First Home Buyers Guide to Blinds

So you've bought or built your first home and it has nothing on the windows -- now what?

Whether you desperately need your privacy, or the sun is piercing in turning your living room into a Sauna... you'll need some form of blinds.

This "First Home Buyers Guide to Blinds" is a very broad little guide designed to help guide you through the process. This is backed up by decades of knowledge working in a small family business in Blinds Brisbane of 30 years selling and furnishing locally.

Lets jump straight into the list, in no particular order:

1) What blinds do you like?

One of the most important factors in determining what blinds to pick is PREFERENCE. Some people who grew up with, for example, timber Venetians, will often be drawn towards them through habit. While this is understandable, some homes/windows simply aren't designed to operate well with certain types of blinds. A vertical blind does not work on a french door or a modern winder window as it will always flap in the wind. But practicality aside, as a buyer, you must like blind and ideally have used it before --- after all you will be using it every day of the year.

2) What blinds suite the window/doorway/opening?

Touched up briefly in the previous paragraph -- The type of blind must suite the nature of the window. For very large and long windows or openings or doorways, it is best to choose a blind which slides, rather than an up and down motion blind. If you have a unusually large number of windows in a room, consider how often you will have to manually open all those blinds. Maybe motorizing and automating with smart technology is the way to go.

3) Budget

At the end of the day, many decisions come down to the budget you can work with. Our recommendation is to focus on practicality and style first, and budget second. I wouldn't skim on the type of blind, as this could turn into a ubiquitous nightmare very quickly if you pick the wrong blind for the wrong window. If you pick a fabric type of blind, then most likely you can safely consider more affordable fabrics rather than designer fabrics. The quality "should" be at a similar level most of the time. The pricing differences often arise from trends and changes of demand in the window furnishing industry. Certain fabrics cost more as they could have extra backing and other features, but 90% of the time, they are on a similar quality level.

4) Choosing the Right Company

Whether you are installing the blinds yourself or getting a company/contractor to install the blinds... you still have to pick a company to buy from.

Being in the blinds industry for 3 decades, we have seen many shifts in the industry, and companies come and go. Picking the right company is a difficult question to answer because there are so many variables involved.

As a rule of thumb, when comparing quotes/prices/companies our suggestion is to NOT look only at their price. A cheaper quote does not equate to better deal. Paying that little bit more may make using the blinds smoother and better over the years, and ensure a longer lasting blind in the long run.

Google reviews do not represent how good a company is either. They can be fabricated. When comparing companies, look at their knowledge of the blinds, how personalized they are with their approach, how established they are, do they have a showroom or factory, and above all word of mouth is a key element.

Thats it for now! We'll be expanding on more tips gradually over time, and answer any requests you may have.