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We like to spend a little time searching the internet for all things related to blinds. Every now and again we come across something unusual such as this,

through the blinds
sliced a wedge
of moonlight…

This concise poem is written to the rules of Haiku, a Japanese form of poetry that has three lines and seventeen syllables. It is certain well worth a look and a read though some of the outstanding examples on the various websites dedicated to this style of poetry. What really made us take notice is just how many of these poems are written about blinds! There’s even a book of Haiku poems entitled Sun Through The Blinds!

The example featured was written by Carole Mathys and was found here

You will have noticed that we keep referring to ‘Basswood’ being used for the majority of wooden Venetian blinds. This timber is from the ‘Tilia’ family of trees, these being native throughout the northern hemisphere and known in the UK as a ‘Lime’ and the USA as ‘Linden’ trees. It is known in the trade as Basswood, particularly in North America. This name originates from the inner bark of the tree, known as bast which has many uses in it’s own right.
Basswood is ideal for use in wooden Venetian blinds as it is very pale in it’s natural colour, the tree grows fast and straight so there are very few knots in the timber and being a hardwood, it is very durable, especially when it has been kiln dried (as all the timber used in our blinds has been) yet in it’s ‘green’ state is soft enough to be easily milled and sawn.
The paleness of the natural timber makes it extremely accepting of stains and colourings. This in combination with very little grain results in it being possible to produce stained timber that resembles an extremely wide range of other timbers. This is important as obviously many trees are now endangered due to over logging and should not be used (and are often protected) and others, such as Oak and Ash are slower growing and are therefore far more expensive.
It used to be that ‘Ramin‘ was the timber of choice for furniture manufacture but due to some unscrupulous timber suppliers, this was being sourced from protected rainforests in Vietnam and Indonesia. As this was a major cause for concern, there has been an almost unanimous move within the industry to use Basswood instead. Basswood is easily managed due to the speed that it grows, of which means that there is very little impact upon the environment.

After many months of negotiation and development, we have finally unleashed our brand new website Poles 2go upon the world wide web.
Featuring some of the most recognised names in the curtain pole and track industry, Poles 2go offers all of our usual trademarks, great service from experienced staff, the best prices available and quick delivery to your door step.
So if you are after a metal curtain pole, a curtain track or a sturdy wooden pole to support your luxurious window dressings, then it has just become that little bit easier!
The ranges currently cover brands such as Swish and Sunflex with additions from Harrison Drape and Universal coming in the next couple of weeks.
As well as offering these poles and tracks, we are also offering the full range of Swish parts, both for the curtain tracks but also for their ever popular mix-and-match metal pole range.

There’s no doubt that bathroom windows need blinds but with so many different types of blind being available, which ones are ideal and which should be avoided?
Bathrooms are notoriously hard on blinds. The combinations of heat and moisture followed by cooler temperatures and the abrasive chemicals that are commonly used in cleaning mean that any blind that is situated in a bathroom has a hard life. Often you will see blinds in bathrooms that have faded or yellowed in colour, that have spots of mould edging the bottom of the fabric and that are cracked or broken because of the constant expanding and contracting as the temperature alters.
This is mostly because of the wrong type of blind being used. We have listed below the best and worst of the blinds currently available:-

1) Bathroom Roller Blinds

These blinds have to be at the top of the list as they are the only ones designed especially for the job. They are made from PVC and use an aluminium pole and chain. This means that the blinds are 100% waterproof. There’s no chance of rust marking the fabric and there is no purchase for moisture to settle in making the blinds resistant to mould growths. The extra thick material remains supple in extremes of heat and cold, this makes the blind perfect for use directly over a bath or even used in place of a shower curtain!

2) Aluminium Venetian Blinds

Coming in at number 2 is the classic aluminium Venetian blind. It is more than likely that you will have seen these used in a bathroom before. They must be made from aluminium which is a non-ferrous metal and therefore doesn’t rust. (If they were a cheaper alloy then they may rust and this can be extremely difficult to remove from the surrounding décor.) There is a huge range of colours available in this type of blind which makes them very popular. A Venetian blind takes slightly more maintenance than a roller blind because you have to protect the cords from moisture, however this is easy to do by simply applying a wax based polish to the cords on a regular basis (once every couple of months of so).

