Traditionally, we’ve been told that smaller rooms are harder to style. Spaces that struggle to find natural light or accommodate the storage that we need can present problems to busy working families. To combat this, interior designers continue to tweak and adjust out homes to make even the boxiest of rooms feel large. And, here at Shop4Blinds, we believe that the right window blind can make your home feel much more spacious.
Why window blinds?
When looking to gain more space, we can reconfigure our home layout, move fixed appliances or paint entire rooms. While all of these options work well, they also require significant investment – be that in the form of time or money. Having the structure of your home changed is a significant upheaval for the entire family and puts your home out of normal use for a period of time. Even applying a lick of paint can demand significant ventilation and physical labour.
Window blinds, on the other hand, are relatively inexpensive in comparison. The range of choice on the market is vast, allowing you to choose materials and designs that fit both your budget and interior design. And, as with the options we have available here, they are supplied with full installation instructions.
Choosing the right window blinds
As mentioned above, there are many styles of window blind available on the market. And some are more suitable for smaller rooms or spaces you’re looking to visually expand. Below are our tips for choosing the right style for your home.
Utilise technology
Designed to support the ease of modern life, window blind technology continues to develop. Nowadays, internal motors and remote-controlled mechanisms allow many window blinds to be operated from a distance. To get the most out of any space, it is vital that you take advantage of natural light. And, one way to do this is to allow it into a room when it’s needed the most. Being able to operate blinds from anywhere in the home and making the most of sunlight allows you to make the very most of your home.
Choose sheer
Natural light. You’ll hear us talk about it a lot in this post. Sheer and voile window blinds have been designed to help reduce glare while still allowing enough light in to make a room usable throughout the day. Choose softer colours, such as our Voile Cream Roller Blinds that allow you privacy without blocking out all of the light.
Opt for light colours
A general rule of thumb when it comes to making spaces look bigger is to choose lighter colours. They instantly make a space feel brighter and create the illusion of more room. These tones are more reflective and help to maximise the impact that natural light can have. If minimalistic style fits in best with your decor, options such as the Caspian White Roller Blind or the Splash Canvas Roller Blinds are ideal. Additionally, styles such as our Splash Tiffany Roller Blinds or Palette Lime Green Roller Blinds are more colourful options that still work well.
Note: Another good tip is to make sure any wall trimmings or mouldings are painted in a lighter colour to the walls. This makes walls feel further back, expanding the space even more.
Vertical blinds
Low ceilings will make a space look smaller – regardless of how much floor space there actually is. One way to combat this is to try and visually elongate the length of your walls. Vertical window blinds do this perfectly. Crafted from vertical slats that rotate to allow light in while giving you the chance to control privacy when needed. Styles such as our Caspian Beige or the Kingham Cream Vertical Blinds can be made-to-measure for your window dimensions and will make them look considerably taller.
Avoid patterns
Interior design should be unique to your home, so don’t take our word for gospel. But one tried and tested method of making a room look bigger is to avoid complicated and fussy prints. They make a space look more cluttered, in comparison to block coloured blinds. Plain roller blinds or vertical blinds both work well for this purpose.
Thin vertical slats
Light-coloured Wooden Blinds are both great for making a space look larger and creating timeless style. If you opt for thinner slats, such as our 25mm range, you’ll make the smallest window look larger. The same goes for Aluminium Venetian Blinds – thin vertical slats give the illusion of more space in your windows and, therefore, your entire home. We have a range of 15mm and 25mm slatted options that start at just £31.47.
Dress inside the recess
Most windows have a recess – the space between the window and the wall. You can choose to have your window blind fitted inside or outside of the recess. If you’re looking to make a room look more spacious, choose window dressings that sit as close to your window as possible – so right inside the recess.
As with all interior design, feel free to break the rules and play around with style to create a home you adore. Here at Shop4Blinds, we have the widest range of high-quality and bespoke window dressings to suit your home. If you need any help deciding on the right style or advice on any of the styles available in our online store, get in contact with the team here today.