Buyers Guide
On the hunt for the best window blinds for your space? Use our expert guide
Buyer's guide to window blinds.
On the hunt for the best window blinds for your space? Use our expert guide to find the right way to dress your windows.
Whatever look you want to achieve with window treatments, a blind is sure to enhance your room scheme. Tactile Roman blinds will add texture and warmth to a relaxed living room scheme, smart roller blinds bring a splash of colour to a kitchen and Venetians can shade the sun's glare in an extension.
Most blind types are versatile enough to work in any room; used singly they are a neat, architectural solution to dressing a window, layered with curtains or a second blind they'll bring an extra dimension to your decore.
BUY THE BEST ROLLER BLINDS
Roller blinds are chic, simple and they come in a vast array of colours and patterns with shading options ranging from sheer right through to blackout.
Our roller blinds are cost effective as well as looking sleek and sophisticated. Go for a perfect fit or a made to measure blind.
For flexibility, consider a double blind with a sheer fabric behind a blackout one or a 'day and night' shade with adjustable fabric slats. If your room faces a busy street, get the privacy you need with a bottom up blind, where the roller sits on the window ledge, or select a half and half blind, with translucent mesh above a solid fabric.
There are water-resistant PVC blinds for a bathroom and thermal blinds for a chilly bedroom, the options are endless.
CHOOSE VERSATILE VENETIAN BLINDS
Great for south-facing or overlooked rooms, Venetian blinds allow you to control both the amount of light and the level of privacy simply by tilting the slats.
Wooden Venetian blinds have a back-to-nature beauty that's hard to beat. You'll find natural, stained and painted finishes, wide slats up to 70mm will give a room contemporary appeal.
Aluminium blinds come with super-slim slats for a minimalist look and have the advantage of shrugging off moisture so they're a good choice for bathrooms and shower rooms. Or get the best of both worlds by selecting wood-effect blinds, such as Fauxwood from Blindz. Which are made from a pvc fake wood but have a wood grain finish.
OPT FOR PRACTICAL PLEATED BLINDS
These have a softer appearance than roller blinds, allowing light to filter through, unless you pick a blackout version.
Blinds with single pleats such as plisse are supported by wires running across the blind. Those with double pleats such as Duette have a honeycomb design, trapping air between the two layers to keep out the cold.
Pleated blinds come in a wide choice of colours, patterns and textured finishes. Some versions sit neatly within the glass panes rather than covering the entire window frame; these are a good option for tilt and turn windows.
For ultimate flexibility, select pleated blinds that can can be lowered from the top and raised from the bottom so you can choose your level of privacy.
PICK PRETTY ROMAN BLINDS
Whether you're after a relaxed, coastal look or a more formal effect, a Roman blind is up for the challenge. Cords at the back draw them up into large, soft pleats, bringing a sumptuous extra element of furnishing to a room. Add contrast borders to draw attention to the pleated edges.
These blinds are often lined, which improves the way the pleats fall; if you want to keep draughts out and the warmth in, opt for interlining as well.
INVEST IN SMART VERTICAL BLINDS
However wide the window, a vertical blind can be made up to fit, and they can be designed to fit sloping windows, too.
Consisting of individual slats that clip on to a track, and joined at the bottom by chains, vertical blinds pivot open or closed, or can be drawn right back. They can be stacked to the left or right, or part in the centre.
Both smooth louvres and woven, textured finishes are available in myriad colours. Choose water-resistant vertical blinds for a wet room, or practical blackout versions for the bedroom.
