Blinds? Curtains? Shutters? or what?

18 days ago

Builders are - finally - just about to start work on our small extension, leading off the kitchen, which will have three glass walls (two of which are actually sliding patio doors), and I think that most things are under control, fingers crossed!

However, I'm just wondering about window coverings for the three walls of glass - partly for controlling heat in summer months, partly so that it feels cosy on a winter's evening. Don't like the idea of sitting there in a lit space, totally surrounded by inky blackness!

I originally assumed it'd be blinds, but now wondering what sort of blinds would be best, or would some sort of curtains/screens be more practical? Oh, dear - Decisions! Decisions! Decisions!

Featured Answer

Sam Moulding

11 days ago

We come across this problem all the time with our customers. During the day the windows are a wonderful way to enjoy the outside, but at night that darkness can be quite overwhelming!

as others have mentioned there are practicality issues with a lot of blinds... wood venetains get dusty, plus they will weigh a tonne to keep lifting up and down and will have a ‘stack‘ at the top which will stop you enjoying the full amount off glass.

There are loads of different options for roller blinds these days to stop them looking like you are in an office, you can have cassette headings that look like a slim pelmet and will hide all the fixings.

What a lot of our customers end up choosing though are eyelet curtains. During the day the will stack back very slim so that they don’t interrupt your view and at night they soften that black space.

if you did decide these as an option I would always have them made with a preshrunk interlining as as window of this size will require the body (Plus will give you the option of cleaning them if you ever need to). I would also consider using a light coloured none patterned fabric as with the amount of glass you described you don’t want issues with sun bleaching your fabric!

I love @123 idea of lighting the outside aswell!!

Good luck with what ever choice you make and let us know how you get on!

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Comments (22)

Sonia
18 days ago
I do like simple linen or cotton curtains in a shade similar to the walls.
jtemm thanked Sonia
jtemm
Original Author
17 days ago
Yes, I like those too - just not sure that that would be the most practical solution for opening doors, or for resisting bleaching or rot from day-long direct sunshine?
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macbroom
17 days ago
It can be difficult to find suitable window coverings for very large windows. My last house had huge picture windows in the living room. The best solution was Uniview blinds. They’re solar blinds so absorb the sun’s rays but still let in the light. They look good too - clean and contemporary and also can be wiped clean, so durable.

https://www.soloblinds.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Decora-Uniview-Card.pdf
jtemm thanked macbroom
jtemm
Original Author
12 days ago
Thanks for that suggestion - just checking them out just now, and they do look interesting. Will contact them to see what they can suggest.
Mary Ketchley
12 days ago
I feel your dilemma. I have 2 big patio windows (sliding) and honestly, I think the most practical solution is vertical blinds, which I’m aware most people hate. I’ve thought about it a lot though and they really are a good solution. They don’t get dusty like Venetian blinds. They can be easily pulled to one side if you want to open things up and they filter and adjust light levels really well. I’m just thinking about replacing the ancient ones we inherited with our house. Unless someone convinces me there’s a better solution.
jtemm thanked Mary Ketchley
rookie1986
12 days ago
last modified: 12 days ago
I’m going double furnishings on mine, one practical and the second decorative:-

Practical:- I’m going with perfect fit blinds as I like the finish and that they are tight/fixed to the window frames - https://www.blinds-2go.co.uk/perfect-fit?gclid=CjwKCAjwgZuDBhBTEiwAXNofRKaRGQXxSWzPqjUvce9b9Up5uJnBkX08fgabJzR1MYnuEa3xROF2GxoCxLoQAvD_BwE

Decorative:- Similar to what Sonia mentioned, eithe a light linen or cotton fabric, something light bright and airy that matches the colour palette of the walls and doesn’t cut the space into sections.
jtemm thanked rookie1986
123
12 days ago
We have 3 large sliders in the kitchen, I don’t like vertical blinds and didn’t want big curtains in the kitchen- how to keep them clean? We solved the darkness outside problem by lighting up the garden, it’s lovely to look out at after dark.
jtemm thanked 123
jtemm
Original Author
12 days ago
I know, Mary - I'm with you on this. We have vertical blinds on the current patio doors (extension is being built on beyond them) and they do the job fine. Only snag is when the door is opened, they blow around in the breeze, so need to figure out a good-looking way to keep them back. Plus which, they seem to have plummeted in popularity, and many folk are quite scathing about them 🙄

Had been hoping that there might be a more modern solution, and one that would look 'cosier' when closed in winter evenings.
jtemm
Original Author
12 days ago
Some really good help here - many thanks, folks!

