Image of blinds styled by SW Design Group. Dark cabinets in a kitchen space in constrast to white surfaces.

08 Jun How to Navigate Window Dressings

Posted at 10:14h in Design, Dictionary, Uncategorized by

Blinds and curtains filter natural light in your home and offer privacy control. With record hot temperatures over the past few summers and the expectation for these to become more regular, blinds are good to regulate heat, as well as, for security, to block out light evenings, and protect window ledges. They offer protection all year round, acting as a good insulator in colder climates too. However, aside from the functional aspects, they change the overall appearance and mood of our homes, inside and out.

Navigating the world of blinds and curtains can be daunting. However, we’re here to help provide some clarity as part of this series, The Living Dictionary. There is no short supply of options to choose from, with rollers and illusion blinds to smart and motorised fittings. Not to mention the realm of curtains and headers. Let’s unpack the most popular below.

 

Blinds

Venetian

A kitchen space with blinds fitted to the windows with contrasting colours to create an impactful and light interior.

PT blinds photoshoot Carl Hodgson

Popular wooden Venetian blinds are ideal for offices and bedrooms while opting for faux wood for bathrooms and kitchens ensures splash and steam proofing. Venetian blinds allow light and privacy control, as well as, flexibility in your home styling. A recess fitting gives the perception of more space, and the blind finish is available in a range of colours.

Venetian blinds closed in a hall space with a dark wood table framing the interior space. Natural colour scheme with wall panels and tiled flooring.

PT blinds shoot with Carl Hodgson

Roman

Fabric Roman blinds with embellished trim are a popular favourite at SW Design. Trims highlight or contrast the blind fabric. Trims can be applied vertically down the edge of the blind to provide a striking finish, or applied to three sides. Mitered corners, whereby fabric edges meet at a 45 degree angle, can provide formality and subtlety to a traditional design.

The trim of Roman blinds that are white with red details.

PT blinds photoshoot, Roman blinds

Roman blinds are also blackout, meaning they are a good fit for children’s rooms.

Day and Night

Interior living space with a sofa and large window to the right, fitted with a day and night ceiling to floor blind.

PT blinds Photoshoot with Carl Hodgson, Day and Night blinds

If you do not want a standard opaque roller blind, but want the privacy of one, a day and night blind is the ideal choice. Suitable for all rooms, the alternating sheer and opaque panels let you see from inside out, but not outside in.

A scandanavian styled kitchen space with a elongated window fitted with a day and night blind, filtering the intensity of light.

PT blinds photoshoot with Carl Hodgson, Day and Night blinds

Sometimes known as Zebra blinds for their distinct stripes, day and night blinds offer a smooth transition in light intensity.

Curtains

A traditional room with high ceilings and large windows framed by long silk curtains in a coppery colour.

Styled Prestigious Textiles photoshoot

Curtains are ideal for removing draughts, and with the increasing cost of living, thermal interlining is a recommended addition to increasing heat retention in your home. On the flip side, curtains are great to keep the heat out, with blackout curtains providing your home protection from outside summer rays. The SW Design signature is the use of trims, proving popular in many of the homes styled.

Ticking, which is the classic use of contrasting lines of colour, allows you to appreciate your curtains from inside and out. This design is particularly effective in kitchen and living spaces with French doors, or adjoining rooms. This fabric is hard-wearing by nature, so is often used for other upholstery and soft furnishings.

It is needless to say that curtain and blind picking is as much about the design as the fabric, source, and quality.

Wave Curtains

A close up shot of curtains edging with an embroidery pattern that is contemporary. Black and grey thread contrasts the white curtains. Shot exhibits the discrete track and ability to fit to ceiling spaces.

Close up shot of discrete track and details to curtain edges

Great for bi-folding doors, bedrooms, or lounges, wave curtains provide a contemporary and modern edge to your interior and glide seamlessly. Discrete tracks can be fixed to walls or ceilings. Where white tracks have been fitted to white ceilings they are more or less invisible and proven popular in home styling.

Headers

Small details on curtains edging

Close up of small details

From pencil pleats to pinch pleat and even triple pinch pleat, the style of headers of curtains can transform your window dressing to offer either subtly or grandness.

The most common is the eyelet ring. Used in the majority of modern homes for its ease to hang and to display a variety of complimentary colours, this design is simplistic. Requiring minimal fabric, it is an ideal option for all budgets. Though simplistic it shouldn’t be resigned to not being able to create a powerful statement.

Valence headers accent the top of the window. They can be formal or casual depending on the fabric choice and are ideal for children’s bedrooms. Pelmets, fabric or boards above the blind or curtain, are often dubbed as conservative, however, a modern-styled pelmet does offer a tidy finish. This is especially true when dressed in matching fabrics.

Valence fitted to the top of curtains, hiding the track. Detailed edging with small design.

Close up of a pelmet with a trim on the leading edge of the curtain

Curtains and blinds are an effective way to dress your window and also create a tone in your space. Perhaps each feature is picky to understand and deliver, but most definitely they are effective at transforming your space. To learn more or for assistance do pop into our studio or book an appointment.

Francesca Lea
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