How to Match Blinds to your Home or Office

A great design can be ruined by a simple flaw. It's all in the details and a little mismatched part can bring the entire concept down. Functionality is important especially at work, but that does not mean you have to sacrifice the design aesthetics. After all, a room’s appearance always leaves an impression on people.

Finishing touches are as crucial as the main design. Doors and windows are usually part of these finishing touches. Blinds are usually added for practical purposes, but with so many variants available, they could also serve as key features or simple design accents. The Blind Factory, the leading producer of shutters and awnings in Melbourne, shares some insights on the basic shutter types you can use to accent your home or office.

Roman Blinds fold into pleats when raised. Sometimes called Roman shades or fabric shades, Roman blinds are designed with excess fabric, so that they overlap when closed. The hobbled design has a softened pleated look that adds to the insulating properties of the blinds when closed. They can be customised to perfectly fit your unusually sized or shaped windows. The Blind Factory's Roman blinds are available in screen, patterned, translucent, and 100% block-out fabrics that come in a wide array of colours and textures to help you create the exact decorative and light filtering effect you want.

Always found inside windows, Venetian Blinds consist of horizontal slats similar to Roman blinds. The horizontal slats of the Venetian Blinds are fitted one above the other, and can be adjusted for different levels of privacy or external light. Unlike Roman blinds, which have slats that can only be moved up or down, the slats of Venetian blinds can be adjusted at different angles without pulling it all the way up. These are practical and easy to clean. Wooden varieties are also available. At Melbourne's The Blind Factory, you can choose from 3 excellent alternatives; Painted Basswood (50mm & 63mm slats); Cedar (46mm & 6omm slats); and Visionwood (50mm & 63mm slats).

Plantation Shutters allow the free flow of air through its broad slats of wood while also creating shade. They are also ideal for unusually sized or shaped windows. Because of their design, they are often used for places that require more privacy like bathrooms and dressing rooms. Most of the time, plantation shutters are hinged, so that they can be pulled all the way open for additional ventilation. Some come in sets of hinged panels that are folded across the window, allowing people to fold part or all of the shutter back, depending on their needs. The Blind Factory's complete range of custom-made Timber Shutters, and venetian blinds are crafted from beautiful Basswood – a lightweight timber renowned for its lasting elegance, consistent grain, considerable stability, and outstanding resistance to bowing or warping.

Shop Smart for Blinds

When out shopping for blinds, whether purchasing blinds at the Sydney stores or buying blinds online, its good to ask yourself the following questions:

Is it a good buy?
You know its worth the money when the blinds you have are made of strong fabric and the pieces that hold it together should be durable and sound. Factor in repairs to the total cost before you decide to buy any set.


Is it true love?
Does the pattern reflect your design taste? Can you look at your window everyday in awe? Are your window blinds hard to resist? Does it complement your living space?

Your choice of blinds should foster happy and at-ease feelings within you.

Dressing Bay Windows with Blinds

One great window style can set the scene. Windows within a bay or bow require separate, but equal treatment. Working on dressing bay windows can also be a great exercise for your design eye.

So What's a Bay Window?
A Bay Window is a projected roofed structure that includes windows set at an angle.

Like multiple windows, there are many ways to treat Bay windows, depending on the look you want. To keep things clean, stick with trim shades or roman blinds. Or, outline those tailored treatments with fabric, such as custom-made blinds for that eye-catching flair for softness and color.

Blinds over Windows: Your Living Space Reinvented

Wherever you might live, your personal space continuously evolves with your changing lifestyle demands. As a basic rule to room makeovers, satisfy your basic comforts and functions first. A good spot to start with are your windows. Windows are the soul and soft spot to any home. And they deserve to be dressed well, if not elegantly in Roman blinds. If elegance is not your cup of tea, then go eclectic with Vertical blinds, neutral with Venetian Blinds or casual cool with Roller Blinds.

One of the most versatile ways to dress up your windows is by experimenting with blinds. Window Blinds can give a room a more inviting intimacy.