Nothing transforms a room like new window treatments. Whether you’re updating only one or two windows or refreshing your entire house, it can be difficult to know which type of window covering is the right choice for the style of your interiors or if they will meet your privacy, insulation, and light control needs. New curtains and blinds can do everything from improving the appearance of your home to helping protect your floors and furniture from damaging UV rays. In this curtains and blinds buyer’s guide, we give you the features and benefits of each window furnishing in our range and provide our best tips for selecting one that complements your decor.
Choosing window coverings that won’t break the bank
You don’t need to spend excessive amounts of money to get high-quality window treatments that possess both form and function. Amart’s range of ready-made curtains and blinds are not only available in the latest seasonal colours and fabrics but they also come in a variety of widths and heights to fit standard Australian window sizes. What’s more, you only need basic DIY skills and equipment to install them. Shop our extensive range online or head into your local showroom to see them up close and get advice from our friendly team. You could be taking home stylish, affordable new window furnishings and installing them today.
Choosing between curtains and blinds
When choosing between curtains and blinds, it comes down to the look you like and your functionality requirements. Asking yourself a few key questions about what you need from your new window treatments will help narrow down your search.
Try starting with the following questions:
- Do I want both day and night privacy?
- Do I need to block out the light?
- Would I like these window treatments to provide insulation?
- What style do I like the look of - hard-slatted blinds, fabric blinds, or curtains?
Both curtains and blinds offer similar levels of insulation but they’re quite different from one another in the way they look, operate, and control light. Curtains bring soft elegance to a room and can even create a perception of height. They are a great choice for large windows or a wall of several small windows. While roller blinds are a popular choice for Australian homes because they offer excellent practicality of operation, take up minimal space, and suit any style of decor.
Many customers choose to layer their window treatments, and this can be achieved in several ways, including:
- a sheer and blockout duo roller blind combo;
- a combination of different styles such as a blockout blind and sheer curtain; or
- pairing a sheer curtain with a blockout curtain.
Sheer vs blockout - consider your needs
Sheer curtains allow diffused natural light into your living room and other interior spaces while providing daytime privacy. They can also soften an undesirable view of the outside and the sheer fabric provides an element of sunscreen protection to your floors and furniture.
Blockout curtains are made from thick, blockout fabric that not only provides complete privacy but also allows you to create a blackout in your room.
The best curtains for your needs could be a combination of both a sheer curtain and a blockout curtain. This would ensure complete light control along with an optimum level of privacy both day and night.
Tips for choosing the best blinds for your space
Function - How would you like to operate your blinds? Curtains are drawn together vertically, while roller blinds are drawn up and down, and our faux wood timber venetian blinds are made up of 50-millimetre-wide slats that enable you to angle light in or out depending on the position of the sun. So, consider which type of blind or curtain will suit your window and what will work best for your light requirements.
Style - If your interior design style is sleek and minimal, a roller blind or venetian blind would be a great choice because they take up very little space on your window frame. However, if you’d like to add a little height, elegance, and softness to your space, choose curtains.
Finding the perfect hanging height
Typically, a curtain rod is fixed either just below the ceiling or around 15cm above your architrave. And the bottom of your curtains should reach floor level. While interior designers love to create a puddled look where the fabric pools on the floor, the choice is yours. You could puddle them, make them skim your floor, or hang them 10cm above your floor.
Blinds are intended to match the footprint of your window frame. So go for a size that is a close fit to your window’s width and height.
Measure the length you need
Get your tape measure ready. It’s time to work out which ready-made set of window treatments will fit your window.
How to measure for curtains: First, measure the width of your window from architrave to architrave. Then, decide how far above your window you would like to position your curtain rod. Measure your drop from the planned rod height.
Our curtains are available in various widths and two drop measurements of 223cm and 250cm to match Australian standard window sizes. Curtains can be forgiving if your window size isn’t an exact match. For a curtain that is too long, you could either hang your rod higher (if possible) or take up the curtain’s hem.
How to measure for blinds: Amart’s roller blinds and venetian blinds are available in various widths and drops to suit small windows and larger windows. So, carefully measure the external width of your window frame and the length of drop you need, then match this to our range of blinds.
Choosing from different types of headers and curtain styles
Did you know that the curtain header you choose has a big impact on the finished look of your curtains? The header treatment determines the way the fabric hangs.
Choose from the following styles:
- Pleat curtains - featuring sewn-in pleats along the curtain top, they give a classic look.
- Tab curtains - attach to the curtain rod via a series of exposed fabric loops/tabs.
- Eyelet curtains - well-suited to contemporary spaces, eyelet curtains are threaded onto the curtain rod via a series of metal grommets pressed into the fabric along the top.
- Rod pocket curtains - this design features a sewn-in pocket at the rear of the curtain panel that easily slips over a curtain rod.
Some people choose to add a pelmet over the top of their curtain header to hide the fixtures and fittings.
How to match your roller blinds to your home interior
Your new blinds don’t need to match the colour of your walls, floor, and furnishings, but they do need to tie in with them. The right choice of window furnishings will connect to your room, supporting your interior design style.
You could opt for a dark colour like black to stand out from light-coloured walls, or you could blend your window dressings into your colour palette with a neutral tone like stone or white. It comes down to whether you’d like your window blinds to be a focal point in your room or a supporter of the theme.