Deciding
on buying blinds per se is just the first step in enhancing
the look and feel of your rooms. Window coverings such as
wooden shutters can be prohibitively expensive and can take
a long time to be delivered and fitted since many of them
are made overseas. Curtains can sometimes be hard to find
in the right size let alone the right colour, pattern or
texture. Curtains can also work out to be relatively expensive,
particularly if they are custom made, lined, or have a blackout
backing to them. Blinds are widely available, are flexible
in their applications, are easy to install and operate,
and they look good for a long time. How can you be sure
therefore that you’re buying the right blinds?
Choosing
Your Blind Company and Your Blinds
Finding
a good blind company
can be the best way to get reliable helpful guidance on
what blinds to buy. A high quality blind
company will feature advice on their website e.g. about
how to measure for blinds in the first place. Being able
to call a blind
company may save a lot of trouble in researching the
possibilities for your interior design. They may be able
to advise you what type / style, colour, and fabric are
best for what window or what room. If a blind
company can show you recent testimonials e.g. on the
website, this may be a good way of allowing you to gauge
the level of service and product quality that that you are
likely to get.
Knowledge
of the different types of blinds
available and how they operate may also help to guide your
choice. Roller blinds are pulled down from a roller fixed
above the window. Roman blinds are folded and pleated horizontally
at the top of the window and are also pulled down. Horizontal
and vertical blinds
consist of slats suspended from a head rail fixed above
the window. The blind mechanism allows the slats to be angled
in any position from fully closed to fully open. Vertical
blinds tend to have wider slats than horizontal blinds
and can therefore look less cluttered. The clean, vertical
lines they provide can make rooms seem taller and give the
room a greater feeling of space. Since the blind
slats hang vertically, they are less likely to have
dust settle upon them than horizontal blinds, and therefore
require less cleaning.