Beautiful Beige & the Freshest Spring Colors!

Beige Doesn’t Have to Mean Boring! When we think about beige, we often think dull, plain and cheap. But it just isn’t so! Beige is not just one blah tone used as a default choice for cheaply built apartments. It’s a variety of soft, subtle shades that can add dimension and beauty.The trick to using beige to make a sophisticated design statement is to really think about the variations of beige you want to use – including cream, tan, ivory, khaki, and tones that are tinted with gray, yellow or pink. The shade of beige you select can change the feeling of a room and even effect the perception of light. Beige can look fabulous in almost any type of architecture and interior design, and layering several shades of beige adds calmness and sophistication. Just about every variation of beige looks great with crisp white. And you can accessorize beige with red, pink, teal, aqua blue, dark brown or black.When you’re looking for a unique, new color, think shades of beige.

Don’t let the “beige is boring” crowd get in the way of considering it as a color for new window treatments. At Innovative Openings, we have fabric color choices that have been carefully considered and designed by Hunter Douglas and others to provide the perfect backdrop, and the perfect rendition of light. We think this color family’s combination of sophistication, neutrality and versatility mean that “beige is smart”!

A Beige Palette Allows Easy Updates for Spring! Shades of beige in your walls, window treatments, and investment furnishings provide a neutral background that gives you so much versatility! In the fall, we can add warm, deep and rustic accents in pillows, throws, flower arrangements and dried florals, and pillows. What a refreshing and easy swap to put away your warm, winter tones and bring out splashes of spring’s brighter hues! Add a fresh floral print in pillows, and pick up on the tones of the print in some simple accessories. Or make it a crisp geometric pattern, capitalizing on a favorite spring color; use a saturated, vivid shade and get crisp, high contrast; use muted shade and bring a more serene freshness to your room.

The world’s color authority, Pantone makes sure we know the trending shades for every new season. These colors will turn up in fashion and design at every level this spring, but since trending colors change all the time, you don’t want to make a huge investment. Simple changes can brighten your mood as well as your room, and with an elegant beige background, a noticeable change can be simple and low cost.

Emerald green, which was heralded as the 2013 color of the year back in January, is still here, but the gentler Grayed Jade may be just what the doctor ordered in your home. Lemon Zest has just enough red in it to make it invigorating without being too bold, and Monaco Blue could bring any of these colors back down to earth. Pair any of these with Linen, and they will be instantly calmed. But, don’t forget that with the neutral background we’ve been talking about, white in combination with any of these hues will have a “scrubbing” effect on your whole palette, making it look brighter and more crisp.

Count on finding home accessories showing off variations on Tender Shoots and Poppy Red, and any of the colors in this lineup. They will carry over into summer beautifully, and provide an infusion of energy for the warm season rendition of your rooms!

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We’ve seen a move toward downsizing, and smaller new homes being built, but along with that trend, a jewel-box approach to the finishing of those smaller spaces.  Lines may be simpler, but finishes are going big, bringing elegance through texture and sheen to smaller, more intimate settings.

This accent table is a good example of how gilded glass can make an appearance in any real home; a beautiful piece of jewlry for your room.

A big hit this year will be Verre Églomisé, an artful gilding of glass in which gold leaf (or other metals) is applied to the back side of glass a layer at a time to create a smooth, shimmery finish for mirrors, frames, screens and more. It doesn’t need to create a look like you might find at the Broadmoor Hotel, or Mozart’s sitting room… this beautiful little table is an excellent example of how understated verre églomisé might work in your home.

If you aren’t sure a gilded piece is for you (or even if you are!), you might want to bring a bit of shimmer to your room through your window treatments. Right in line with that jewel-box approach, Hunter Douglas’ Alustra collection of fabrics and finishes can introduce an understated elegance and metallic shimmer to your space. Think of metallics as sheen-y neutrals, after all, that’s what they really are! If you take away the sheen, you are left with an underlying tone that absolutely belongs in the neutral family. Put the sheen back in, and suddenly that neutral is elevated to a new status.

Alustra fabrics for Duette Architella offer so many choices for a soft shimmer in your room, and bring increased energy efficiency.

So go ahead! Indulge yourself! Let Innovative Openings help you create the warm, inviting space you’ve been dreaming of!

A sheeny white Luminette Privacy Sheer plays a perfect supporting role to a beautiful metal and glass table.

Beautiful finishes in harmony; shimmery gold Vignette with a beautiful natural, polished stone lamp base grounded with a dark wood finish table. Can’t you just see yourself here?

A pulled together, jewel-box look: warm metallic sculptural mirrow, small chest with mirrored drawer fronts, a cooler neutral Luminette drape balances our warm tones, and a wallpaper that pulls it all together.

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During this festive time of year, the inevitable entertaining that happens gets many of us frantic, with lists of all the things we’d like to do before the guests arrive. We plan our menus, give seldom seen areas an extra scrubbing, and read about the latest trends in food, fancy, and fun.