3) Painted Finish Wooden Venetian Blinds

In third place are the wooden venetian blinds with a painted finish. These look great and offer fantastic light control but care must be taken when using them. Wooden blinds can warp if they are left wet or in a room that is particularly steamy (no good in the sauna I’m afraid), so avoid using them if the window in question is in direct contact with spray from a shower or over the bath where they will be surrounded by steam whenever a bath is run (if the window is in this position, use either option 1 or 2 above). However, in a window away from the bath or shower they will be fine. The same precautions should be taken as with aluminium blinds, take care of the cords by regularly protecting with either silicone spray or a wax based polish and you will have no problems. The combination of a painted finish and 50mm wooden slats will result in a blind that looks stunning, is easy to clean and offers perfect privacy and light control.

The Ones To Avoid

This is quite simple, avoid any fabric that is not entirely water proof and make sure that all the fixtures and fittings are also water proof and resistant to rust. Fabric Roman blinds are a definite no-no, they will get wet and unless they are taken down, washed and then dried immediately, they will develop mildew and other forms of mould. Whilst this can be resolved, it can damage the colour and finish of the blind and is best avoided. Vertical blinds made from fabric suffer from exactly the same issues and have the added problem that if left wet, they can shrink and end up an odd shape.
As always, if you are not sure whether the blind you are considering is suitable or not, call us or drop a comment here on the blog and we will do our best to advise you.

We are often asked “How do I measure an angled bay window for blinds?” and the answer is very simple but quite lengthy and difficult to explain over the telephone. To resolve this we set about drawing up this handy guide that shows you in five easy steps, how to measure an angled bay window so that blinds will sit perfectly side by side.

Click here to see the full guide.

Note: The guide is based on an angled bay window with three panels but the same principle applies to any bay window regardless of the number of panels.

Have you ever found yourself working in an office where you can’t see a window from your desk? Whilst surfing the internet in search of all things blinds related, we came across this great piece of Japanese innovation and think it could be a perfect solution to dark offices or fluorescent tube lighting.

Made of electroluminescent (EL) sheets, Makoto Hirahara’s Bright Blind simulates a window where none exists.

In all other respects, the artificial blind functions in exactly the same way as a regular blind - ie turning the plastic stick controls the brightness, etc.

As of this writing, this piece is made by hand, so it’s available - but will take some time (and money) to create.

As always, we try to be right there on the edge with the very latest in products, this is no different as we introduce five fabulous new timbers to the already impressive Hereford range.

The Ivory is a high quality painted timber in a beautiful creamy off white colour, currently available in 25mm, 35mm and 50mm slats. The painted finish makes the blind easy to clean, ideal for use in offices or busy homes.

Burnished Oak adds another beautifully warm timber to our range. An almost perfect match for Oak effect UPVC windows. With the slat sizes of 25mm, 35mm and 50mm, this is already proving to be popular with our designers.

To really appreciate the stunning quality of this timber, we strongly recommend using our free sample service to order a swatch. The emphasis with the Rowan is on the combination of depth of colour and grain, this is achieved by only using the 50mm slat size to showcase the beauty of the wood.

The Tuscan Oak timber is a warm, golden tinted timber. The pronounced grain adds texture to this timber which would fit in very nicely with antique or Ercol furniture. As with the Rowan, 50mm slats are used so as to best demonstrate the elegant natural grain of the timber.

Canadian Maple has long been recognised as a beautiful timber for home furnishings. We have used a 50mm slat size to create a classic pale timber Venetian blind that looks simply stunning in any environment, modern or traditional.

Whilst Autumn brings about a sense of sleepy hibernation, the designers at Blinds Bar have not been allowed to rest upon their laurels! The product of their endeavours is the all new look to Blinds Bar!
The new logo is the precursor to bigger things, not only do we have a new look, we now have a freephone number, an improved sample service and as ever, some of the best prices available for made-to-measure blinds of the highest quality!

To the most avid of our readers, the new range of blackout blinds on Blinds Bar will be old news as it arrived online a couple of weeks ago.

