Join Eye on Design and many other organizations to help make the world a better place to live at the Recycling Extravaganza!

For a second year, the Earth Day Recycling Extravaganza will accept your hard-to-recycle items 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the St. Louis Community College Forest Park campus parking lot, off Oakland Avenue on Sunday, April 22nd.

Take this opportunity to make your personal space AND the environment a bit cleaner and a bit neater, while sending your idle items on a journey to find new purpose. In addition to helping the environment, your donated materials will also be supporting the programs of numerous non-profits, including St. Louis Earth Day. So, grab a pair of gloves, maybe a mask—and attack that attic!

Some people go to the drive-through to get fast food, but you’ll be driving through the collection event, dropping off recyclables. Please plan your experience by separating your donation by the organization/business that will be accepting your specific items. This will help keep up with the traffic flow of drop-offs through the STLCC parking lot.

After your car is purged of spring cleaning debris, leave it at STLCC and catch a ride to the Festival via a free shuttle service, provided by the St. Louis Lambert International Airport biodiesel bus and Super Park compressed natural gas (CNG) bus. The shuttle service will be available between 10:30am and 6:30pm and will leave every 15 minutes on the hour.

A short list of the kinds of items that will be accepted at the collection event include:

• Medications – over-the-counter & prescription
• CDs & DVDs, VHS, cassette tapes
• Carpet & tile, window coverings
• Electronics – including computers, monitors and TVs
• Appliances & extension cords
• Construction & building materials
• Musical instruments
• Styrofoam/polystyrene (clean only)
• Shoes, keys, bicycles
• Holiday lights & CFL light bulbs
• Fabric, wine corks, art supplies and children’s books
• Rechargeable batteries, cell phones
• Compostables (organic waste), untreated wood, yard waste
• Window Treatments, Blinds, Shades etc.

A complete list of accepted items is published on www.stlouisearthday.org, so you can plan your spring cleaning strategy accordingly.

Click here for your chance to win $1000 window makeover in the Hunter Douglas Window Makeover Contest.

Hunter Douglas Newstyle Shutters

A beautiful interior shutter system out-performs standard horizontal blinds at the window every time!

In the last 10 years, energy efficient and eco-friendly home products, geared towards simplifying our lives have become more desirable.  The beautiful and timeless interior shutter system, in all of its different forms is now enjoying a new relevance in 2012 as a result of our changing needs because it helps reduce energy costs and is often made from renewable products.

“When a simple slatted product is called for, please don’t re-invest in more 1” and 2” horizontal blinds without considering the beauty, value and efficiencies of a custom shutter systems.” says Jennaver Brown, owner of Eye on Design Drapery, Blinds and Shutters, Inc.  “In a well made shutter, home owners can find an energy efficient, eco-friendly, and maintenance free window treatment with privacy and light control features that make them an excellent value.”

Home owners frequently worry that shutters will make their home too dark.  “I feel that a shutter designed with the right size vane, the correct color and the right mounting style, can actually add light to a room and increase view through the vanes to a level higher than a standard 1” or 2” blind.” Says Brown.

Shutters can also help make a home greener. “With 50% of a home’s energy loss occurring at the windows, it is easy to understand that interior shutters are an investment with a measureable return.” says Brown. A well-measured and well-constructed, high quality, shutter system, such as the “Newstyle” shutter system by Hunter Douglas can increase an R-Value of a standard double pane window by up to 200%.  A higher R-Value saves on energy costs by preventing heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer.

Shutters are infinitely easier to maintain than horizontal blinds because there are no cords and strings to clean around or replace when they break.  Additionally, shutters can be popped right off of their hinges to get them out of the way for window cleaning.  No tools required and no brackets left in the way.

Shutters are available in wood, vinyl and composites now that each offer benefits with regard to color options, framing styles, humidity resistance, price, and special features. A well-designed shutter will reduce your energy costs and add to the re-sale value of your home in ways that horizontal blinds cannot.  Take advantage of our annual Spring Shutter Sale today and see for yourself.

Jennaver Brown is the owner of Eye on Design Drapery, Shutters and Blinds Inc. located at 309 East Main in Belleville.  618-257-9750.  Learn more at www.eod4u.com.

Please feel free to use this service, call us at 618.257.9750, email us at admin@eod4u.com or stop by our Hunter Douglas showroom in Belleville, IL just minutes from O’Fallon, Fairview Heights, Swansea and Shiloh. We look forward to serving you.

PLATINUM LCD TIMER

The Platinum LCD Timer

The Platinum LCD Timer is used to automatically operate PowerRise 2.0 and PowerGlide 2.0 with Platinum Technology products at any time of the day.The Platinum LCD Timer can be wall mounted in the same room as the motorized window coverings.

