Decorative furnishings can be both aesthetically pleasing and functional. When it comes to window coverings, you have so many options or types and styles that it can be tough to decide what your preference is: roller blinds or curtains. Whether or not you’re missing out by choosing one type over another.
It’s important to consider what you want your window coverings to do for you. If you live on a noisy, well-lit street, you may desire window furnishings that help dull the sounds, and block light. Or you may want to conserve energy by reducing direct sunlight or draughts.
For some, the most important factor might be the ease of maintenance – keeping the furnishings clean and presentable without too much hassle could save you hours. This is especially helpful if you have small children or pets that are known to cause a mess or two around your home.
Roller Blinds or Curtains?
Each type of window furnishing has its own benefits and drawbacks. That’s why it’s so important that you assess your needs before you make your purchase. Both curtains and roller blinds come in numerous styles and across a range of budgets – with some being very cheap and others (especially those custom-made orders) can be quite expensive.
It’s worthwhile making sure that you choose the type that’ll give you the most benefits for your circumstances so that you can create the personality and vibe in your home that will make you love it even more than ever before.
People often wonder: “Are roller blinds better than curtains?” And the answer is – there is no ‘better’ as such, only what is right for you. Both curtains and roller blinds offer solutions, and the best one will depend on the primary problem you are experiencing. The answer might even be to double up and opt for both to get the best of both worlds.
What Are the Benefits of Roller Blinds?
Roller blinds can be a budget-friendly solution if you need to protect your privacy – if your home looks out onto a busy street for example. Some are even designed in a way that fully blocks out light, making them ideal in bedrooms. Other types of internal blinds allow some light to pass through so as not to completely darken your home, but still prevent nosy neighbours from peeking in your window too.
Roller blinds are easy to operate, using a pull string to lower and raise the blinds as you need. Once installed, they can function for years before there’s any need to replace them. This will largely depend on the quality of the blinds that you purchase. You’ll find that high-quality fabrics and frame materials will have more durability than cheaper alternatives.
Luckily, as the home furnishing industry has grown over the years, there are far more style options available now than ever before. Some styles are classic and will easily stand the test of time – plain white for example. Choosing a long-lasting style and material means you won’t have to worry about wasting your furnishings budget. Nor will you be shopping for upgrades any time soon.
Alternatively, you might choose something bolder and more daring to match the rest of your interior perfectly. Luckily, it’s not too difficult to replace one roller blind with another if you decide to decorate in the future.
Unlike flowing curtains, roller blinds are attached directly to the window frame. They don’t move as much with gusts of wind and are a far safer option for kitchen windows than less predictable curtains. Moving material isn’t a safe option near open flames and can cause accidents if they begin to billow out, causing spillages and breakages – especially in a busy home kitchen. Roller blinds are by far the safer option here.
Now, when it comes time to clean, all you need is a vacuum and a wet cloth, and your blinds will look amazing. If you’ve gotten tougher marks or stains on your blinds, we’ll show you how to clean your blinds effectively in this post.
Why Are Curtains So Popular?
Curtains have been around for centuries. There’s a huge market of styles, sizes, fabrics, and weights available. There are bright and breezy summer decor curtains that serve little real purpose but look cute. There are kids’ bedroom designs with flowers or race cars. And not to forget the wide range of elegant styles that create an eye-catching display in your living room.
Curtains are amazing at enhancing your insulation and conserving energy. Thicker styles made from heavy-weight multi-layered fabrics can prevent cold windows from cooling your home, reducing heating bills in the winter. They can prevent direct sunlight from reaching your home, so the AC doesn’t need to work twice as hard in the summer. Nonetheless, roller blinds help insulate and effectively block light by providing full window coverage.
Curtains do need to be removed regularly to be washed, to keep on top of day-to-day dust build up and odours collected from cooking. This can be a hassle, but it also allows you to rotate your curtain designs, patterns, styles, and colours keeping your decor fresh without making much of a change at all.
Are Roller Blinds Better Than Curtains?
Each window covering solves its own group of home comfort problems. If you want to protect your privacy, reduce the amount of space needed for window furnishing, and have an easy maintenance routine. Curtains, on the other hand, are great for enhancing insulation (especially noise), improving energy efficiency, and have the most styles available that will suit every home and personality.
Roller blinds are the most practical of the two, taking up less space, causing less mischief in the wind, and being generally out of reach of small children and pets that could do them damage. However, curtains are more likely to be decorative and noticeable – great for adding a splash of colour to a neutral, minimalist room as well as for enhancing existing decor.
When it comes to it, there’s no need to simply choose one type. If you want to have maximum light-blocking, and maximum noise-blocking, and showcase your design flair with beautiful fabrics, you can opt for both. This is the ideal solution for bedrooms, and living rooms, where you want to create a relaxing, cosy escape from the hustle and bustle beyond.
However, if internal or external blinds are more suited to your needs, Uniblinds provides an extensive selection for you to explore.