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Covering windows with blinds is not a new concept by any means. And if you think you know when they originated, you might be off by a few hundred years.

We remember blinds being popular in the 1930s and ’40s when they were called Venetian blinds with two-inch, wooden, painted slats that were hard to clean. After that, there was a wave of popularity with blinds of the mini variety in the ’80s. These were aluminum, baked-enamel painted, 1-inch slats.

But did you know that blinds were used in the 1700s in the Georgian Era? They started in Europe as shutters, then turned into two-inch wood slats and were brought to the U.S. in the early 1700s. Yet, that wasn’t the origin of blinds. Ancient Egyptians used woven reeds to make blinds and in China woven bamboo was used as blinds to cover openings.

So what am I getting at? Simply that blinds have been around for a very long time and are still used extensively today — for good reason, too. Let’s explore some of the assets.

• Blinds offer a geometric elegance to any window. The consistency of horizontal lines both from an inside and an outside viewpoint is attractive.

• Wide slats resemble shutters without costing as much as shutters.

• They are available in a variety of colors.

• They are up and off the floor for easy carpet/floor cleaning. Sometimes draperies can get in the way of the vacuum or the mop.

Blinds also offer privacy when closed. This is accomplished if the rout holes, through which the cords are threaded, are placed at the back. With blinds, you can control the light coming in from the sun by tilting the slats.

Some blinds come in dust-repellent paints, which keeps the dust to a minimum.

For a newsletter of “Window Types with Treatment Suggestions,”, send $3 plus a long, self-addressed stamped envelope to L&M Publications, PMB 229, P.O. Box 413005, Naples 34103-3005. Be sure to mention the title.

Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, a Naples interior designer, is the author of “Mystery of Color,” available at www.amazon.com and at www.barnesandnoble.com.