subject: History of Blinds [print this page] Blinds are some of the most widely used material to cover the windows in homes, offices, kitchens etc. They vary in design and material, from wood to fabric, faux wood, metal, aluminum etc. Their name is derived from their purpose as they actively blind the vision of anyone looking through the window. Typically they come in two varieties these are solid and slat, normally slat blinds can be aligned along the vertical and horizontal while solid blinds are normally along the vertical axis in the form of rollers. It may seem surprising to a lot of people but blinds also have a long history related to them and this article just tells about the history of the blinds.
The first recorded use was by nomad tribes that roamed the deserts. They use to cover their windows with clothes to keep the hot sun out and in addition to that, they would sometimes wet the blind so that it would prevent the heat from entering from outside to the inside. Next, the use of blinds can also be seen by the Egyptians. The only difference is that they used reeds to block out the light not he clothes or sheets like the nomads did. This tradition of blinds can also be seen in china who tied together a number of bamboos to make this one blind in the same way the Persian were also the master of making blinds for their homes.
The blinds spread to Europe from Persia when the traders brought it to the Venice from the east. It was here that the name Venetian was coined because these blinds became quite fashionable here in this city. These early varieties were made from strips of cloth and were raised by a string connection to each slat. The classic styling of the Venetian blind has remained till now even. The only difference is that blinds of today are of metal or aluminum instead of fabric. These blinds also spread to Paris. However, it was in Britain where the first truly modern blind was produced in 1769. However, the blinds of that time could not be rotated like the blind of today. The first rotatable blind was introduced by John Hampson of New Orleans in 1841 and that method is still used today to rotate the blinds.
Since then small improvements have been made to the blinds, to make them more effective and cheaper, so that everyone can buy them. Therefore, Modern blinds are normally fitted so they fit into the window recess, up against the wall for a snug fit that will block the largest amount of light. The latest development in blinds has been automation. It means that the new blinds being installed now are motorized. We just have to press the button on the remote and the motor will do the rest of the job for you. In other words manual labor is not required and this motorized blinds are available in a number of material that is heat tolerating and is quite effective at blocking light.
