Are you renovating? Will you be spending your weekend searching for authentic original bricks to rebuild walls? Can you learn seventeenth century lace weaver techniques so you can accurately repair the worn-through curtains which would have been common for the time? Renovating refers to the repairing of that which is already there and making it work as it should. So if your Grade II homestead is being routinely flooded with rain because of the hole in the roof, you will be renovating. If you’re looking to add an extension and put in a new kitchen diner, you are planning a refurbishment.

Does it matter if I’m doing an old home renovation or refurbishment – or a bit of both?

Not so much nowadays. Once upon a time, if a wall fell down on a listed building, the owner could only use bricks from the correct time period and area to rebuild. Later, conservation thinking changed to allow the use of modern materials. This then became a part of the story of the building, as different materials and methods reflected the building’s history.

Where to start with an old home renovation

If you’re looking to sell, then be aware of what today’s homeowners and renters are looking for. Buyers will tear out kitchens and bathrooms and make them their own, so you’re better off getting them deep cleaned. The roof, on the other hand, is something you need to fix. Any damp will also need to be addressed. As long as the bones are sound, you’re in good shape. Anything else is just cosmetic.

If you’re looking to live in the old but neglected family homestead, especially while the work goes on around you, first, nail some stress release techniques. Then move bathrooms and kitchens to the top of the list.

You may want to consider having a home survey done. Having recently purchased a house, I was surprised by what the home buyer survey revealed – very little in the way of facts. They basically look at things closely, which is what I did when I saw the house. They coach things in a lot of ‘maybe’ sentences which I suspect can be copied and pasted from one report to the other. So go crazy and fork out for the developer’s report. It will tell you the horrible truth about the structure of the house, and if you’re spending money on an old home renovation, you need the truth, whether you can handle it or not.

Old home renovation combines with technology

Obviously you’ll be enjoying traditional design with modern conveniences with your old home renovation, like plumbing and up to date electrics. It’s also the perfect time to invest in eco-friendly devices.

When it comes to keeping heat in, your windows will be key. But what if you’ve been forbidden to install triple glazing in your Grade II listed ancestral homestead? All is not lost, thanks to cellular blinds. By trapping air in their honeycomb design, and combined with a reflective backing, cellular blinds will help keep heat in when it’s blisteringly cold, and reflect heat away on a hot summer’s day. With cellular blinds, you can keep your energy bill down without compromising your old home renovation.

Finishing touches to your old home renovation

Furnishings and accessories will be the finishing touches to your old home renovation which can bring the whole new old look together. It’s what accessories are for.

You’re aiming to stay in character, whether that’s PVC blinds for your 70s house or shutters for your Victorian villa. Shutters never go out of style. That explains why they’re as popular as ever. You can keep your old home renovation looking as it should, while benefiting from the more durable faux wood shutters available today. Our Java range is also waterproof and will enhance your dream bathroom, going perfectly with your dream bathtub.

Roman blinds and lush curtains will add luxury to your old home renovation. Once again, you can take advantage of a classic style of window dressing in modern fabrics.

The post What Are The Best Old Home Renovation Techniques? appeared first on Blind Technique.

How to refresh a room – and your psyche

The obvious way to refresh a room is by a simple decluttering – if only it were that simple! It can be a wrench to part with things, and you might uncover deep psychological drives that caused your hoarding –  I mean, collecting impulses in the first place. So, how do you refresh a room when you could be coming face to face with your shadow self? (Who knew a blog on how to refresh a room could go so dark?) And once you’ve overcome those blocks, will you then develop a new neurosis as you discover you’re hopelessly overwhelmed by all the space you suddenly have?

The Swedes call it Death Clearing. Actually, they don’t. Swedish Death Clearing is decluttering because you’ve reached a certain age and you don’t want to leave that job to your loved ones. But doesn’t Swedish Death Clearing sound like it should lead to a dark night of the soul brought on by decluttering?

How to refresh a room on a budget

If you’re looking to refresh a room on a budget, you might want to change just a few small things. By changing one big thing, you might feel you’ve left the rest of the room behind. So focus on little touches such as lampshades, cushions, rugs and throws to refresh your room. These accessories can easily be coordinated, perhaps by colour or style, so together they will make a big impact. If your budget allows, you might want to consider window dressings, with cost-effective roller blinds being a good option. You’ll be amazed how much a combination of small changes, especially when coordinated, can refresh a room.

