They have them at Spotlight. I've seen them.

The draftsperson has used alot of 1806 double hung windows in our plan and I'd love to know what everyone recommends for window coverings for those styled windows. I'd love plantation shutters, but I think they'll be out of my budget.

I can post the plan if that will help. The build hasn't started yet and I want to get some ideas so I can budget curtain/blind money now.

Hi 4walls,

I haven't been on here for a while but I am really stuck here and I found this thread hoping someone can help.

I am looking for curtain fabric so I can make curtains (I know, I DID read your post about that but I do have experience in making curtains and if it gets too hard I have someone here who can help me!) . Anyway as I am in rural WA I am hoping to find curtain fabrics online. Is there any place you would recommend? I hated the stuff at Spotlight and I did get a quote for curtains but it was too much $$ for us. I really only want side covers as we have hollands and I just want to cover the edges.

I did e-mail an online place that had what I was after however after 2 weeks I have given up on them.

I look forward to hearing from you with some places!

Rarygirl: It is very hard to start giving specific suggestions - when I design a window treatment some of the things considered: the window itself, space around it, the rest of the room, the requirements of the owner, their style etc...

My expertise are for treatments made with fabric (rather than say shutters). Again it is difficult to give you a guide on pricing, as there is so many 'depends on', some I have covered in a previous post early on in this thread. As a starting point there are high street stores that have pricing available - note their standard/maximum sizes and if your windows differ then it is more likely you will need to look at custom.

A good point to consider at your stage is that if you want curtains, think about what wall space there is either side of the window - the bigger (width) the window the more space required either side to pull curtains back onto.

I would suggest looking through some home magazines or online for some styles to eliminate or consider as possibilities.

Jilly:the fabric I use is mainly from to the trade only places, thus I am not in a position to recommend retail online sources. There was another post ...... here it is - I made some comments and there are some links there that others have suggested. All the best.

Ok, chasing something modern looking, and will serve as a block out curtain for the bedroom. The bedroom currently has aluminium venetian blinds, so we are chasing something that will go over these.

I was initially thinking of something like a roman blind, or a roller blind with small pelmet, but am just concerned with the 'block out' qualities of these. If I get 'block out' fabric, and have enough overlap on the sides, will it be dark enough?

Your thoughts?

Pic of the windows:
[ img ]

My initial thoughts:
[ img ]

I like the romans and thought of romans when I saw your room even before I read about what you were considering.

Timm: You state that you want to keep the current blind - putting another blind over the top many interfere with the function (raising/lowering/opening/closing) of each blind. To block out light most light with a blind it needs to be outside the recess and with a blockout lining. Curtains with good design will provide the best blockout, and can be used with the current blinds. As stated earlier in this post floor length curtains are more pleasing on the eye. One issue I see is that the bed is a little bit close to the windows giving less space between drawn curtains and bed for the person on that side to get in and out - maybe you can move the slightly further away if you feel it is too tight.

What you go with will depend if you want to totally block out the light or just most of the light.

Another question, this time based on a potential new place for us, which right now has flimsy PINK lace curtains in the master bedroom.

We eventually want to put our own taste in window furnishings on ALL the windows, but right now only the master NEEDS it, because all the others have vertical blinds on them right now, which will definitely do.

Here's a pic showing the master with window. Here're my thoughts...

[ img ]

- For cheapness & ease when we need it done quickly so we can sleep - timber-style blinds

BUT will this block out much light? I need a dark room to sleep in.

- For a possible really nice look but more expensive - floor-length curtains with pelmet

BUT will this look silly seeing as the window isn't floor to ceiling? Not so much when the curtains are drawn, but when they're open, won't it look a bit odd / bad? (right now as you can see, the curtains are floor length, but I find it hard to see if they look stupid in the way I just described because the pink is distracting me, lol)

- To match the rest of the property - vertical blinds

BUT do we actually LIKE these that much (no), and will they block out light adequately?

NO ROLLERS or anything. I hate those. And we can't afford plantation shutters.

Any thoughts?

That is very.... pink.

