Blinds Buying Guide

Blinds set the style and tone of a house as well as providing privacy and insulation. You can control the amount of light that enters the room. Blinds can be easily maintained and can be dusted regularly with a feather duster or hand vacuum cleaner once in a while.

Roller Blinds

Roller blinds are one of the most popular ways to dress up your windows. They give you the best of both worlds, keeping the sunlight out and insulate against the cold, while giving an unobstructed view of the outside world. The blinds allow enough light in to allay the need for artificial light while maintaining privacy. Install a second block out blind to ensure the ultimate in nighttime privacy. They roll up around a rod at the top of the window when open and use a pulley or remote operating mechanism.

These are generally made of stiffer fabrics so that they fall better when shut. Try floral prints for your living room. You could opt for darker fabrics for the bedroom, which give more privacy.

Their simple operation makes them ideal for kids' rooms. When rolled up, they allow maximum light to enter the room making it very bright. You could have bright colours or funky prints for kiddie bedrooms and play areas.

Unlike curtains, roller blinds do not blow with the breeze. They rest directly on the frame of the window, which makes them convenient for the kitchen too.

Holland

The traditional Holland blinds that many of us grew up with have come a long way. The block-out blinds are available in a wide range of colours and fabrics and are chain operated. i seek blinds use fabrics that resist rot and mildew making them ideal for kitchens and bathrooms.

Venetian

Venetian blinds are horizontal strips of wood, aluminium or PVC that can open to a variety of angles using a control wand.

Traditional aluminium Venetian blinds are an affordable window covering and come in wide selection of colours and finishes which brighten up a room. You need to take care during the monsoons as aluminium blinds might rust.

Venetian blinds are also made from wood, giving the look of plantation shutterswithout the price tag. Wooden blinds give a classic look and make a room look warm and welcoming. Lacquered wooden blinds are low maintenance, whereas some wooden blinds require oiling about every six months. You need to take care during the monsoons as wooden blinds might warp.

Depending on the thickness of the strips, the blinds regulate the amount of light entering the room.

Roman

Roman blinds are soft fabric blinds that gather into pleats when raised, you can use this if you want to avoid curtains but still use fabric. The choice of fabric is vast to match current décor. Kresta Roman blinds can be made with a thermal block out lining to insulate against temperate and light, while offering night time privacy.

Aluminium rods are stitched to the back of the fabric, which help it roll up in folds when the blind is open. The fabric needs to be lined in order to conceal the rods. Roman blinds require much more fabric than roller blinds do.The entire mechanism costs anywhere from Rs.120 to Rs.200 per sq. ft.

For roman blinds to fall well, use thick fabrics with a soft feel. Choose attractive fabrics with stripes or zigzag patterns. You could even use solid bright colours for your kid's room or self embossed fabrics to give your living room a rich look.

Nowadays, roman blinds are even made of mats (chatai) and bamboo.

You could accompany these with scalloped valances to make the windows more decorative.

Woven Blinds

These blinds are also known as chic curtains and are the trendiest in the Indian market. You can transform the look of your room with bamboo blinds, chatai (mats) blinds or even matted blinds strung with coloured beads.

Generally these blinds are manually rolled up and tied with a lace. Hence, they are not suitable for kids' rooms.

Try using them in your living room or master bedroom. They will give your home that rustic charm. These also go well with the Zen style of living.

Sheer Blinds

Sheer blinds or shades look almost like curtains and lend a very contemporary stylish look to a room. They are ideal for the living room or master bedroom.

These blinds are generally made of lightweight, delicate fabrics like silks, organza, non woven polyester and even lace. They look lovely in single coloured pastel shades.

Sheer blinds are used behind heavy drapes so that when the drapes are drawn the window is not completely bare. They work interestingly as a lining and prevent expensive jacquard and taffeta drapes from fading.

These allow sufficient light into the room. They give you a clear view of the outside and at the same time give you enough privacy.

Vertical

Vertical blinds are separate strips of fabric (louvers) suspended vertically from a rail and are ideal for covering large windows. The level of privacy and light is controlled with the turn of the wand control. A wide selection of plain or patterned fabrics are available as translucent, dim out or block out.

Vertical blinds can be made of strips of metal, vinyl, PVC fibre and even fabric. The strips vary in thickness from about 3 inches to 12 inches.

If you plan on using fabrics, go with polyesters, cotton or even raw silks. You could use a combination of a solid coloured fabric with a printed one in alternating strips.

These blinds are best suited to long, full length windows.

Pleated Blinds

Pleated blinds open out just like a folded letter (in a zigzag manner). They are called so because they look like a bunch of pleats when drawn.

Available in a wide variety of colours to match any room, they are generally made of non-woven polyester. You could combine two colours and have one colour from the top and the other from the bottom.

They are not very common in India as they are available only in selected imported brands like Hunter Douglas at certain showrooms in the country.

Plantation Shutters

A classic blind that usually has wider blades that fit into an existing window frame and can be used for insulation, privacy or security. The blinds are made from timber, aluminium or a combination of both.

Plantation shutters can be used in a variety of ways:

Sliding - doors or windows

Bifold - hinged with two sections on each side

Casement - two traditional shutters that open out from the window

French doors - floor length doors

Folding - hinged with sections that dress windows or an entire verandah.

AUTOMATED BLINDS

Automated blinds have small sensors, which according to the wind and the sunlight's intensity open or close the blinds. The cost varies on the type of blind