Home Innovations Display Centre

Buying Blinds - What blinds are right for you?

Blinds are an efficient way of managing sunlight, temperature, adding to the ambiance and colour of your room or outdoor space, and framing your window.  Blinds are also quick to install.

Looking beyond the benefits of blinds, there are many things to consider when choosing which blinds are suitable for your home.

Function of your blind

The first thing is to decide what the function of your blinds will be, are they ornamental or chosen for a particular function?  This will impact on the type of blind you select.  Think carefully about how strong and where the sun will hit the room, what affect you want it to have on your room and the upkeep of the blind.

You may also consider curtains and roller shutters when planning your window dressings.

Internal or external blinds

Where will your blinds be placed, inside or outside your home?  This will indicate the types of blinds that will be appropriate.

Typical Internal Blinds

·      Panel blinds

·      Pleated blinds

·      Roller blinds

·      Roman blinds

·      Sunscreen blinds

·      Venetians (timber, aluminium)

·      Vertical blinds

·      Bifold

·      Sliding

Typical External Blinds

·      Sunscreen blinds

·      Clear PVC blinds

Manual, motorised or automated

Another important consideration is if you want a manual pull, motorised or an automated blind.

Blinds traditionally utilised a manual pulley system, but with new technology, motorised and automated blinds are becoming more popular.

Motorised blinds allow you to open and close blinds with the push of a button, either by remote or a static unit on your wall.  This gives you flexibility and ease of opening blinds without manually opening and closing blinds.  This also assists with large or heavy blinds.

An automated blind gives you additional flexibility, where some blinds are able to be programmed to open or close (fully or partially) at specific times of the day.  Imagine using your automated blind to open at the time you wake up, and close when you leave for work!

Colour, material and size of your window or space

The size of your window may have a bearing as to which blinds can be installed or which material can be used.  You also need to think about the colour of your blind you would like ensuring it matches your colour scheme and if it suits the type of blind you are considering.

The blind type will influence the different materials used to construct the blinds, and also the textures and colours available.

There are a range of materials available:

·         Aluminium

·         Timber

·         Canvas

·         PVC

HIDC exhibitors that can assist with these decisions are:

Bayside Peninsula Shutters & Blinds

Blinds Central

Peninsula Curtains and Blinds