Although warm days are reaching their end, that doesn’t mean the Sun will stop breaking through the windows waking us up in the morning, or worst case disturbing us while watching TV. I learned that the hard way, when I had to spend the entire summer without blinds because my daughter wanted to have a clean view through the windows. As much as that is beautiful and inspiring, I couldn’t stand it for long. So I decided I was not going to welcome next sunny season unprepared: I was decided to get blinds.

I wanted to get something fancy and practical at the same time, so my daughter couldn’t judge me when I installed them and looked at me with that “you should have left the window free of obstacles”  look. And according to an interior designer friend of mine, the best choice for that purpose are Roman blinds. Roman blinds are not just any usual blinds: they’re made of some type of fancy cloth or similar material whose purpose is to lightly block the sun, more shading than completely blocking the sunlight. That’s what makes them so fancy, because they largely replace the out-dated curtains. So the next step – search for Roman blinds Australia retailers for an attractive offer of fancy blinds. Here’s where my daughter surprisingly stepped in with an extensive research on how to choose.

Basics: types of Roman blinds

The types of Roman blinds Australia retailers offer depend largely on the material used to create the shade. The cloth can be made of either silk, hemp, cotton or linen and in some cases even wood. Wood is a little specific, therefore it should be used only if the overall interior design allows it. That’s for indoor use of the blinds, and if you need them for outdoors, you can get ones made of materials like bamboo or reed, which are more durable and can withstand severe weather conditions.

How to measure them

It’s important to properly measure the windows where you plan to install the blinds before you buy them, so you don’t end up with something that’s completely useless for your needs. There are a few rules to follow for proper measuring. Outside blinds are normally installed a few centimetres on each side of the window opening. And when height and width are measured, rounding the numbers should be avoided. Also, differentiate from the start which is the width and which is the height, so when you order your blinds, you indicate the width first, followed by the height.

There’s a slight difference in the measuring procedure for both inside and outside mounts. When measuring inside mounts, start by measuring the opening width at the top, centre and bottom of the window. Then, record the narrowest width of the three. The height would be measured similarly: from the left, right and the centre and then the longest measurement should be recorded. Sometimes deductions are made so that the blinds don’t scratch the window frame. Have that in mind when you buy with measurements all prepared upfront. When it comes to outside mounts, measuring is a different procedure: add at least 7.62 centimetres to each side of the window opening to provide minimum light gap and maximum privacy.