BUYER’S GUIDE: WINDOW DRESSINGS
Blinds, curtains, shutters
The perfect window dressings are the finishing touches to your rooms. Adding individuality and warmth, they can be the detail that turns a house into a home. With their ability to control privacy, heat and light, curtains, blinds and shutters can also highlight a view and tie all the furnishings in a space together to create a cohesive design scheme.
Many homeowners have spent the past 12 months working from home, unable to travel overseas and going in and out of lockdown periodically, so it seems we are nesting more than ever, and spending more money on our interiors.
Chrissie Jeffery of No Chintz believes people are drawn to their homes in times of crisis. “When that happens, all you have to retreat to is your own home” she says. “It’s a sanctuary. I don’t know exactly how lockdown has affected us, but my business has just seen an enormous surge in sales of window coverings, beyond anything I’ve seen in two decades.”
And after years of minimal window dressings, curtains are back in a big way. While blinds are still popular, orders for curtains are on the rise as homeowners return to a more luxurious, layered style of decorating. Both Luxaflex and Wynstan released new curtain ranges recently, reflecting this increased customer demand. “With their soft, floating curves, curtains bring a touch of luxury to a room,” says Amelia Taylor, Wynstan’s head of product and marketing. “We are seeing many people pairing sheer curtains with blockout roller blinds. This creates style and function – definitely the best of both worlds!”
Curtains are also great insulators, which can help reduce heating and cooling costs. Danielle Crosby, marketing manager at Dollar Curtains + Blinds, says that blockout curtains provide excellent light control and privacy, and reduce outside noise levels, allowing you to have complete control over your environment, depending on the occasion and your mood.
The most popular curtains in Australia continue to be translucent full-length curtains, usually in white or soft shades of grey. Design expert and Luxaflex ambassador Neale Whitaker has noticed a lot of sheer curtains in homes as well as lightweight linens that act like sheers because of their translucent qualities. “What I’m seeing a great deal of is the combination of sheers layered over blinds,” says Neale. “I love sheers just on their own because they let the light in, but there seems to be a trend towards using roller blinds and having sheers over them so that you don’t actually see the blind underneath, but you do get the softening effects of the sheer.”
curtains
New looks and luxurious textures make an open-and-shut case for fabric folds
blinds
See the light with a twist on two traditional favourites
Either on their own or paired with curtains, blinds tend to have a more streamlined appearance and are a popular choice in spaces where you already have a strong and dominating feature, such as a decorative rug or artwork. The two main types of blinds are roller blinds and roman blinds. Roller blinds wrap around a circular rod at the top of the blind and are usually made from a single fabric, while roman blinds are raised in rectangular panels, often underpinned with a rod to maintain a crisp profile.
Blinds are ideal if you have limited space or need to dress the area behind a sofa, says Chrissie Jeffery, who claims that curtains never work behind large pieces of furniture such as sofas or beds. She often recommends roller blinds for new homeowners who are still deciding on their interior-design style, because they allow for an efficient control of light and privacy without intruding on the look of the room. Chrissie then advises adding suitable curtains later on, when the aesthetic is finalised.
Matthew Walsh, managing director of Tuiss Blinds Online, believes roller blinds are the most popular choice because they work with most design situations. “In terms of which blind is best where, it’s important to consider how the room is used,” he says. “For example, in a kitchen, you want a blind that is easy to clean in the case of grease or food spatter. Also consider whether you want something in the space that essentially disappears when it’s open – like a roller blind – or if you prefer the softness of a roman blind or curtain on display all the time.”
A Hamptons look could sort your style and insulation issues
Plantation shutters are still enjoying their moment in the sun. Synonymous with the ever-popular Hamptons style, they work particularly well in wet areas because they can be adjusted for privacy while having a streamlined look.
Neale Whitaker has installed Luxaflex’s PolySatin shutters in all the wet areas of his home – the kitchen, bathrooms and laundry – and says they are both practical and stylish. “I think they’ll always have a place in interiors. I am the biggest fan of plantation shutters; I think they look absolutely beautiful. Whether you’re in the city, the country or by the beach, they’re a classic style. And I love them as a backdrop to many different design looks. They’re here to stay because the Hamptons look is synonymous with plantation shutters, and that aesthetic is still number-one in Australian homes.”
Danielle Crosby, of Dollar Curtains + Blinds, agrees. “We’re selling more and more plantation shutters each year,” she says. “Shutters are an ideal choice for thermal insulation; you open the blades to stream light into rooms and close them to insulate, creating a more energy-efficient home all year round. They can also transform your home’s facade. Installing shutters across your front windows can have a huge impact on your kerb appeal and provide sound insulation from traffic noise.”
“WHETHER YOU’RE IN THE CITY, THE COUNTRY OR BY THE BEACH, SHUTTERS ARE A BEAUTIFUL, CLASSIC STYLE”
NEALE WHITAKER, LUXAFLEX AMBASSADOR