How to refresh a room by rearranging the furniture

You don’t need to hurt your credit card by buying new furniture. Refresh a room by rearranging the furniture you already have. Just keep in mind where your electrical points are, and whether monitors will suddenly be at the mercy of sun glare. Although the latter can be easily fixed with any slat or louvre-based window dressing. Tilt the louvres or slats of your Venetian blinds, vertical blinds or shutters to any angle you wish, and you’ll be in full control of how you balance your need for light and privacy in your refreshed room.

If you are buying new furniture to refresh a room, it might be worth investing in one large piece, such as a statement dining table or couch. Then so as not to leave the rest of the room behind, smaller pieces can be refreshed with cushions and throws which in turn can be coordinated by colour or style with the new larger piece. That way, your room gets a lot more refreshment with less investment.

How to refresh a room just by changing your window dressings

Changing the style of your window dressings will have a big impact on your room. This may depend on how large your windows are. The window dressings for a wall of glass or bifold doors are going to make a very different statement compared to how you dress that tiny hatch in your attic.

But how do you refresh a room if you want to ditch the fusty curtains for sleek roller blinds? Or are you looking to ditch the old Romans for modern voiles? Yet again, it’s the issue of incorporating a change into the status quo without it jarring. Thankfully, classic Roman blinds and curtains can be made from fabrics with contemporary designs. Smart and sleek roller blinds can be made from fabrics with time-honoured patterns. You can change the style of your window dressings to refresh your room and they’ll still come together with the rest of your decor. And you can’t go wrong with shutters. Their timeless appearance will fit in anywhere. It’s surprisingly simple to refresh your room just by changing your window dressings.

The post Simple Tips On How To Refresh A Room In Your Home appeared first on Blind Technique.

Luxuriate in turquoise interior design

Turquoise brings depth and richness, making turquoise interior design perfect for a plush and luxurious feel. So where better place to start than your sanctum, your haven, that is to say, your bedroom. Make turquoise the primary colour and add bejewelled ambers and gold accessories for that lush appeal. Go for deluxe window dressings such as Roman blinds. Alternatively, add further warmth with woody notes, perhaps with shutters, or how about a faux fur throw for your bed? Your bedroom will be your turquoise haven.

Turquoise interior design can be practical

Rather than neglect the most practical room in the house by keeping it as utilitarian as possible, turquoise interior design will make your bathroom sing. Lounge in your bubble bath surrounded by turquoise tiles, offset with brilliant white. A Mediterranean spa has nothing on your bathroom. Our Java range of shutters is waterproof and can easily withstand the humidity of your relaxing yet magnificent bathroom spa.

Turquoise interior design for warmth

As turquoise is such a warm colour, it can always be summer in your living room. Combine with dusky pink and golden yellows and orange accents to bring that sunset feel, and these vibrant colours will chase away the winter blues.

To literally keep the warmth in, curtains and Roman blinds will add style and lavishness, as well as a cosy feel. Cellular blinds are made to keep the heat in with their honeycomb design. Again, shutters will add a stylish and classical look. Available in a range of colours and styles, they’ll fit right into your turquoise interior design.

Turquoise interior design for the sake of your creativity

Invigorating and calming, inspiring and creative, blue combined with the fertility of green – yep, turquoise interior design just might be the perfect colour for a home office. The comfort of being at home with the get-up and go to get the juices flowing for work, turquoise interior design for the home office is literally the biz.

For full control of your light and privacy, to thwart industrial spies and to keep the glare off your computer monitor, Venetian blinds are an excellent choice. Wooden or faux wood brings style, warmth and professionalism. For the more devil may care, there’s also a choice of aluminium slats in shiny metallic colours, a stunning and fun accompaniment to the natural shimmer of the glamorous colour that is turquoise.

Turquoise interior design for your health

Can one colour make you healthy? Nope, and certainly not all on its lonesome. What it can do is put you in the right mood and inspire you to pursue that healthiest of lifestyles with Mediterranean cuisine. Yes, turquoise interior design in your kitchen will do that! Turquoise interior design will inspire you to eat the healthiest food on the planet and make your guests turquoise with envy. Pop open that jar of olives (yuk!), grill the halloumi (yum!) and crack open a bottle of Cyprus wine (because it counts as one of your five a day) and dare your guests to be unhappy in your turquoise kitchen/diner.