OK, in my experience, blinds are not the solution for making a room dark. They can be great when used as a combo with curtains but on their own... I haven't found any acceptable.

Cheapest solution is probably to locate some premade curtains; you could get some of those in a colour you can live with while you get used to living there and make a decision.

Length is a matter of personal preference. I like curtains to extend significantly below the window sil, but not to the floor. My sister likes them to the window sil only. My mother currently has a thing for floor length on all windows. If you do get some premade curtains, you can try pinning them at different lengths for a day or three at a time to work out what you feel looks right - after all, if it is you house, the curtains need to look 'right' to you.

Longer term, yes, go pelmets and long luxurious curtains. It would look great!

Cool, thank you! That sounds good to me. We discovered later that behind the pink lacy curtains is a backing curtain (just plain off white backing piece) that's separate from the lace, so until we decide on proper curtains, we'd at least be able to use those to block out light while sleeping.

Hi 4 walls, hoping this thread is still active and you cna provide some advice !

I have a quote for curtains, but not sure if its reasonable or not ? We have been quoted on a reverse pleat silk look Maurice Kain "Entwined" fabric with separate block out liner, with about a 2.3m drop. They will cover a 4.5m sliding door (centre opening), a 3.2 m window and a 2.8m slider (both retract to the LHS) and will sit completely off to the sides when retracted. They are to be hung on a brushed stainless steel corded feature track called an "Evo" (see below example) which runs continuously around for a length of about 14 metres (the back two walls of my family room). The quote is just shy of $3800.

The track and hanging style:

[ img ]

Does this sound about right price wise ?

Any assistance would be appreciated

ok I'm getting to that stage as well - looking for window coverings and I quite like the Evo track system. The curtain place we asked said that they can make it blockout curtain and sheer on top with the sheer being fixed and blockout moving but I can't find anywhere online the Evo system used in that way. Can anybody let me know if it can be done.

Thanks

Does anyone know any good curtain makers in the Illawarra/Sutherland shire ?

I can't comment on the tracking system, but I recently saw this combination at a motel I stayed in and I am kicking myself I didn't get a photo. They had a white blockout curtain closest to the window that opened/closed and a sheer curtain on the outside. I really like it as the sheer was of a heavy material and looked caramel/gold colour (very swish). The blockout curtain looked and felt like the plain blockout material that you see on the underside of curtains to make them blockout, but it was a lot heavier. I had never thought of using this combo. Given the blockout curtains were plain, it would also keep the cost down. (as opposed to having to purchase blockout curtains with a pattern etc, if they are on the outside where you see them) You never really see them anyway as they are always behind the nice sheer. What do others think?

Hey Rowena ... had to laugh at your post, recently hubby and I stayed in a motel that had just been renovated and spent the whole time checking out the tiling, cornices, drawer handles and other exciting stuff like that. They had the same curtains - plain blockout at the back with the sheer in front .... I loved it! I now want the same thing but have to find where to get plain blockouts ... anyone know? I do have a photo of the curtains but unfortunately it's ruined cause DH and I are standing in front of it

It would be unfair of me to comment on someone elses pricing - I suggest you look at my post near the bottom of p2 that gives a fuller response of various factors to consider

It is not a system I am familiar with - If a business has suggested they can do it then I don't understand why you would think they can't. You can always ask them if they have pictures or a sample of them done in that way.

Thanks for replying

I went back and re-read that post and I can appreciate that there are lots of things that go into making the product, and making it well, which all affect the price.

I guess I was just trying to get a feel for whether the pricing was way out the ballpark of what might generally be expected from a reputable supplier for a similar product using the materials I described, or whether it is generally reasonable. No one has come back saying its over the top, so I think I'll conclude its the latter.

I need someones CURTAIN/BLIND help!

These are our windows
From the outside
[ img ]

From the inside
[ img ]

I need something that'll look good both in and out.

I'd like to get BLACK ventians, however I don't think that'll look good on the inside.

Any suggestions?!?

Or if anyone has small windows like these please post a pic so I can see..

Thanks