Blinds or Curtains - Which is better?

When it comes to window treatments for a home, you can choose either blinds or curtains. But which is better?

Window treatments are an essential part of room décor and that is why it is essential that you consider the right window treatment room by room according to several factors that we discuss below. With the choice between curtains or blinds, you, the decorator, need to determine the function that a window treatment should serve as well as how it should look in a particular room.

With so many styles and options to choose from, how do you go about selecting the right one? 

• Privacy:
  While privacy may not be a factor for everyone, it is certainly the case if any windows are viewable by neighbours or passersby. If you live in a townhouse or cluster development where homes are close together, or in an apartment or flat where neighbours are on top of each other, privacy will be of paramount importance. While curtains and blinds both offer a solution, blinds offer variable solutions that can be adjusted according to your needs.
   
• Light control:
  Both curtains and blinds can be used to block out light but blinds allow you to control the amount of light that enters a room. With the ability to adjust the angle of blinds to control light in the room, if you need to keep the sun out, blinds are the best solution. If you don't feel that blinds offer the decorative touch you are looking for, choose a neutral colour for the blind and layer this behind your choice of curtains to frame a window since curtains frame a window and are a finishing touch for almost every décor scheme.
   
• Design element:
  Many interior designers advise that blinds are limited when it comes to bringing design elements into a room; they can only be fitted to the size of a window and do nothing to visually affect a room. However, blinds do not have to be made to fit a window they can be wider to span a window and make a room look wider or be mounted higher for visual height. For a finishing effect, drapes can be hung at either side of the blind simply to frame them, or a pelmet added to the top to hide any hardware.

Custom curtains in a durable fabric can last anywhere up to 10 years but those that you buy in home décor stores will eventually fade or be bleached by the sun. This means you need to consider the cost factor since custom curtains can be expensive. In this situation, custom blinds are not as expensive and, if properly cared for, will have the same longevity.

Readymade curtains can be given a custom look by layering two colours into a single curtain.

Still not sure whether to opt for curtains or blinds? Go online to research and cost the solutions available since you will probably be driven by how much you can afford. If your budget is limited and you are looking at readymade curtains or blinds, even these will be able to offer privacy and light control.

It can be difficult to choose between blinds and curtains as both have pros and cons. The two options layered on top of one another are just as much of a design statement as one and this way you have light control, privacy, and design in a layered look that is simple and stunning. It is easy to select a plain blind that fades into the background, leaving curtains to take all the attention and you can select curtain fabric that meets all your needs for colour, texture and pattern to finish off a room.