Durable faux wood Venetian blinds will add warmth, style and practicality to the humid environment of your kitchen. If you prefer roller blinds, they’re available in moisture-resistant and flame-retardant fabrics. They’re even easy to keep clean, requiring little more than a flick of the duster, and at most a wipe down with a warm cloth. Your turquoise interior design can’t help but deliver on all fronts.

The post Popular This Month: Turquoise Interior Design appeared first on Blind Technique.

Winter interior design trends that aren’t necessarily trends

I put it to you that winter interior design trends to create a cosy feel are more about your own personal tastes and psychological drives, as opposed to fashion trends themselves. What makes you feel cosy?

I doubt I’m alone feeling cosy by being physically warm. Whether it’s a blankie or one of those electrically charged ponchos I’ve heard good things about, feeling toasty means feeling cosy. On the subject of toast, crumpets make me feel cosy. So does having a cat in my lap, although her tiny but sharp claws tearing at my skin can detract from the experience.

Ideally, you’ll have functioning central heating and double glazing to keep you cosy. You can add an extra level of insulation to your windows with highly practical and attractive cellular blinds. Their honeycomb design traps air to keep you warm. Available in a range of colours, you can keep up with winter interior design trends by choosing from a smokey grey to a Tuscan hue. Cosy indeed.

Winter interior design trends are about colour, pattern and texture

Layers, people, layers! You’ll be layering up before leaving the house, and when you return home you can sink between layers of soft knitted blankets, faux fur throws and velvet cushions.

Plummy purple, burnt orange and emerald green will ease you into the splendour you deserve. Deep earthy colours like terracotta or forest green will help keep the chill at bay. If that’s all a bit bold for you, dusty pinks, sage greens and other muted tones will still bring comfort as you snuggle under your angora throw.

Texture and pattern will add personality and therefore warmth to your winter interior design trends. Wallpaper may add only a thin extra layer of insulation in practical terms, but in flavour it adds character and depth. If you don’t care for patterned wallpaper, textured wallpaper can be a great option.  In linen or suede, textured wallpaper will bring a warm ambience and a subtle beauty, perfect as a winter interior design trend, like winter itself, apparently bare, but there’s so much to love when you really look.

Curtains are an obvious choice for winter interior design. They don’t just add insulation to your home, they add a touch of luxury. Indulgence is cosiness, and never out of fashion, especially when it comes to winter interior design trends.

The aromas of winter interior design trends

Winter interior design trends smell! Of orange and cinnamon and cloves. Who doesn’t want to wake up to the smell of baking bread and coffee on a cold chilly morning? And so we’re back to toast. And crumpets.

As for that aroma coming from your fire burner or open log fire, cedar wood, oak and birch will lift and comfort you as you huddle around the naked flames in your home. For further fire hazards, don’t forget scented candles. Winter interior design trends are about feeling cosy, and safe, so don’t leave those kids and pets by themselves around those flames.

Get cosy with winter interior design trends in lighting 

Winter is cold, miserable and dark, so let’s use that. Aren’t things more cosy because we’ve just come in from all that unpleasantness? As soon as the clocks fall backwards, that’s when tiny twinkly lights should come out, to light your way and bring joy to your home. Candles, with or without scent, bring beauty, ambience and a surprising amount of light.

Strategically placed lamps will create soft yellow and amber glows wherever you wish their gentle pools of light to gather. To finish this classic look, how about some shutter blinds for your windows? Stylish through all times, shutting those blinds against the cold night will make your winter interior design all the more cosy, and right on trend.

The post Winter Interior Design Trends To Create A Cosy Feel appeared first on Blind Technique.

We can sometimes neglect the more practical rooms of our home, but you can still have style and beauty in the most utilitarian of spaces, as well as other benefits, by having waterproof blinds for your bathroom.

Waterproof blinds for your bathroom are not to be confused with moisture-resistant blinds for your bathroom

Waterproof – the definition is in the word. A waterproof blind for your bathroom will have a barrier that prevents any water from getting through. You can throw water and soap at waterproof blinds all day long and they will withstand it. Did some lunatic design a bathroom with the shower right next to the window? How can we not recommend waterproof blinds for your bathroom?!

Moisture-resistant materials are also excellent, and still recommended for humid environments like bathrooms. They can withstand the effects of water, heat and humidity – just not as well as waterproof blinds can.

