By now, homeowners and office designers will find hundreds of bamboo patterns are now available due to the increasing popularity of bamboo shades. These patterns can look distinct and unique, but when incorporated into making bamboo shades, they can also create incomparable styles and technical effects. Lighting, degrees of privacy, and function are the results and being just as important as looks are.

Matchstick is one of the basic bamboo materials. The matchstick bamboo shades, being as thin as a matchstick, can fit into any decor because it is available in several colors, or different combinations of two or more colors. In addition, different thread colors can be incorporated in the matchstick bamboo to add variety. It is advisable to be aware that due to the separation that exists between the "sticks", matchstick bamboo shades provided a lower degree of privacy and light control. The end user has a large selection to choose from because matchstick colors and threads can be combined and interchanged.

When it comes to shades that use raw bamboo, like tortoise shell bamboo shades, the larger sticks used to manufacture them greatly enhance their beauty, resulting in a color and design scheme that can only be accomplished by using a natural product. More privacy is possible by using bigger sticks when making a bamboo shade.

Some bamboo shades are made from "tubes" of natural bamboo, which gives them an aesthetically beautiful appearance. These "tubes" are part of the natural bamboo plant; their appearance has not been altered, and often have splices that make the sticks appear longer. Unlike the bamboo shades using tortoise shell bamboo, this combination of splices and randomly assembled sticks do give less privacy and light control. The beauty and effect of bamboo shades are very unique.

With privacy being a desirable and essential factor for the majority of consumers, a bamboo shade with a privacy weed incorporated is available. This means that the bamboo sticks that will be used to make the shade must be woven in such a manner that they overlap each other, thus eliminating any gaps that can create privacy issues or allow light to come through.

The grass weave shade is another type of bamboo shade. The grass weaves, being made of natural grasses, are grouped with bamboo shades because of its natural appearance and not because it is made from the bamboo plant. Although grass weave shades have beauty in design and looks, bamboo shades are more superior in providing light control management and privacy.

The two essential elements in the selection of bamboo shades are aesthetic appearance and effect creation. The decorative beauty of bamboo shades is more of a factor than practicality of light control, privacy, and function. The window treatment industry offers privacy and blackout liners as solutions to the lack of privacy and lack of light control that are sometimes sacrificed, but are important factors in choosing bamboo shades. These linings are used to cover the entire surface of the back of the bamboo shade, offering the consumer a wider selection of colors and patterns without interfering with the overall function of the shade. Lined bamboo shades and grass weave shades are becoming more and more popular with homeowners.

To sum it all up, there is a large enough selection of shades that have the right patterns, colors, weaves, and linings so that you never have to sacrifice privacy and light control to obtain the overall effect you desire. It is unsurprising that, within the United States and through out the world, bamboo shades have risen rapidly as among the most popular types of window treatments.