HOW TO DRESS YOUR WINDOWS – BLINDS

Blinds are incredibly versatile and can vary in style from traditional to modern while fitting a variety of budgets. They’re often considered a lesser option to curtains in terms of bringing cosiness to the room. However, with the wide choice of fabrics on the market today they are not only just as stylish as curtains, but they also take up less space in the room and are much cheaper to use due to less fabric.

The two major types of blinds are roman and roller, and they are as far from each other as two things can be. That’s why our interior designers advise you to make sure you choose the one that suits your home interior!

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Temza Design Studio think Roman blinds are ideal for a classic and elegant style, complementing traditional homes perfectly. It’s made up of folds that can lower section by section, controlling the level of light that enters the room. You can see this used for our Penthouse Renovation Project located in Central London, prone to a lot of light. They can be sheer as well as blackout, depending on the chosen fabric. Keep in mind that you will see the horizontal rods through the sheer fabric if this is your chosen option! A good curtain maker always lines up these rods with the natural partitions in the glazing, so it looks as invisible as possible.

You might pair a blackout curtain and sheer roman blind, or layer two roman blinds on top of each other they create the desired effect. Our interior design team would always consult the curtain maker for each window and determine together with the client what suits each room. Consider the size of the window and its frame, as well as the function and orientation of the room. It’s not one-size-fits-all, and we think it’s best to get professional advice to assure you’re pleased with the outcome.

With a roman blind you have two options, you can either place it inside, or outside the window frame. Fixing inside the frame will usually keep more light out as there is less space between the wall and the blind, making it ideal for bedrooms. The downside is that it will permanently block the top of the window letting less light in at all times, which is why sometimes it’s better to fix it outside the frame!

With either choice, you should consider that it won’t allow 100% coverage, still allowing some daylight into the room. If you are aiming for a perfect black-out, our interior designers advise for a curtain.

Roller blinds are popular for many reasons; they are the most affordable solution, easy to use and are still customisable to a large degree. Of course there is a number of drawbacks our interior design team need to mention:

Unlike with curtains and roman blinds when you can choose any fabric, the choices are more limited as the fabric has to be specifically for this blind. Some blind fabrics can look almost plastic-like, so checking the samples in real life is an absolute must. Most brands still have a wide choice in terms of colours, patterns and textures. However, it’s far from the beauty of embroidered or applique fabrics that you can easily use for curtains or roman blinds.

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Roller blinds are not suitable for classic style interiors by themselves; however, using sheer roller blinds alongside Roman black-out blinds can be a great solution! Instantly, the roman blind covers the top of the roller blind hiding the modern-looking mechanism, resulting in a simple, flat, sheer surface. An ideal solution for a tight budget or if you prefer a cleaner look than Roman sheers can offer.

If you prefer to make your blinds more discreet – similarly as recessed curtain track we discussed in the previous post – you can always opt to hide the roll within a box inside the ceiling. This will allow for a tidier feel to your finished look. You can even go further with blind concealing by using Blindspace who we recommend for unique boxing. They’re designed to minimize the visual impact of the roller and hide it inside the ceiling.

In particular circumstances, for example, refurbishing an old property, you might end up with a window within the shower enclosure. While obscured glass is a suitable option here for privacy, you can also use a water-resistant roller blind. Also, to provide privacy will protect the window from the constant water damage. You do need to keep in mind that the fabric options are minimal, so it’s more of a practical than a decorative solution, but it’s worth considering to protect your windows!

If you want to opt for something modern, but a bit different, Plisse blinds is an option for you! With it’s zig-zag shaped fabric it’s something that people either love or hate.Note that they need to fit inside the window frame, and while they do some in sheer, as well as ‘blackout’ material, they will always let some light into the room. Light will inevitably sweep in through the holes for the thread that’s keeping the folds together.

Our interior design team hope that by covering the basics of window dressings from fabrics, curtains and blinds we gave you plenty to start off with your project! The final piece of our window dressing mini-series will be specifically about motorised systems! Check back next week if you’d like to learn more!

Top image by  Grants Blinds