PLATINUM RF ADAPTER

Platinum RF Adapter

The Platinum RF Adapter uses current-sensing technology to operate PowerRise 2.0 and PowerGlide 2.0 products. The adapter plugs into a standard outlet and detects AC power. The device will send out a signal to open or close window coverings based on whether or not power is present in the outlet. The RF Adapter can be used in conjunction with an off-the-shelf lamp timer or switched outlet for simple operation.

PLATIMUM SOLAR ENERGY SENSOR

Platinum Solar Energy Sensor

The Platinum Solar Energy Sensor automatically adjusts window coverings to the changing sunlight to provide energy cost savings. The sensor’s compact design blends easily with any interior décor. Activation levels can be adjusted and controlled via the solar energy sensitivity dial on the top.

Hunter Douglas Everwood Blinds

You have decided that faux wood blinds are the perfect window treatments for your project needs.  Fabulous!  Now….which, of the the 50+ available manufacturers and styles, will best meet your project needs and provide you with the most value and beauty?

Hunter Douglas continues to lead and define beauty and value within the faux wood blind industry by producing the highest quality blind, with the most design options and the strongest warranty.  By understanding the qualities that allow it to provide the highest value to consumers, you will be able to make educated decisions about the rest of the products available to you on today’s market.

Faux Wood Blinds possess several comparative characteristics that allow us to define the value of the product relative to price; Environmental Impact, Child Safety, Resistance to Sun & Heat, Quality of View Through the Blind, Aesthetics, Cleanability, Smoothness of Operation and Warranty

Environmental Impact – Hunter Douglas “Everwoods” are the only blinds on the market that are PVC free.  This characteristic reduces the release of VOC’s (volatile organic compounds), improving indoor air quality and earning the product the “Greenguard” certification.  Additionally, they are made in North America and not shipped overseas resulting in less fuel consumption and pollution.

Child Safety – Hunter Douglas meets all of the current child safety guidelines with break-away tassels, as is required of all manufacturers & distributors of faux wood blinds in the US.  Hunter Douglas also provides cordless lift options for their “Everwood” collection that allows the blind to be lifted and lowered by pushing and pulling the bottom rail of the blind thus completely removing one set of cords.  If this feature is combined with wand tilt, all cords and potential safety hazards are removed.

Resistance to Sun & Heat – Hunter Douglas “Everwoods”, in paint and wood grain finishes, are formulated against yellowing, fading and discoloration for life unlike any similar blind offered in the market.

Quality of View Through the Blind – Hunter Douglas “Everwoods” are designed with exceptionally stable slats that provide the widest ladder spacing in the industry (16” – 18”) and warranted for life against twisting, warping or bowing.  Most brands average 9” – 14” thus requiring 5 ladders on a 48” blind as opposed to the 3 ladders that Hunter Douglas requires for the same size blind.  Less ladders result in better view through the blind and a less cluttered appearance

Aesthetics – The Hunter Douglas “Everwood” faux wood blind collection provides consumers with 59 slat and color combinations and 4 valance styles to meet the design needs of any environment.  While many manufacturers offer 2 ½” wide slats to provide an appearance similar to that of a shutter, Hunter Douglas offers this slat size with beautiful beveled edges that add architectural interest and tighter slat closure.

Cleanability – The most difficult part of a faux wood blind to clean is the cording and the slats around each ladder/cord location.  By providing a blind with less ladders, the consumer can clean the slats more quickly and there is less material to become dingy over time.  Keep in mind that “wood grain” textured slats, by any manufacturer, will trap more dust and grime in their ridges and become dingy looking more quickly.

Smoothness of Operation –  The entire Hunter Douglas blind collection now utilizes their newly re-engineered “Epic” headrail system comprised of higher quality components, some of which are silicone impregnated, to improve the smoothness of operation and increase the longevity of their cording.  With an “Epic” headrail you will not only feel the smoothness of operation but you will see the Hunter Douglas logo on all of the components inside the headrail.  Remember that Hunter Douglas owned companies such as Comfortex or Timber do not manufacture Hunter Douglas blinds.

Warranty – The Hunter Douglas “Everwood” blind carries the strongest product warranty in the industry.  In the event of fading, yellowing, warping or bowing, the blinds will be completely replaced.  Additionally, Hunter Douglas warrants their cords for 7 years.  Due to the stress put on these cords to carry the weight of faux wood blinds, they all break with time and exposure to the sun.  The industry average for cord warranty is 30 days to 3 years.  Regardless of which blind you purchase and from whom, ask about the labor/shipping costs associated with facilitation of the warranty to understand the long term maintenance costs and support that you can expect.

Hunter Douglas “Everwood” faux wood blinds define quality within the market and offer consumers the best value for their investment however, many other brands and grades are available.  With an understanding of the characteristics to consider, you can now make educated decisions about the product that is best for you.  At “Eye on Design” we offer 6 different styles of faux wood blind from 3 different manufacturers and provide on-site installation and warranty services from our 1,500 square foot Belleville showroom.  Call us for a quote today!