The new Twilight and Gozo fabrics were brought in to compliment our range of roller blinds. Chosen for the variety of colours and quality of materials, they have slotted quite happily into the roller blinds section and already are proving exceptionally popular with our regular customer base.


The Twilight range of fabrics have a white backing meaning that they are slightly better at reflecting the heat of the sunlight during the summer months.


The Gozo range has the same colour on both sides of the material so you can show off a splash of colour to the outside world! It also has the much requested black blackout blind (we call it Tar), surprisingly difficult to get hold of!

We hope you like them as much as we do.

If you have a second home that you let out or if you let property as a profession, if the property is furnished then you will have to consider the type of window covering that you are going to provide. Certainly the most appealing to new tenants and the most practical for you would be blinds but which type of blind is going to be the best option for you as the landlord?

Suitability

You will need to make sure the blind is suitable for the situation or application that it’s intended for, i.e. don’t put a cotton Roman blind in a bathroom or you will soon have your tenant calling to say it has gone mouldy, instead use the right blind, in this instance it would be a waterproof roller blind, and you will find that it lasts a lot longer and as a result actually saves money on the long term. The other thing to think about is the market that you are looking to rent to, where cheaper roller blinds maybe suitable for student lets, they will not impress a letting intended for the executive market, this obviously applies vice versa, Wooden blinds may be perfect for a high end letting in the City but be unsuitable for a property made up of bedsits.

Durability

Durability is the biggest consideration for blinds in a rented property. They must be easy to clean, hard wearing and you need to know that you can obtain parts to carry out minor repairs to the blinds and that these repairs are easy to carry out. These may seem obvious questions but do ask the supplier/manufacturer to confirm these details. Ask what the most common fault is with a blind and how difficult that fault is to rectify

Price

The cheapest is not necessarily the best when you are considering blinds in a rented property. We recognise that you will be working to a tight budget but attention must be paid to the above two sections so that you are then looking for the right blind at the right price.

Key Points

Roller Blinds - The waterproof versions are perfect for bathrooms and kitchens whilst the brighter vibrant colours of the standard range are ideal for a younger market and extremely modern décor’s. Make sure that the blind fabric can be cleaned and that replacement brackets, mechanisms and chains are easily obtainable.

Wooden Blinds - Very durable and very attractive, emphasising a quality finish to the property but can be quite expensive to replace if mis-treated. The trick is to make sure that you can get replacement slats rather than having to buy a whole unit if the blind were to be damaged. Other part’s to keep an eye on are the cords, make sure that the cord or a suitable alternative can be purchased and the tilt mechanisms can be replaced. The downside to these is that whilst replacing a slat or a cord is easy, it is time consuming and can be fiddly

Roman Blinds - Almost the perfect blind for a rented property. If you make sure that the fabric is cotton based, you will be able to machine wash the blind which makes for easy maintenance. The cords are easily replaced and the headrails should be durable. The only downside to a Roman blind is that they are not suitable for use in bathrooms or kitchens.

Vertical Blinds - A very cost effective way of covering large windows and very easy to get and fit replacement parts for the fabric and headrails. However the downside is that you will almost certainly need the replacement parts as the blinds are liable to have bits pulled off or the fabric permanently marked, this is especially the case if the fabric reaches to the floor.

Aluminium Venetian Blinds - Up there with the Roman blinds, they have the added benefit of being suitable for use in kitchens and they are easy to keep clean. Whilst they are fairly durable, they can crease if the slats are squeezed open to allow visibility. Replacement parts can prove difficult to get hold of and can be difficult to fit. It’s worth checking with whoever you purchase the blinds about the availability of parts. The other downside is that they can give a cold almost clinical finish to the room they are in although this is less of an issue now that there are a huge range of colours available.

Pleated Blinds - Great for rooms where is can get quite cold as these offer fantastic thermal properties. There are no parts to replace (and therefore less chance of them breaking) and they are durable. The downside is that if they were to get damaged, then the whole blind would need to be replaced, because of this it’s fortunate that they are not too expensive to buy.

All we know about window blinds, including tips, tricks and a few trade secrets. News, views and opinions of the staff of www.blinds-bar.co.uk, a UK blinds retailer, who share their knowledge.


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