Waterproof blinds for your bathroom are easy to maintain 

Waterproof blinds don’t require any special care. Just keep them open so they can dry fully. Take care of your waterproof blinds and they will last well. They also won’t end up a health hazard due to mold. Yes, even waterproof blinds can develop mold, but they will greatly decrease the risk of it. You don’t need to be a slum landlord to have mold in your bathroom, it happens to us all. So cut down on your risk of allergies and lung infections and keep your bathroom mold-free with waterproof blinds.

Waterproof membranes will weaken with age, so even waterproof blinds won’t last forever. It’s water and dampness that cause this problem, along with the mold, so keep your bathroom well-ventilated.

Waterproof blinds for your bathroom are cost-effective

Faux wood Venetian blinds will bring style and elegance to your bathroom. Highly durable as well as waterproof, faux wood Venetian blinds come in shades of white, beige, grey and brown. These neutrals will match any decor you may have in your bathroom. And if you’re wondering why you should have faux wood instead of real wood, it’s because you don’t want your blinds to warp, stain or rot in your bathroom environment.

If money is no object, you can even have faux wood shutters, perhaps for that country cottage-style bathroom you yearn for. The Java range is waterproof and also shares the high durability of Venetian blinds. They won’t scratch and can withstand excitable children and pets – and on that note, they’re also safer for little ones (no cords to become entangled in) so they are ideal waterproof blinds for your bathroom.

Waterproof blinds for your bathroom will maintain your privacy

Of course waterproof blinds and moisture-resistant blinds will maintain your privacy. You haven’t been thinking frosted glass alone does the job, have you? From a distance, sure, but if you tend to stand pretty close to your frosted window … I once worked in an office where I happened to look up at the wrong time and across the way I found that if people stood very close to the frosted glass in the Men’s shower room, I was very aware they were there. Maybe it depends on the quality of the frosted glass. I’m just saying.

Or do you lounge in your Victorian bathtub, beneath the skylight in the attic you beautifully converted into your luxury master suite? Everything was fine, as you sipped some fizz, relaxing amongst the bubbles, enjoying the night sky above – and then you became paranoid about drones. Thankfully, Velux provides waterproof blinds for your bathroom too. You may miss out on the stars and the moon from your bathtub, but you can still enjoy the bubbles, in your glass and your tub, when you have the right waterproof blinds in your bathroom.

The post The Benefits of Waterproof Blinds For Your Bathroom appeared first on Blind Technique.

Light green interior design for zest!

You’ve managed to drag yourself from your bed and made your way to the bathroom. Can you handle lime tiles first thing? Wake up to some zest in your light green interior design to get you set for the day!

Partner your lime green with vibrant tones of lemony yellow or coral pink and you can fully wake up to all the cheery colours. The brighter the colours you use, the more light will be reflected, so keep those tiles glossy. They’ll mist up, but mirrors are necessary in a bathroom as well as adding to the reflective surfaces. And that mist will be the perfect atmosphere for the right plant. Green naturally invites the use of plants and flowers, bringing vitality and health into your space.

For your window dressings, roller blinds made from moisture-resistant fabric will be ideal for the extreme temperatures of the bathroom environment. The last thing you need is mold to interfere with your light green interior design.

Light green interior design for elegance

Green suggests the fertility of nature and, therefore the likelihood of food. Literally feeding this basic psychological drive, green helps us relax and feel safe and secure, letting us know we’re in a land of plenty. So what better colour for your dining room? Your guests will salivate and feel safe as they dine surrounded by your light green interior design.

Combine with earthy browns and stone. You’ll be tapping into the primal drives with these natural neutrals while still providing your guests with a sophisticated ambiance.

A simple modern chandelier will provide the perfect touch of elegance and contrast. Keep patterns and textures subtle to add depth while keeping things refined. Shutters, classic yet modern, will be the finishing touch to your light green interior design.

Light green interior design for a restful space

Science will tell you the colour green operates on a short wavelength, and that’s why it promotes a sense of calmness and serenity. Yeah, I don’t understand it either, but it is why light green interior design is perfect for the bedroom.

Add pastel colours, especially lavender, the colour and the fragrance, and you’ll be asleep in no time. Combine with neutral grey and you’ll further enhance the sense of tranquility of your light green interior design.

