Vertical blinds are a type of window covering that provides both privacy and controlled lighting. As opposed to the cord-supported horizontal slats of standard mini-blinds, vertical blinds have veins hanging down vertically from the head rail that houses the mechanical components. There are many advantages to vertical blinds, and they make an excellent window covering for large-opening windows.
One advantage to vertical blinds is that they can be custom ordered to fit nearly any width window. Standard mini-blinds typically have a maximum width at which they will be sufficient. When custom ordering vertical blinds, you have numerous choices in both design and style.
Vertical blinds come in both vinyl and fabric. You can also choose various textures and colors according to the design plan of your room or home. Most vertical blinds are a neutral solid color on the side that faces the street, so that even if you have different colored blinds in each room, your home has a uniform look from the outside.
The other choices you have with vertical blinds include split, stack and draw. Split is the option to have the vertical blinds open in the center or simply be drawn open to the left or right side. A center split will allow your vertical blinds to be opened like drapes.
Stack refers to which side of the window the blinds open towards. Left stack means all the veins can be drawn to the left side of the window, and right stack is the opposite. You can even elect to have the cord that controls the draw placed on the right or the left, depending on how your room is configured and the placement of the window in the room.
One other option with vertical blinds is to house a remote controlled unit in the mechanics. This means you do not have to open the blinds or adjust their tilt for lighting manually, but rather you can use a remote control. This is a fairly expensive option, but a convenient one nonetheless.
There are very different price ranges for vertical blinds, with styles and designs available for all budgets. In fact, some vertical blinds with decorative head rails are attractive enough that they can serve as stand alone window coverings and eliminate the need for the added expense of drapes. Though you can purchase vertical blinds in standard sizes, such as for a patio door, custom ordered vertical blinds are not much more expensive. Be sure either to have your windows professionally measured before ordering vertical blinds or to ask for detailed instructions on how to measure them from the company from which you plan to purchase your blinds.