, much larger in size. By using a larger louver, the view looking through shutter is unobstructed. Also in their home they have what is commonly referred to as French doors in the center of the living area, over-looking the porch. Sometimes you will have these doors in which both of them operate, however many times and in their case, one door opened and the other was a stationary glass that did not operate. Since they had lever style door handles we added a beautiful shutter door handle cut out, this allow- a shutter to be installed on the door to maintain the same look as the windows in the same room. So as not to make the non-moving door look unbalanced, we decided to do the same shutter door handle cut out but also install a fake handle so that the French doors looked symmetrical, since they were a focal point in the room.

Along with the shutters we also installed Closet Maid closet systems Wilmington, NC in their closets, pantry, and laundry room. Closet Maid wood laminate systems make a great look to any closet but also allows for maximum storage space and great organization. Since these systems are designed off common sizes, they can be changed by the homeowner if their needs change later in life.

Last we installed a hard cornice in the front bedroom for added look and color. Since Plantation Shutter doors open many don’t realize that you can still include a topper. By choosing the correct valance and professionally installing it with a hinge system, you can have the best of both worlds.

I loved working with Donna and Chuck and look forward to their lasting friendship.

RaDonna Torgeson 910.790-3630

Window Covering, Window Blind, Window Treatment Specialist Wilmington, NC

Budget Blinds of Wilmington, NC

The Shanklin’s had several concerns for which we needed to provide solutions. To begin with, their beautiful Landfall home came with three large sliding glass doors. Each door provided a wonderful view to the rear of the house, which included viewing the pool and the golf course. Providing a covering for this opening needed to be functional, beautiful, and allow for great visibility to the outdoors. To keep the uniformity throughout the home, we decided to install Norman Open By-Pass Plantation Shutters, since shutters with a 3 ½” louver is what was selected in the rest of the house. An Open By-Pass Shutter allows for much privacy, light control, easy operation, and beauty. It operates much like the sliding glass door itself, allowing for convenient entry and exit. The louvers allocate light control and privacy, while the Open By-Pass feature permits the doors to be open and not obstruct the view. A wonderful choice for sliding glass doors.

The Shanklin’s also had a concern with their front entry doors. Containing arched topped glass and stained in color, this opening can be a challenge to treat without taking away from any of the elegance and beauty. There is a great solution and it worked very well. A stained, wood, arch top shutter is a perfect selection. This keeps the beauty of the door intact and gives the Shanklin’s the needed privacy. Many people don’t realize that leaving front doors uncovered can reveal much at night when the lights are on inside the home and it is dark outside. Privacy is no longer available. Treating it with this product not only solved the problem, but also added to the beauty of the door and tied in nicely with the other shutters located inside the home.

Finally, in solving the Shanklin’s organizational needs, they asked us to help them organize their closets. After consulting with them and determining their wants, needs, what they had contained in their last closets, and their budget, we were able to design the closets to fit their individual needs. They chose the color Chocolate, one of the newest colors in Wood Laminated Closet Systems by ClosetMaid. This added a great richness and sophistication to their beautiful new closets.

I meet many friends in my career and Wade and Phyllis were no exception. I count it a joy, a privilege, and just plan fun working with such wonderful people. They are not just customers, but they are now my friends.

RaDonna Torgeson     Call 910-790-3630

Window Treatment Specialist and Closet Designer

Open By-Pass Shutter

Arch Top Stained Wood Shutter

ClosetMaid Wood Laminate Closet

ClosetMaid Garage System

The product Mr. Smith* chose was Solar Shades, also sometimes referred to as Outdoor Shades, Porch Shades or Roller Shades. With many new companies specializing in this product, there are now a variety of fabrics, colors, and textures available. Since these shades must withstand the elements, the material should be made with Fiberglass, PVC or a combination of the two. This will help ensure its stability when faced with intense sun. Mr. Smith’s* main issue was glare, which hindered him from sitting on the porch during certain times of the day; however, he now has the ability to sit without much glare, but still be able to see through the material so his view isn’t hindered.

I enjoyed working with friends like the Smiths* and being able to assist them in enhancing their beautiful home.

Window Covering Consultant * Name has been changed.

Sheer Roller Shades in Raised Position

Sheer Roller Shades Partially Lowered

Sheer Roller Shades Completely Lowered

The beautiful layout of their new home incorporated the use of many windows. As with many of my friends, three issues of concern were Heat, Glare, and Privacy, all of which were successfully resolved. With all of these being equally important and the fact that they didn’t want to give up their view, a combination of Window Coverings and Window Treatments were successfully used to solve these issues, while maintaining Troy’s personal taste.

To handle the heat and glare, a light window shading, commonly known as Window Tint, Window Film or Glass Coating was applied first. In working with the privacy, while maintaining the view, a Bamboo Roller Shade with a Sleek Cassette Headrail or Valance was then installed. This allowed privacy while the roller shade is down, but maintains the view, as the roller shade is neatly hidden when raised. Lastly, in keeping with Troy’s fabulous style, rather than simply covering her windows with traditional 2” Faux Wood blinds, she chose to decorate with Roller Shades, which have become very popular in offering many styles, fabrics, colors, and textures.

As always, it has been nice working with great friends and helping them solve their Window Covering needs.

Chris Torgeson Call 910-790-3630

Window Covering Consultant

Master Bedroom with Roller Shades and Cassette Valance

To have these types of windows framed in and trimmed after the home is built can be rather costly. However, there is a solution to have your windows not only covered, but to have them trimmed as well. Kenny decided to update the look of his condo by taking down his 2” Faux Wood Blinds and replace them with the beautiful look of Plantation Shutters. By investing in Shutters, Kenny was able to use what’s commonly known as a trim frame that comes with the shutter. So, not only did Kenny beautify and add value to his home with Shutters, but also with the addition of trimmed windows.

There are many benefits to adding this combination to your windows. To start with, many times when windows are sheet rocked in, they tend to be greatly out of square and will appear crooked. By putting a Trim Framed Plantation Shutter, the window can usually be made square again and no one will ever see or know. A second benefit to plantation shutters with trim frame is the color of the trim is the exact match of the color of the shutter, making it appear as part of the house and not something added later with a slight difference in color. Last shutters are not a cost, but rather an investment in your home. Unlike many window coverings, which are viewed as removable, shutters become part of the home and are generally viewed as a product that adds value.

It was wonderful working with Kenny Scholerz. I like working with individuals like him, who are ready to make their house their home.

RaDonna Torgeson Call 910-790-3630

Window Covering Specialist

Bi-Fold Shutter with Trim Frame

Bi-Fold Shutter and Single Shutter with Trim Frames