I see my home with new eyes when the calendar page turns to November and December… has that scratch on the edge of our sideboard always been there? This year, my family sat down to our Thanksgiving dinner- we eat the holiday meal early- and with no leaves on the trees outside, an almost blinding shaft of sunlight suddenly beamed through our dining room window, causing everyone on one side of the table to squint and shield their eyes. I got up and closed the blinds, wishing I had something that would still let the lovely light in, but tame it… and made a mental note to think ahead before the next big day arrived.

The holiday entertaining season is the perfect time to consider updating or even repairing your window treatments. That extra bit of polish and sparkle as you welcome your guests feels so good, and it’s a treat for yourself that will last throughout the year. Take control of your atmosphere! Create a soft glow during daytime hours with a light-filtering treatment, or high drama with deep colored or light blocking blinds or shades.

Maybe all you need is a sprucing up… at Innovative Openings, we offer complete repair service. We are a Hunter Douglas Certified Repair Center, and we also service and repair most types of blinds and shades, including many we don’t sell. Maybe your blinds need restringing. Maybe your operating system needs some attention. With a little cleaning and/or repair, your existing window treatments could look like brand new additions!

We elevate the level of window treatment shopping to an indulgence, with Shop-at-Home service brought right to your door, and an exciting new showroom where you can try out all of the latest products and operating systems. If repairs are what you’re looking for, we make it as painless as possible. You can drop off your blinds or shades at our Louisville facility, or call us to bring out a service van that can make many repairs on-site, and if your situation calls for it, can bring your window treatments right to our repair facility and back again.

Why not give yourself the gift of beautiful, functional window coverings this holiday season? It’s easier than you may have thought, and it will add beauty, comfort and value to your home, far beyond the holidays.

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Hard-wired motorized products require very specific knowledge to effectively sell, detail and manage each project.  Hunter Douglas has recently upgraded their motorization program with the availability of highly technical hard-wired motorization and control solutions for an array of Hunter Douglas products.  Hunter Douglas limits the distribution of these products to those Hunter Douglas dealers who are committed to completing significant and ongoing motorization-specific training, displaying hard-wired motorized products to the consumer and remaining committed to project excellence throughout the project life-cycle.

Hard-wired Hunter Douglas solutions now available from Innovative Openings:

• Alustra® Duette® Architella® honeycomb shades
• Alustra® Screen Shades
• Alustra® Silhouette® window shadings
• Alustra® Vignette® Modern Roman Shades
• Alustra® Woven Textures®
• Designer Roller Shades
• Designer Screen Shades
• Duette® Architella® honeycomb shades
• Duette® honeycomb shades
• Luminette® Modern Draperies
• Luminette® Privacy Sheers
• Provenance® Woven Wood Shades
• Silhouette® window shadings
• Vignette® Modern Roman Shades

Motorization Specialists for 31 years!

Innovative Openings understands all the nuts and bolts of installation and integrating these products with home automation systems?  Let us help you plan your upcoming motorization project.

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• Luminette Modern Drapery and Privacy Sheers combine a sheer and drapery into a single product.  Luminette modern draperies are available in an array of beautiful fabric and can change from translucent to opaque  with the twist of a wand.  Luminette Privacy Sheers are made with a beautiful sheer fabric that provides total privacy when vertical louvers close behind the the sheer.
• Vignette Traversed Vertiglide has the look of a traditional drapery without all of the bulk.  This drapery solution is ideal for drapery applications that lack the stack space for traditional draperies.  Easy operation and fast delivery make this a perfect way to dress up any sliding glass door.
• Skyline Gliding Panels provide a beautiful traversing solution for large glass walls.  Many downtown loft buildings have wall of glass with no room for window treatments to stack.  The gliding fabric panels can be made with beautiful decorative fabrics, natural woven wood styles and solar screen fabric panels.
• Traversing honeycomb shades have been around for 20 years, but there are more styles and options than ever.  Duette Architella Vertiglide provides an excellent insulating barrier for cold sliding glass door applications.

Sometimes you need to touch and feel these products to really appreciate the design advantages.  Visit our new factory showroom in Louisville, Colorado.

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 “There has been a dramatic increase in Colorado consumers using the internet to research the product solutions and select the company they want to do business with,” said Rick Pease, co-owner of Innovative Openings.  “Consumers decide whom they want to do business with and don’t want to drive all over town to hunt for the perfect window covering or awning solution. They want personalized design consultations, measuring, installation and repairs done in the convenience of their own homes.” 

