Best Window Treatments for Office Buildings

There are many ways to boost productivity and morale in the office, but there is nothing like natural sunlight and comfortable working spaces. You can enhance your office with professionally installed window treatments that complement the room design and create working conditions that prioritize your workers’ success.

An essential step to making significant decisions for your window treatments is understanding your options and setting your priorities straight. Whether you want to save money on energy bills or update old treatments with more durable and sustainable alternatives, you can find window treatments that meet your needs with Allure Window Treatments.

How to Choose Commercial Window Treatments

The most important aspect of commercial window treatments is ensuring that you can maintain the comfort of an office space. Window treatments should enhance a space by optimizing natural light and aligning well with the room environment. The room design will impact what kinds of colors, patterns and textures you incorporate with your window treatments. Although it may seem minor, you can maximize workers’ productivity by ensuring that they are comfortable.

Things to Consider When Choosing Commercial Window Treatments

There are many important factors to consider as you assess your office space. Window treatments affect how much and what kind of light enters a room, which sets the tone for decor and work environment for your employees. The proper lighting can boost morale and productivity, so you should think about all the factors that optimize the workspace. Here are nine things to consider when you choose commercial window treatments.

1. Light Control

Light control is the most apparent function of window treatments and is typically high on the list of requirements. There are many reasons to take advantage of natural light during the day, from cost efficiency to a boost in morale. Research has found employees in daylit offices reported an overall 84% reduction in blurred vision, eyestrain and headaches, which can negatively impact productivity. You can create a cheerful atmosphere simply by relying more on natural lighting than artificial overhead lighting.

Though natural light is excellent for setting the mood, it also poses some challenges. Most obviously, too much natural light may cause a glare on computer screens. This inhibits a worker’s ability to concentrate, as they may have to either adjust their computer to accommodate the light, move to a different station or stop working altogether. Adjustable light control allows you to manage how much light enters a room to maintain the perfect balance of cheerfulness and practicality.

Other situations require a dark room for optimal results. For example, a meeting space where you use projectors to facilitate a conversation will need a darker room for everyone to see the presentation. Though this meeting space could be without windows, you eliminate the option to use the room as a multi-purpose area with natural lighting. Therefore, window coverings that let in some light while also giving you the option to darken the room completely may be the best option.

2. Prewiring

Prewiring refers to the installation of cables or wires during the construction of a home or building. There are many different types of wires that you may have installed at the time of construction to help facilitate the space’s development. Motorized window treatments, for example, are wires that you can have embedded during construction to keep them hidden and out of the way.

When you get new windows or treatments, you can have the wires for specific functions installed before the windows are put into place. Whether you opt for automated screens or motorized window blinds, the wiring for those functions can be hidden in the construction.

3. Automation

Innovative solutions have brought the opportunity for automated window treatments. These motorized options allow you to optimize your energy efficiency by automatically opening and closing at your set times. You can link them to your smart controls that also turn off lighting, for example, to synchronize your office space. Automated treatments allow you to maximize productivity by ensuring that the default setting for lighting in your workspace each day is already set.

Automated window treatments also decrease energy bills. Notice which parts of the office get warmest and at what time of the day, and you can set a schedule for your commercial blinds to be lowered during those periods to decrease the amount of sunlight entering that area. Conversely, reduce your heating bills in colder months by setting your blinds to automatically during periods with more sunlight.

4. UV Protection

Rain or shine, UV rays are a risk that you encounter every single day. You are at the highest risk of damaging exposure to UV rays when the sun is highest in the sky, as its light is most direct during those hours.

Your skin is not the only thing at risk. Natural fabrics fade more quickly than synthetic fabrics. These natural materials, such as cotton, wool or silk, may experience irreversible damage when exposed to sunlight or heat for long periods. This becomes relevant as you consider the kind of office furniture you use in your office, as well as the carpet or window treatment.

UV protection on windows has become increasingly popular as more buildings and cars protect against the sun. UV protection on your windows can save you money in the long run and help you maintain the atmosphere of your office for longer by avoiding sun damage. You can still enjoy natural light with UV protection on the windows, but you minimize the risk to your skin and fabrics.

5. Window Direction

Window placement hugely impacts the influence that the window can have on a room. For example, east-facing windows will let in more natural light in the mornings, whereas west-facing windows will be brighter in the evenings. If you have workers who come in during the early hours of the day, then the east-facing windows may pose issues to productivity because of screen glare. Windows facing east or west should be treated differently than those facing north or south.

East- and west-facing windows typically have more adjustable window treatments. This allows you to control the amount of light in the room more effectively to optimize worker productivity and morale. You should also carefully consider the materials you use as treatments, as UV rays may damage some products more quickly than others. Your window treatment should allow you to light your office more effectively for you and your workers.

6. Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is becoming an increasingly important consideration for many businesses as they consider the best window treatments for their office. The initial investment in the windows must prove itself worthwhile in the long run, and energy-efficient windows offer tons of savings on heating and cooling and maintenance.

Energy-efficient products are not arbitrary. The following are three factors to consider when assessing which treatment to select: R-Value, materials used for the area’s treatment and construction. The R-Value measures heat transference through a window treatment, and a higher value means more insulation.

The materials used to create the product also contribute to its efficacy, as different thicknesses will function differently. Finally, the construction and design of the area surrounding the window impact how the treatment looks and functions on the window.

You can save money by investing in energy-efficient window treatments. During seasons when you have the heat turned on, windows lose about 30% of heat through windows. In cooling seasons, over 75% of sunlight becomes heat. Energy-efficient window treatments can save you hundreds on heating and cooling by retaining the heat produced inside and reducing the impact of sunlight on internal temperature.