I agree with your idea, 123, of enjoying twinkly lights while sitting indoors, and it would be great for part of the year. However, this space won't actually be 'kitchen', it'll be a a small living room (but accessed through the dining part of kitchen) As such, it'll be getting used all year round and there are plenty of winter nights when we might not want to sitting, surrounded on three sides by glass, and watching torrential rain battering down or a howling gale knocking the lights off their moorings! Obviously, we need year-round adaptability, and I'm quite taken with rookie1986's suggestion of the Perfect Fit blinds. I hadn't thought of that type of blind, and they do seem like a nice, neat solution, with some lightweight curtains to add the cosy factor for later in the year. Will investigate cost, etc.. Wish me luck!
jtemm
Original Author
12 days ago
Oh, great! Just tried inputting sizes to get an idea of price, and customer services have just confirmed that they don't do large enough sizes to fit my sliding doors 😢 Back to the drawing board!
Mary Ketchley
12 days ago
I was wondering why no one makes vertical blinds that are more like Venetians? If they were on a track at the top and bottom, a bit like the folding shutters you can get but made of a more solid material like wooden slats that would solve the flapping in the breeze problem.
jtemm thanked Mary Ketchley
Sam Moulding
11 days ago
@Mary Ketchley they do make these 😀 Rol-lite blinds have been making them for a few years. they are made from PVC rather than wood. They are called Verve blinds.... here is the link!

https://www.rol-lite.co.uk/verticalblinds.html
Jenny Livesey
11 days ago
last modified: 11 days ago
@jtemm i had them same issue with perfect fit, windows to big, so i opted for vision motorised binds. They look great however, still pondering whether i should add a curtain. I have a scandi theme in the bedroom so it is minimalist at the moment. https://www.syscouk.com
jtemm thanked Jenny Livesey
jtemm
Original Author
10 days ago
Hi Jenny, yes, these do look good. That company only seem to operate in "Morecambe, Lancaster and the North-West", but I expect they could give me details of other companies elsewhere. I still wonder if width of my main window might not be a problem, 'though - and also about the cost racking up. For a bedroom, by the way, I'd be inclined to add a curtain of some sort - maybe, as suggested by Sonia (below) a plain cotton or linen curtain to match the wall? or even a semi-sheer? Just to soften the look slightly for bedtime.
jtemm
Original Author
10 days ago
Hi, Sam, Thanks for that - a good resume of the situation! You're quite right about the weight of wooden venetian blinds - hadn't though of that, but they would probably be far too heavy for me to pull up and down a couple of times a day (age + health 🙄) - and the bulky fold-up at the top would really detract from the point of having so much glass. I've never actually had eyelet curtains, but can see that they might well fulfil the same sort of function as vertical blinds. Will look into that idea. Windows aren't scheduled to arrive until second week of June, so I've got time to make up my mind!
Dan
9 days ago
Wave linen curtains soften the area. Kitchen extensions can have a lot of hard surfaces so works on acoustics and the overall look is beautiful. We put our rail on the ceiling which looks great with large doors. We did wait over 2 years after renovation to get the curtains.
jtemm thanked Dan
jtemm
Original Author
8 days ago
Hi, Dan - I'd never heard of wave linen curtains before! Just Googled and they do look good, and I like the idea of putting rail on the ceiling. Is there any chance you could upload a photo of how they look, and how you did that, please?
Ellie
8 days ago
I'd wait until the windows/doors are in. You'd want to do that anyway for measuring. I only have the one glass wall but no blinds/curtains as I think they look better without. Outside is lit up at night so like a photo rather than just blackness. Ours doesn't get hot as we are in Scotland
jtemm thanked Ellie
jtemm
Original Author
8 days ago
So are we - Aberdeenshire - but back of the house is south-facing, and the existing kitchen (with patio doors) gets very, very hot in summer. Also , rural location, total blackness beyond garden, so really need some sort of buffer on stormy winter nights. Definitely want some sort of window dressing/screening, I‘m afraid!
Dan
7 days ago
Will try to take a picture. I used a silent gliss track, they have lots of options corded etc. I had curtain maker fit them and then measure for the voiles/sheers. They were made from designers guild fabric.
Dan
7 days ago
Any curtain shop will have examples in their shops

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Blinds? Curtains? Shutters? or what?

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