While blinds and shades are often lumped together, there is a remarkable difference between these two styles of window treatments. In fact, one of the only things they have in common is that they’ll both cover your windows!
Blinds consist of individual, horizontal slats that can be raised, lowered, or tilted to fine-tune the level of light you let in the room. Often considered a “hard” window treatment, blinds are usually made out of wood, vinyl, or metal. Shades, on the other hand, are usually created with a large swath of soft fabric material. Since most shades are a solid material, they cannot be tilted like blinds, and most be fully raised or lowered to match your desired level of light or privacy.