Picking the right window treatments for your house is a decision as crucial as choosing furnishings for the rooms. It is a piece of decor that plays quite a role in bringing out the whole look together. Even the slightest error can put each and everything down the drain. It is pertinent to mention that your chosen home decor casts an impact on several factors.

Speaking of those, home decor such as curtains or blinds enhances and adds value to your house. In fact, as a homeowner, if you are planning to put up your house on sale, the furnishings and decor will play a role in determining its value.

In addition to this, considering how real estate prices are always on the move, it can be heavy on the budget to go for major renovations. It is where more straightforward changes, such as curtains or blinds, can step in and add value as any renovation would do. While this can be a cheaper and smart alternative, it is daunting to decide between curtains and blinds.

Therefore, to make the entire process more accessible, we have put together this guideline to help you make your choice. Before we begin, let’s first see what the difference between curtains and blinds is.

Curtains are referred to as fabric panels and sold in pairs. They come in a variety of lengths, width, fabrics, and patterns. The curtains hang and fall through a rod.

Speaking of blinds, they slide up and down through a lifting mechanism. These are made with bamboo, wood, aluminum, or vinyl slats. They come in a lot of types, namely, Venetian blinds, vertical blinds, and roller blinds.

Let’s now dive into the factors which should be taken into account when it comes to curtains and blinds.

The costs and fittings:

How much money you would have to invest depends upon several factors. These include quality, material, in addition to whether the chosen window treatments are ready-to-hang or require a customised fit.

Suppose you are putting up curtains made cotton, then they will cost you much less compared to curtains made of luxurious fabrics such as linen will be much more expensive.

If you are on a budget, you may consider blinds, like the plastic or vinyl ones. Keep in mind that this estimate does not include installation costs. On the other hand, some of these products made of wood can cost about £150; again, this doesn’t cover installation costs.

We suggest that you take a quote from several sources. Move on to weighing each quote with your budget and pick the most suitable one.

Coming towards the fittings part, someone with decent home improvement skills, such as having a bit of a sense regarding how to hang curtains, can take up installing these as their DIY project. For a rough idea, bear in mind that you will need at least £250-500 to install blinds (of aluminum) over eight windows. As for curtains, keep in mind a rough cost of £300 to £400.

Design:

If you have the right aesthetic sense, curtains can add style and texture to your room. It depends on how you decide to incorporate it. You can either do it so by coordinating it with the color scheme of your rooms or by using a contrasting approach. Where curtains can bring about warmth and cosiness, blinds do not fall in the same category. However, they do make a room look larger, considering that they are less intrusive, unlike a curtain.

As far as it comes to making a choice, many homeowners prefer a combination of blinds and curtains. Primarily, if you see, then the reason behind putting up curtains or blinds is to have control over privacy and light. A mix of these can result in a variety in terms of design and functionality. Moreover, the overall look of the house comes off as contemporary and elegant. While there is no denying that having blinds up is a convenient option in terms of functionality, a beautiful combination can add a star to the decor quotient. It can be a tad expensive, but the house may give off a more luxurious and stylish appeal.

Insulation:

Sunlight could be both a blessing and a curse. Too much of anything can be harmful, and so is the case with sunlight. As mentioned earlier, the reason is to control the amount of light behind putting up window treatments. Therefore, to block the sunlight from coming in, heavy curtains or faux wood blinds should be considered. However, it is best to opt for a mix of curtains and blinds as blinds alone cannot handle blocking the sunlight out. Also, some rooms need just curtains, whereas some need blinds, and then some look their best having both. So, don’t you fret at all, wondering how will it turn out!

We understand that it might take a toll on your pocket so that you might invest in heavier curtains, once and for all.

Furthermore, if it is west that your living room faces, then you probably should already start looking for thicker options. It is because faux wood blinds won’t be able to deal with the sunlight. Hence, dense options, as in curtains, is the only way to keep the sunlight at bay and keep the room temperature reasonable.

If your heart wants blind, then the ones with horizontal or vertical slats would prove to be best. The best part is that they can be adjusted so that the light gets in as per your liking in terms of intensity. So, both privacy and light control could be maintained if blinds selected smartly.

We hope this guide will help you in making a better decision, and your home turns out exceptionally well. Make sure you don’t overspend and instead draw a budget before making any purchase to know where you stand in terms of both money and choice.