2020 is the year of crafting the perfect home. After all, we’ve spent the better part of 6 months inside our houses and many of us have turned to interior design to get through this. One key window blind trend for this AW is doubling up – in essence, having 2 window blinds fitted to the same window to create a unique look. But is this possible on your windows? And what factors do you need to consider before placing your order. We’ll go through all of this here in today’s blog.
How does it work when doubling up window blinds?
If you’re looking to purchase two separate blinds and use them together, you’ll need two separate head rails. This means that each window blind will operate independently form the other. So, when you’re adjusting for the optimal light and privacy set-up, you’ll need to consider both. In order to hand two window blinds together, you want to ensure you have the space within your window recess. Most blinds, including roller blinds, can be fitted either within the recess or outside of the recess.
To make your double-blind set up work, you’ll want to order one to fit inside and one to sit outside. This allows each one to have the space it needs to work and minimises the risk of damaging collisions.
The best type of window blind for doubling up
In our opinion, the best window blinds to double up with are roller blinds. This is due to a number of factors:
- Easy operation – Roller blinds are normally controlled with a pull cord. This is relatively compact, creates little to no extra bulk and can be used without any specialist training. This means you’ll be able to control the inner blind easily without causing damage to the external one.
- Range of materials – One of the biggest reasons why people choose to double their window blinds is to benefit from the different features that fabrics can offer. For example in an office, you may want to prevent glare on your computer screen but don’t want to eliminate natural light all the time. This is where blackout thermal blinds paired with sheer blinds come into play. During the day, you can roll down your sheer layer while keeping the blackout layer up. Glare will be significantly reduced but you still have the option of ‘closing-up-shop’ and preventing passing by from seeing in to your equipment when the working day is done.
- Versatile style – Roller blinds come in a great variety of styles and designs. And, seeing as the fabric here is solid unlike with vertical blinds, they offer a unique look that other options don’t. With this, you can play with two different colours and then incorporate them into the rest of your home. Equally, it’s easy to partner together a plain window blind with a patterned one and have the option to hide the pattern if you want to change up your style inside.
Consider curtains
Another popular way of doubling up on window dressings is to pair your favourite roller blind with a pair of curtains. This works particularly well if you’re drawn to classical interior designs as it allows you to incorporate a traditional window covering in with the practicality of roller, vertical or venetian blinds too. Again, the blind itself will need to be fitted within the window recess and your curtain rail will sit outside of this.
If curtains appeal to you the most, play with colour. You could either choose roller blinds and curtain fabric to match and create a seamless style. Or, equally, go bold with the curtains and find a statement pattern that comes out to play every evening for your family.
Perfect partnerships
We spoke to our expert team here at Shop4Blinds and asked them, if they were to choose a double-blind pairing, what would they choose. See below three suggestions to get you started.
Banlight Duo FR Atlantic Blue Blackout Roller Blinds & Voile Grey Roller Blinds
Pairing the bold blue hues of the Atlantic blinds with soft grey tones just works. And if you were to fit the blackout blind outside the recess, you could take advantage of both light control and glare control at the same time – perfect for nearly any room in the house.
Chatsworth Black Roller Blinds & Banlight Duo FR Black Blackout Roller Blinds
The perfect monochromatic pairing, these two blinds allow you to bring colour, pattern and uniformity into your home. Again, you benefit from blackout properties while being able to choose whether the pattern or block colour takes preference.
Paloma Citrus Faux Suede Roller Blinds & Splash Chocolate Roller Blinds
Mustard and brown are a match made in heaven. And, if you’re looking for a warm combination that works in any space, you’ve found it here. We would keep the darker colour on top and layer the Paloma Citrus behind it for the perfect look.
If you would like any additional information or to speak to a member of the Shop4Blinds team, feel free to get in contact today.