Blinds vs. Curtains: What’s Best for your Home?

Why do we fit curtains and blinds in our homes? Window coverings let you control light, privacy, and indoor temperature while being part of your décor. Blinds and curtains both have particular benefits and drawbacks.

Blinds come in a variety of forms, vertical to venetian, and curtains in a wide range of fabrics. Often the choice between blinds or curtains will depend on the room they will be in, whether the function is more important than fashion, cost, or personal preference.

Is it best to have blinds or curtains? 

Light Monitoring

Blinds are a simple solution for light control, and privacy, and offer a cost-effective way to block out light and come in various forms, venetian, roller, vertical, wooden, and Roman.

The slats on blinds offer 2 ways to control light, raising them vertically, and closing the slats horizontally, giving either partial shade or full blackout. If roller blinds are used, a secondary blackout blind can be incorporated.

Curtains can control light, depending on the fabrics used. If you want a light, decorative fabric that isn’t light proof, combining this with a roller blind will still achieve a blackout. Whatever you choose, to avoid light sneaking through cracks they need to be hung correctly and accurately placed.

Visual Appeal

Curtains come in a wider variety of materials, styles, patterns, and colours. They can have varying amounts of transparency and have different ways of fitting on to the curtain pole. This gives the chance to use your interior design flair to match the style of the room and make a statement.

Blinds have a more limited range of styles and choice of materials that are visually suited to a minimalist design theme giving a modern look.

Cost

Generally, blinds are a less expensive option than curtains, which have a far greater range of fabric choices. Style and materials chosen for both blinds and curtains will influence the cost. For blinds, plastic materials would be less costly than wood or high-quality fabrics. The same is true of curtains, the higher the quality of fabrics used, the more costly, also curtains need more work and time to finish.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Curtains are easily taken down for cleaning and can be cleaned by a dry-cleaning service. However, slatted blinds are not as simple. Each slat needs to be wiped individually, and on both sides. Fabric blinds, Roman, and roller are best maintained by frequent vacuum cleaning. Dry-cleaning could be an option but means taking the fabric off its mechanism.

Energy Efficiency

Curtains and blinds both provide a degree of insulation to reduce heat loss. Curtains, depending on their thickness, offer better insulation as they don’t have gaps between the slats. Fabric blinds will be made from thin materials which have fewer insulating properties.

Sound Monitoring

Blinds and curtains both have soundproofing qualities, again curtains are better at this. A thick heavyweight material, will deaden sounds as there aren’t the gaps that blinds have.

So which will you choose?

The decision will depend on both personal choice and practical reasons. In a bathroom or kitchen, blinds could be the choice for functional and practical reasons. In other living areas, curtains offer more design possibilities. Scott’s Interiors will help in choosing the right one for you, with design advice and a wide range of materials and fabrics available. Feel free to give us a call to discuss your options further.