7. Cleaning and Maintenance

An essential part of choosing window treatments is ensuring that you can clean them with available resources. You risk wasting time and money if you select window treatments that are extremely difficult to clean or maintain. Investing in wooden treatments, for example, may overdraw your budget because of the specific materials needed to maintain it properly or because you must hire an outside company to clean them for you.

If you are looking for low-maintenance window coverings, consider the material composition of the product and the shape of the treatment. Horizontal surfaces allow dust to build up and are tedious to clean, so avoid them if you are looking for quick cleaning options. Materials that can be easily cleaned with lint rollers or a vacuum cleaner will be the lowest-maintenance options, so consider the resources you have available before committing to a material that will require you to spend more money on cleaning supplies.

8. Durability and Sustainability

A common trend for window treatments is an increased focus on durability and sustainability to ensure that the products have a long lifetime and are not harmful to the planet. A common question among buyers is how long the product will last on the purchase and the return on their investment.

Durable materials are those which can withstand day-to-day wear and tear. Window coverings with these solutions ensure that your window coverings will last longer and prevent you from needing to purchase new coverings shortly after you make your purchase.

Inevitably, you will have to replace the window coverings at some point. The durable materials ensure that this purchase will be years later. Still, as climate conservation becomes a higher priority for increasing people, it is important to consider what happens to those coverings after they are discarded. There are window coverings available made of biodegradable materials that are less harmful to the environment than synthetic materials that take centuries to degrade.

Committing to sustainable products is not a sacrifice in energy efficiency. Natural fibers make up many eco-fibers that endure the same wear and tear as the competing materials. Whether you opt for recyclable materials, such as organic materials like cotton or hemp, or organic materials repurposed from other products, you can reduce your business’s carbon footprint by committing to building supplies that are not harmful to the environment.

9. Safety and Commercial Building Codes

As you consider the window treatments for your commercial site, you must remember to understand your state’s safety regulations and building codes. These requirements are in place to ensure safety for you, your workers and guests who may enter the space. Different states have different requirements for window treatments, so you should talk to the building contractor to get a thorough understanding of the guidelines you need to follow to avoid penalties or fines.

Some window treatments are not safe to use on some windows. In the case of an emergency, a window may be the best or only way to escape from the building. Some treatments prevent you from easily exiting through the window, which creates a hazard for the building occupants. It would be best if you also considered the flammability of the materials used for the treatments. Building codes ensure that all occupants adhere to safe practices, so refer to your state’s codes to understand the regulations.

Types of Commercial Window Treatments

As you consider which features are most important for your office windows, you should understand what types of treatments are available to you. Here are three standard window treatments that you can customize with materials and shape to fit your needs.

1. Blinds

Blinds are incredibly versatile and can match the aesthetic of any workspace. Allure Window Treatments hand-crafted wood blinds as well as durable aluminum blinds. With high-quality hardwood and various natural stains, you can make your office feel warm and cozy. Aluminum blinds are highly durable and offer a clean, modern look to the space. They provide exceptional light control for areas that need adjustment.

The shape also allows versatility. In addition to the standard horizontal blinds, Allure offers vertical blinds that are great for light control and privacy. These blinds come in multiple textures and patterns that enhance the pre-established aesthetic.

2. Shades

Although they may look similar to the untrained eye, the commercial window shades offered by Allure Window Treatments each provide different functionalities and styles. From UV protection to light control, different styling of shades allows you to meet your office space’s needs. Allure also offers motorization of shades, so if you are looking to optimize your investment, motorization is a great way to be energy-efficient.

3. Curtains and Drapes

Drapes are incredibly durable and easy to make out of natural materials. With multiple options for materials, you can easily find sustainable variations that match your vision for your dream office space. Drapes also cover blank parts of the wall, which means you can spend less on interior decor and more on finding practical ways to bring the office space alive.

Placement of Commercial Window Treatments

Different types of window treatments cater to different kinds of windows more effectively than others. Here are four kinds of windows you may have in your office that you should consider.

1. Office Door Window

Office door windows, though small, can play a significant role in privacy in the office. Blinds are highly effective for these, as they are narrow and can sustain consistent door movement. Easily open or shut the blinds to invite people in or discourage them from entering your office.

2. East or West-Facing Window

Because of sun movement, east- and west-facing windows likely require the most attention throughout the day. Automated shades or blinds make maintenance of these windows easy to avoid the rising morning sun or evening golden hour from creating a glare on computer screens. Natural light will still be able to enter the room, but you don’t have to worry about an excess of light.

3. North or South-Facing Window

Because the sun movement does not impact north- and south-facing windows as heavily, you have more options for creative freedom. You can include drapes or curtains to bring life to those areas or take advantage of UV protection from a different window treatment.

4. Meeting Room Window

Meeting room windows often require darkened spaces because of presentations that occur in those spaces. To see a projector, the room must be dark. Room darkening blinds or shades are, therefore, the perfect option for these spaces. During the presentation, you can remove the natural light and draw attention to the screen. After it concludes, open them up and let the sunshine pour in.

Contact Allure Window Treatments

If you’re interested in new window treatments for your business, you can schedule a free consultation with Allure Window Treatments! We work with a team of interior designers to determine the best options for your windows that align with your priorities. Our wide variety of products allows you to make your office space a productive area that boosts your workers’ motivation.

You can reach us today by phone at 215-463-0440 or through their contact form on their website.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]