Questions on Window Treatments with Kids and Cats

We have two kids (5 and 3) and two cats with claws. We got wood blinds from Hunter Douglass when we moved in our house and I do love them. I have had no problem with the kids or cats pulling at the strings but our cats are a bit older and don't play as much. The blinds get dusty but that is my only complaint. I don't think they are that heavy to raise up and down. We bought the blinds from Viking blinds and they have provided very good service. We had to get one of the blinds cords fixed and all we had to do was bring in the blind and they shipped it off to Hunter Douglass to get fixed. Also they provided a service to take the blinds down and put back up when we had new windows installed.

With kids and pets, the few cords you have, the better. Hunter Douglas offers LiteRise on their wood blinds, which is a cordless lifting system. You can choose a wand tilt, to eliminate all cords, which cats seem to love! The wood blinds to require dusting, but are treated to repel dust. The darker the stain, the more you see the dust. As was mentioned, wood blinds are heavy if you have large windows; tilting them open and closed is best, but the LiteRise system is great since there isn't a cord to wear out when lifting them each day!

Drapes with grommets are another option. You may want to select something washable, or something with a pattern, as they will get dirty from grabbing the fabric to move them across the window each day. You could do the wood blinds with decorative side panels, as well. Depending on the fabric you select, the cats may or may not mar them. A tight weave, or even a faux suede will be your best option. Tons of options, depending on your budget!

T. Larsen, ASID
Interior Designer
http://www.tlarsendesign.com

My husband has two rotten cats. They love to play with the blind strings. They chew on them. We just tuck the strings up under the valance. If your cats still play they will probably notice the strings at some point.

I can't really help except for one word of caution, Wood blinds are HEAVY! Unless your going for vertical blinds of course, but horizontal wood blinds are very hard to raise.