To help you along to a restful night’s sleep, look to window dressings made from blackout material. How you hang curtains or blinds will determine how much of a blackout effect you can achieve. You can decrease the light that seeps in by hanging blinds outside of the recess, and by having curtains run past where the window ends.

Light green interior design for small rooms

Light green will help make your small room appear bigger, as will any lighter tone of colour.

Furniture should be kept to a minimum. Pieces may be utilitarian, but their form can still add grace and beauty. A bold pattern will work well and allow a small room to punch above its weight. Texture and pattern will add character without having to add more stuff. A mirror in the right place, especially a tall one, floor to ceiling, will make the room feel larger and give the illusion of depth. A tall floor lamp will draw the eye up, adding height to the room. For a modern look, an LED panel may be the answer to lighten up your light green interior design.

To keep things neat in your petite room, a Perfect Fit blind will literally fit perfectly. By clipping directly onto the uPVC or aluminium frames, they take up minimum space. You even have a choice between Venetian blinds, roller blinds or cellular blinds (perfect for saving energy) to go in your Perfect Fit frames.

No matter the purpose of the room, light green interior design is surprisingly adaptable and can suit any room or mood you wish to work, rest or play in.

The post Popular This Month: Light Green Interior Design appeared first on Blind Technique.

“When I am an old woman, I will wear purple” – and make it the primary colour in my interior design!

You don’t have to wait until you’re old to wear fabulous purple. And you don’t have to be a woman either.

Whether you’re planning aubergine walls and gold sofas, or a lavender easy chair with a chrome reading lamp beside it, purple interior design shows you to be bold of spirit, whether you’re regal, calm, or calmly regal.

You may review your small abode and wonder how to bring some character to your surroundings. Dark and bejewelled shades of purple will feed the monarch inside you, and you’ll be pleased to know you can make them work in a small space. Dark colours can actually make a small space look bigger. By absorbing the light, darker colours blur where each wall begins and ends, thus not just giving the illusion of space, but also adding mystery and presence to the drama of your petite purple room. With a dark purple interior design, you’ll be quite the enigma while you lounge on your cosy plum couch.

Purple interior design brings calmness

If you’re not here for the drama, muted versions of any shade of purple will bring a more subdued ambience while keeping the style purple interior design promises. Lighter shades of purple will induce relaxation and reflection. You can slip away into a refreshing slumber in your lavender and lilac bedroom.

And yet purple is also a symbol of creativity. If you have a home office, purple will not only brighten up your work day, it just might inspire you to new heights. How can purple inspire and relax at the same time? Purple brings about harmony of the mind, that’s how.

How can I even dare to have a purple interior design?! 

You need purple interior design to bring out that regal confident side of you. And yet without it, how will you develop the confidence needed to commit to the beauty of having purple interior design in the first place?

Perhaps immersing yourself in purple is too much too soon. Luckily, the notion of accent colours will allow you to introduce purple into your interior design one accessory at a time.

Purple velvet curtains speak for themselves. Or how about a classic Roman blind? Or a classic Roman blind with a modern abstract pattern? A sleek Roller blind, with a wide choice of fabrics available, might suit you more.

Shutters are the epitome of both classic and modern design. We can even match your posh  Farrow and Ball paint so your shutters will go perfectly with your purple interior design.

Which other colours work with purple interior design?

Because of its, well, purpleness, purple might, at first glance, seem like too bold a colour to play nicely with any other colour. This, of course, is the faulty thinking of those with little to no imagination, probably because they don’t spend enough time around the colour purple.

The darker the purple, the brighter gold, silver, copper and chrome will shine.  Any bejewelled colour, such as golden yellow and emerald green, is going to add to the extravagant comfortableness of your purple interior design. Hot pink with purple? You better believe it.

Lilacs and lavenders will soften and ease you when teamed with yellow, green and pink pastels. Add light grey to your purple interior design and behold the oohs and ahhs in praise of your sophistication. Combine white with purple, and your home will be both warm and fresh.

As for orange, need I say more? Within the extravagance of a purple interior design, anything goes.

The post Popular this month: Purple Interior Design appeared first on Blind Technique.

Emerald Interior Design: a little bit goes a long way

Rugs, cushions, blinds and other accessories are excellent opportunities for introducing emerald into your interior design as an accent colour. An emerald vase can be a sensuous curvy affair in clay, or cool and tall in emerald glass. A silk throw or a linen one? A handmade woven rug from ancient Persia or one from a Scandinavian artisan will give your emerald interior design a very different feel.