 Innovative Openings is making a number of changes to increase in-home service capacity, streamline scheduling, and reduce custom product lead-times.  Staffing is being increased at our Louisville headquarters to handle more phone calls and schedule appointments immediately while consumers are on the phone.  “We will have 35% more design appointment capacity to meet customers at times that fit their busy lifestyles,” said Pease.  Innovative Openings has expanded repair capacity by establishing an in-house repair facility in Louisville to service most blinds and shades in 48-72 hours without having to order parts or send them back to a supplier.

To implement these plans, Innovative Openings is consolidating all of our resources into our 11,000 sq. ft. Louisville corporate office, showroom, and service center (667 S. Pierce Ave., Louisville, CO 80027).  The Innovative Openings Louisville factory showroom is being expanded and remodeled to provide the most exciting, up to date showroom in the state.  Centennial and Boulder showrooms and employees will relocate to Louisville over the next two months as the showroom remodel is completed.  In-house appointments and consultation are available immediately by calling 303-665-1305.

ABOUT INNOVATIVE OPENINGS, INC.
Innovative Openings, Inc. is Colorado’s leading retailer of installed high performance window treatments and shading systems for the residential and commercial markets.  Innovative Openings has been servicing the Colorado front- range and resort markets since 1980.  Insolroll Window Shading Systems, our manufacturing division, fabricates solar screen shades, patio shades, and black out shades in our 32,000 sq. ft. facility next to the Innovative Openings Louisville showroom and service center.  Innovative Openings features products from many of the finest window covering and shading manufacturers in the United States including; Hunter Douglas, Insolroll, Woodfold Shutters, Durasol Awnings, Levolor Kirsch, and others.

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New Structure-type retractable awnings are designed to cover these same decks or patios with a self-supporting leg structure or mount over an existing pergola structure. These new constant tension awning units are all motorized and are designed to handle the elements better than the lateral-arm style awnings. Single units are available up to 16 feet x 16 feet and a triple unit can handle areas up to 48 feet wide.

More types of retractable awnings are starting to show up in the United States. One recent innovation, the SeaShell awning has revolutionized patio shading. This awning has spokes like a bike tire that extend up to 16 feet. SeaShell awnings can cover 1/4 circle, 1/2 circle, 3/4 circle, and a complete circle area.

Let’s get your outdoor party started!

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Beautiful awning fabrics enhance the look of a home or restaurant while providing excellent UV and heat protection. Sunbrella fabric, our premiere awning fabric has been proven to provide up to 98 percent protection from the sun’s harmful effects when used in shade applications. After passing rigorous testing, Sunbrella fabrics earned the “Seal of Recommendation” by the Skin Cancer Foundation, the only global organization concerned exclusively with cancer of the skin. As a result, you know that you and your family can enjoy the outdoors while being safe from the sun.

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The Window Covering Manufacturer Association (WCMA) in conjunction with Consumer Product Safety Commission has re-written the manufacturing standards for corded window coverings. The implementation of the new standards is in two phases with the first phase requiring compliance to the new standards for Roman Shades and the second requiring compliance of all other corded window treatments. The objective of the new standard is to reduce the possibility of injury, including strangulation, to young children from the bead chain, cord, or any type of flexible loop device used to operate a window covering.

Innovative Openings has always offered quality window covering products with enhanced child safety features. The new safety standards require manufacturers, retailers, and installers to all participate to make sure that window coverings are manufactured to the highest safety standards, consumers are educated on the choices available, and installers install them in the manner that they were designed for. In addition, consumers should consider child accessibility to any exposed window covering cords, placement of cribs or beds away from windows and even the dangers of the window itself to reduce potential child safety risks.

The fabrication of roman style shades (fabric roman shades and natural woven wood shades) has changed to prevent “rear” cords from being pulled away from the shade to create a hazardous loop. In addition, the “front” operating cord system has been re-defined to prevent hazardous loops as well.  More information on Child Safety and the specifics of the new standard are available at the Consumer Product Safety Council website http://www.cpsc.gov/ & the WMCA website http://www.wcmanet.org/wcmastandard.html.

Innovative Openings has been working with roman shade manufacturers to insure that every product that we sell is compliant with then new standards before the December 3, 2010 deadline. “Several of our key roman shade suppliers have been proactive with product changes and have assured us that their products are 100% compliant with the new standards,” according to Rick Pease, Co-owner of Innovative Openings, Inc. “The exciting part of these changes is seeing all of the new innovative solutions coming to market.”

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Innovative Openings is a 30-year- old locally owned and operated business with window treatment customers throughout Colorado.  “Our long-term employees help us make a difference with our customers”, says Rick Pease co-owner.   ”The company’s business philosophy is all about customer service and doing the right thing for the customer.  We work hard for our customers to make sure we sell the perfect product for the every application.”

Providing quality repair service has become more important in today’s economy.  To take our service to the next level, Innovative Openings has expanded our repair department and become a Hunter Douglas Authorized Service Center to provide faster warranty service for our customers.  In addition, Innovative Openings provides repair and warranty service for other consumers and retailers.

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