BE WISE WITH YOUR BLINDS

Recently, our blinds gave up the ghost and we were forced to stop procrastinating over getting new ones.

It wasn’t that we didn’t want to get new window dressings — it was that we had no idea where to start, and in the end there was much research involved.

Here, we’ve compiled some of the basics to save you the same hassle.

BLINDS

There are actually more than 14 different types of blinds, but some of what you may think are blinds are actually shades.

The most common, and possibly the most recognisable, is the classic Venetian blind — horizontal slates that can be tilted to allow as little or as much light into the rooms.

Slats can range from only a little over 1.2cm for a micro blind to more than `8cm wide, and are available in many different materials — timber, plastic, aluminium, and faux wood.

You can also get vertical blinds and panel blinds, which are both excellent for very long or large windows or glass sliding doors.

SHADES

The crucial difference between blinds and shades is that shades are made from one piece of material rather than many slats.

Roller shades are reasonably common in older houses, or for large windows as they can only be moved up and down.

Roman shades are similar, but rather than rolling into itself at the top, the shade folds into itself — sort of like a Venetian blind but without the slats.

CURTAINS AND DRAPES

Despite popular belief, these are actually not different names for the same thing.

Drapes are floor length and typically made from heavy, thick fabrics, while curtains are more often used, and can be as short as a half-window length to floor length.