Emerald Interior Design: a blind for every taste

When it comes to blinds, you’ll have plenty of styles to choose from. What’s more luxurious than a Roman blind? And curtains made from lush material are an excellent choice for opulence. Meanwhile, the efficiency of the classic roller blind will suit your modern penthouse. For those large glass walls affording you a view of the cityscape or your garden, the Allusion blind should be everyone’s first choice.

Emerald Interior Design: a blind for every occasion

It’s not just about the look of your emerald window dressing. Blinds were made to provide privacy and shading – all the better to protect your emerald interior design.

For shading, you may want a fabric that keeps the sun off you and also reflects the sun away, helping you stay even cooler in your emerald oasis. Vertical blinds will give you more control over shading and privacy than a Roller or Roman blind would, as rollers and Romans will leave some of your window exposed when open, fully or partly.

Allusion blinds, a combination of voile curtain and vertical louvre, provide shade and privacy in equal measure, and at the same time! Shutters are an excellent choice too, as the louvres can be positioned at the angle you desire. Our shutters can be painted to match or complement your emerald interior design with Farrow & Ball paint, and what better paint for your urbane or Versailles-style home?

Venetian blinds are also excellent for controlling how much light and privacy you require. The slats, like louvres, can be angled however you wish. They’re available in a wide range of faux woods, or shiny aluminium, to compliment or shine vibrantly amongst your emerald interior design.

Emerald Interior Design: a natural showcase for metallic accents

With emerald as your primary colour, it will show off metallic accents to the nth degree, especially gold and brass. The red in these metals is a perfect complement to an emerald interior design.

You may be thinking too much emerald surely has no place in your chic home, but against a backdrop of exposed brickwork, reddish metals and emerald will warm your home, just as it would if you needed something for your chrome accents and cool grey plaster walls – a perfect frame an emerald interior design.

Emerald Interior Design: what else goes with it?

Reflective of a shimmering summer, yet warm and cosy for winter, emerald interior design suits any time of year.

Other bejewelled colours will compliment an emerald interior design, from ruby to sapphire and amethyst. So will rich hues such as magenta, fuschia, turquoise or any vibrant citrus.

Choose matt paint for a muted elegance, but that doesn’t necessarily mean gloss for lushness. A lacquer paint will give a glass-like finish and may be more suited to your sumptuous room, all the better to reflect your baroque or art deco mirrors and chandeliers. In either setting, succulents in terra cotta pots will bring the outdoors in.

Emerald may be a darker green but it captures the light so it never seems like a dark green. Whichever scheme you go for, emerald interior design will bring you style and joy.

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To help you make the choice that’s right for you, let’s compare two very different options: roller blinds versus shutters.

Roller blinds vs Shutters: why either one?

Will you go for the ease and simplicity of roller blinds, or the ease and simplicity of shutters? Roller blinds are easy to keep clean and maintain. As are shutters. Shutters will confound your cat – Madame Coco will find she can’t tear her way through them. A roller blind, made of fire and water-resistant material, is also highly durable.

I swear, there are differences. This blog is about roller blinds vs shutters.

Roller Blinds vs Shutters:  How much choice do you get?

Shutters come in many different colours. If you’ve got cash to splash, we can even match your shutter to your choice of Farrow and Ball paint. But when it comes to choice, the roller blind can’t be beat. The wide selection of fabrics, colours and patterns available, including your own if you wish, means roller blinds win over shutters on that point.

However, shutters soar ahead of roller blinds when it comes to configuration. A roller blind is either open, closed or somewhere in between, in which case there’s always some exposure to the glare of the sun or nosey neighbours. With shutters, you can choose where and how they fit on your windows. With tier on tier configuration, your shutters can be made to line up with your windows and frames, giving you substantial control over how much privacy and light you need at any one time. Meanwhile, cafe-style shutters finish approximately halfway up the window like, well, a cafe. As there are fewer shutters, this can be more cost-effective, giving you the convenience of shutters without the cost of covering the whole window. This is especially useful for privacy, should your living room be at the front of the house.

Roller Blinds vs Shutters: which is cheaper?

Shutters are considerably more expensive than roller blinds. If you’re planning on refreshing the whole house with new window dressings, then roller blinds are definitely more cost-effective than shutters. Shutters, however, are the only window dressing that adds value to your home, so you can consider them an investment.

