Window treatments can contribute to the mood, provide comfort and security, and regulate a room’s temperature. There are different types of treatments available, and choosing the best one for your home requires you to consider several things before committing to one solution. Here are things you should answer before buying custom blinds and shades or window treatments for your rooms.
1. Should I choose blinds or shades?
Although used interchangeably, the terms ‘blinds’ and ‘shades’ generally refer to different things. Blinds have individual slats which can adjust up and down or tilt side to side. These features allow you to regulate the amount of sunlight entering a room. Meanwhile, shades are in one piece and can be adjusted up and down only.
2. What type of blinds fit my room?
If you have decided to use blinds, you must still determine the type which you will get. There are various types, like vertical blinds, Venetian, mini or micro, panel, and even smart blinds.
The most popular style is Venetian blinds, which consist of horizontal slats attached with a string or with strips of cloth. When you raise these blinds, the bottom slat presses into the one above it. Smaller than Venetian blinds are mini and micro variants, which are anywhere from one inch to half an inch thick.
If you’re looking to cover a patio door or large windows, you might want to choose panel blinds. These feature sections that move on a track, which lets you open and close the blinds quickly.
For homes with the capacity for it, smart or motorised blinds are a great option. This type of window treatment syncs with a smartphone application can be programmed to close or open at certain hours of the day. If you’re not keen on spending so much for window treatments, you can retrofit your home with controllers, which give ordinary blinds the same features you would get from smart blinds.
3. What type of shade fits my room?
Just like with blinds, there are a variety of shades you could use. Pleated shades, for example, form an accordion-like pattern you can lower or raise. They have a “softer” look compared to Venetian blinds since these are typically paper or fabric.
If you want thermal or sound insulation, you could choose cellular shades. These look like the pleated variant, but the middle opens into a pocket that provides padding.
For homes with a specific aesthetic, Roman or roller shades might be a great choice. Roman shades are jute or seagrass and are mechanically similar to Venetian blinds. Note that though this type offers a timeless look, they take away a portion of the viewable space at the top of a window.
Meanwhile, roller blinds or shades are perfect for modern, minimalist homes. You can combine this window treatment with stylish accessories like valances, cornices and fascias, which provide a polished look and hide the components and machinery.
You can also have additional features like thermal linings or blackout fabric, though this type of window covering can come in a wide range of natural or synthetic materials.
Finally, if your home has a casual or country aesthetic, you might want to consider tie-up shades. These are a cross between curtains and shades and are available in a wide variety of materials. Tie-up shades consist of a single piece of fabric that you can tie from the bottom using two thinner strips of cloth. You can roll up the shade and secure it in place, perfectly marrying form and function.
4. Should my coverings be all-natural?
Many people choose blinds made from wood, metal, paper, and organic fabric. One of the most popular choices is wood; they have natural beauty and come in a variety of stains and colours.
Since wood blinds fit a range of styles, you can use them in both contemporary and traditional builds. A downside to this material is that it can be susceptible to splitting, warping, or breaking, and it is not the best material to use if you live somewhere with high humidity.
If you want something lightweight and quiet, paper shades are a great choice. These usually have different decorative motifs featuring pictures or paintings. You could also go for natural types like ones made from cotton, jute, and seagrass.
Natural shades are relatively easy to clean and are available as roller, Roman, or tie-up shades. Though they are practical and durable, they are not as colourfast as other types, so it’s important to choose shades in colours that won’t fade as much over time.
5. Are synthetic materials a better option?
If you prefer low-maintenance window treatments, you could opt for blinds or shades in synthetic materials. These have the same functionality and look as natural coverings, but they are more practical for several reasons.
Plastic blinds are among the most practical types of window covering. There are various colours and sizes of plastic blinds, and they are among the most affordable window treatments you could use. You can fit this in any room, but they provide a rather clinical finish to the space. Furthermore, plastic blinds are typically thin, which means they can grow brittle and get damaged easily over time.
If you’re looking for a more luxurious look for your room, you can opt for faux wood blinds. This window treatment mimics the look of natural wood, but you can put this in bathrooms and highly humid living spaces.
Another option would be to go for metal blinds. These offer a similar look to plastic blinds and can come in a large variety of finishes. These are great for bathrooms and other humid areas.
Also, metal blinds come in different gauges, which offer various levels of sturdiness. Smaller-gauge blinds are thicker and have durable slats. Some people find the propensity of metal blinds to create noise a downside to using them, so you might want to think about that before committing.
Finally, you could choose synthetic fabrics for custom blinds and shades, which are among the most popular materials for tie-up, roller blinds, or Roman shades. Like natural fabrics, you can clean these window coverings easily. They are also quite durable. An advantage synthetic materials have over natural ones is that they are highly resistant to fading. Since they are more colourfast than natural fabric, you can use them longer, which means more significant savings over time.
Conclusion
Choosing the best window treatments for your home requires a little forethought. There is a wide array of materials and types available for custom blinds and shades, in all sorts of combinations, so you should have a good idea of what each style would look like as a backdrop for your room. To help you decide, consult an interior designer or a supplier of custom blinds.
Ensure that you have the best window treatments for your home when you purchase from No Bull Blinds. We are a leading supplier of custom blinds and shades in Sydney, with a customer-first approach to providing made to measure coverings for residential and commercial purposes. Book a consultation or contact us for a free online quote today!