Sheer Curtains and Roller Blinds: A collaboration of functionality and style

Roller Blinds and Curtains: A collaboration of functionality and style.

Feeling like your home needs a refresh? At this time of year, many of us start thinking about how we can make our spaces that little bit nicer (gosh, we are constantly thinking about that!) but we often overlook the effect that our window coverings have on the look and feel of a room. 

Choosing the right treatment for your windows can make a world of difference. Not only do they change the visual appearance, but they can affect the way you live in the space as well.

Curtains and blinds are super popular right now, and the good news is that done right - they are a match made in heaven! Combining curtains and roller blinds offers you the ultimate in flexibility. Not only does it allow you to control light levels with ease, but they will also provide you the privacy and insulation benefits you require during the day and night. 

So, think this is something you’d like for your home? Read on for our tips and tricks, and you too can master this perfect combination like a boss!

1.  Identify the needs of the space  

This is the common sense first-step as it will guide you in your decorating choices. For example - bedrooms need full blockout for a great sleep, especially important if you have a shift-worker in the house. Outside mounting your blockout roller blind and back rolling the fabric will enable the blind to sit nice and close to the architrave, eliminating any light gaps and offering the best blockout and room darkening result. Living rooms can be a little more flexible with light levels, so roller blinds can be inside mounted if you have the depth in your window reveals, giving you a more streamlined and subtle finish. 

2.  Identify what combination will work best for you  

Will a blockout curtain and sunscreen roller blind be best? Or a blockout roller blind behind a sheer curtain? This can be a hard choice as both have practical and aesthetic benefits. Blockout curtains give you excellent light block - which is super handy if you have a shift-worker in the house who needs to sleep during the day - and installing a sunscreen blind behind the curtain will offer daytime privacy when the curtains are open. Conversely, if you can't go past the beauty of sheer curtains, installing a blockout roller blind behind them will give you the privacy you need at night time. 

3.  Maximise your coverage

Where and how you mount your curtains and blinds can really change the perception of the scale of your windows. If you have standard or low ceilings, you can elongate the height of the space by opting for a ceiling mount on your curtains and running the track past the edge of your architraves too. This will make your windows look much larger than they actually are.  Going high and wide really will make a huge difference, we promise!

4.  Think about your fabrics

There are a few things to consider here in addition to the basic “Which colour?” question. Start with the roller blind and the room it’s going in.

• Do you need a full blockout fabric (think required light levels) or can you get away with a light-filter fabric instead?
• Is ease of cleaning your roller blinds a consideration? Think about this especially if there’s a chance of little handprints on the blind each day.
• And what about the orientation of the room in relation to the sun. Are you facing north or west, and copping a whole lot of heat during summer? Light colours will reflect the light and heat, keeping a room cooler than darker colours which absorb the heat. But these absorption features of darker colours make a blind easier to look through, and are not as harsh on the eye as lighter colours which reflect the light.

Phew - confused yet?!  Once you’ve covered these queries and have formed some idea of what you need from a fabric, then consider the look you want to achieve and the colours that will work with your interior. 

5.  Choose your fabrics

We suggest choosing a roller blind fabric that is a tonal-match or neutral colour when placing them behind a sheer curtain. Considering the sheer is at the front and is the star in the "good-looks department", you don’t want to detract from that by installing a roller behind it that is in total contrast or distracts you from its beauty. Choosing a neutral blind fabric that blends with your walls or with the curtain itself will give you a stunning result. When it comes to the sheer curtain fabric - our Bali range has some gorgeous colours to choose from and their linen appearance works with many different decorative styles looks amazing in any interior.

To make it really easy for you - we have some coordinated ranges of sheer curtain and blockout roller blind fabrics that will make your choices much easier! Take a look at the Bali and Linesque ranges on our website now. 

6.  Consider your blind operation

Blockout and light-filter roller blinds are normally open during the day and closed at night. Blockout curtains are the same, whereas a sheer curtain is normally closed all the time. So the ability to easily open the rollers is of vital importance. Will you be happy reaching behind the curtain to operate your chain-drive blind? Or do you want to upgrade to luxury by opting for our motorised roller blinds? Imagine laying in bed or on the couch, and with a simple “Hey Siri, open the blinds”, up go the your rollers! Hmmm, very enticing isn’t it? 

7.  Choose the right track for your curtain

If you’re going for scale and size - ceiling-mount options are the way to go. Choose the profile that suits your needs best and consider the colour as well - our tracks are available in white, black and anodised silver. White will blend in with most ceilings, providing a super subtle look. Black will provide a great contrast, and is the perfect choice for those with black framed windows or other black accents in the room. The simple tip here is to decide whether you want the track to blend in or stand-out. You can also choose our motorised curtains for the ultimate in luxury.

So all in all - there a few things to keep in mind when selecting the right combination for your windows. The choices you make can make or break a room, so making sure you consider all aspects carefully is essential to achieving a great result, and one you’ll be super proud of for years to come.

What next?

If you’re in need of some inspiration, visit our gallery or Instagram page for ideas and real-life photos from our customers.  Once you’ve decided which product you prefer, make use of our free fabric samples. They will allow you to see and feel the fabrics before selecting the one you like best.

So, if you've got a home that could benefit from a refresh, let us help you! The DIY process is easy to follow, and it will make a world of difference to your home, we promise.

Need some help? You can either Contact our customer service team or book in a free design consultation with me.

Thanks for reading!
Cheers, 

Mike Gubby.