Shutters pay for themselves in other ways too. Security shutters can withstand full-grown burglars hurling themselves against them. So when it comes to roller blinds or shutters, you may find yourself thinking of things beyond the obvious practicalities.

Roller Blinds vs Shutters:  you can always have both

Why not have the shutters for style, then you can include a roller blind and you’re probably wondering why anyone would do that. Both roller blinds and shutters can leave you with a small amount of light bleed. Slivers of light will sneak in through the slats of the shutters, and the mechanism on a roller blind takes up a few precious millimetres in the recess, again allowing a stray ray in.

You can hang a roller blind outside of the recess, and having it roll off the back of the tube will keep it as flush with the wall as possible, thereby eliminating any light bleed. This assumes you choose a blackout material, and there aren’t any characterful lumps in your wall pushing the blind out.

With shutters, it doesn’t matter how you install them, light will not be completely eliminated. If you need a blackout effect, then you can pop a roller blind behind the shutters. This will also double up on the insulation should you need it.

No one window dressing can meet all your needs. Doubling up, in this case with both roller blinds and shutters, will give you control over privacy and light and light bleed. You can spoil yourself, and have practical reasons for both shutters and roller blinds.

The post Roller Blinds vs Shutters: Which Are Right For My Home? appeared first on Blind Technique.

An evening of laughs and deep meaningful conversation requires the appropriate setting. Damn straight your dining room needs to reflect your soul, and only a Scandi dining room design will do.

What’s meant by Scandi Dining Room Ideas?

For a Scandi dining room, function and beauty come together for a simple and clean yet comfy and cosy living space. This may sound like a contradiction, but a space can be serene, calm and cosy and also clean and uncluttered.

How is this done? The Scandi’s call it hygge (it’s pronounced hoo-gah). Definitions may vary, but only slightly. Hygge is about a warm and cosy atmosphere, in which to enjoy friendship and connection. It also seems to suggest contentment, with ourselves and what we have. It’s being comfortable while we enjoy the simple pleasures of life, mulling in calmness and quiet.

Does a serene environment need to be ‘brought to life’? Let the natural calmness you create with your Scandi dining room ideas ensure a chilled yet loving environment. Let the energy, and the food and wine, ebb and flow over you and your guests.

How do I create a Scandi Dining Room Design?

So how do you bring clarity, cleanliness, and warmth and cosiness, to the same space? How do the Scandis create hygge? They do it with soft textures and natural materials, especially wood. They use soft lighting and seriously, a fair amount of wood. Lots of light-coloured wood. It’s a dining room, so it’s possible your choice of dining table and chairs will be a big factor.

Scandi design probably brings to mind a white and blue motif. Neutrals are a classic choice too for a calming ambience. Other colours are allowed. Any colour that evokes the natural world – blue for the sky and the sea, green for forests, brown for wood, grey for stone, and pink for … shellfish? These colours will enhance, and be enhanced, by the neutrals you compliment them with.

A Scandi design also highlights space. Again, having space sounds like it contradicts the cosy side of hygge. Space will make the dining room seem bigger, and by having fewer things in your dining room, you and your guests will feel unencumbered by unnecessary things. But does space suggest cosiness? The use of natural materials will bring warmth and homeliness. You can further ground your Scandi dining room with pattern and texture, all of which add to the feeling and philosophy of hygge.

What goes with Scandi Dining Room Design?

The minimalism of a Scandi dining room design keeps things simple, to maintain the serenity of the space. So simple accessories, such as something rustic, will keep with the Scandi decor and bring a homeliness to this clean look. Earthenware tableware not only rhymes with itself but is also a charming match to the natural look of Scandi design. By using wood, stone and woollen throws, your Scandi dining room is a place your guests will not want to leave.

What kind of blinds suit a Scandi Dining Room Design?

The simplicity of a Roller blind or a cosy Roman in a patterned and textured fabric are excellent ideas for a Scandi dining room. The neatness of Perfect Fit frames is a perfect choice too, as they’ll enhance the clean lines. Venetians in faux or real wood will add to the ambience and give you maximum control over the light. Shutters, classic and clean of line, will go beautifully with the neutral scheme. Finding the right window dressing for your Scandi Dining Room will be a breeze. You certainly won’t be short of ideas.

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