Choosing the right window fittings for your home isn’t as easy as it sounds. Curtains and blinds are an important part of home décor, not only adding to your overall decoration scheme but also providing a range of benefits in terms of temperature control and aesthetics. The question is, do you buy ready made blinds right off the shelf, or go with custom made blinds that are made to measure and have them professionally installed?

When it comes to choosing between custom made blinds and ready made blinds, we here at Abbey Blinds and Curtains know a thing or two about making the right decision to suit your needs. Our curtain and blind experts have provided an overview of the pros and cons of custom made blinds versus ready made blinds, so you can be more informed about which option is best for you.

The pros of custom made blinds

Custom made curtains and blinds offer many benefits, including:

• They are customised to perfectly fit to your window. Not only does this look much better and reduce any anxieties about incorrect fittings, it’s also better for older homes, as not all window frames suit ready made blind brackets.
• Custom made blinds are installed correctly to Australian Safety Standards, which not only ensures protection for you and your family but also saves you the time as you don’t have to do the installation yourself.
• A professional will personally advise you on the best blind and curtain solutions for your home before installing the blinds to the highest professional standards.
• You’ll be able to see samples of the colour and texture in your own home before purchasing, making sure the style fits with the rest of your home décor. Abbey Blinds offer a free measure and quote service along with a mobile showroom, so you can make a well-informed decision you feel confident about.
• Custom made blinds are high quality and durable and come with a guarantee for installation and material.
• Custom blinds come with a wide range of options, so you can tailor your choice to suit your personal preferences. Customizable options include UV blocking, mechanical controlling, programmable timers, and a massive range of colours and textures, and are available in modern and traditional styles.
• They can be made to fit any dimension, so there’s no need to worry about finding the right fit for your excessively large or small windows.

The cons of custom made blinds

The only con to keep in mind when choosing custom made blinds is that it’s a more time-consuming process. You will need to allow time to choose your design then await the manufacture and installation of your blinds. With Abbey Blinds and Curtains, this is typically a 10-day process, depending on the scope of your order.

The pros of ready-made blinds

Buying ready made blinds offers several benefits, including:

• Ready made blinds are quick and easy to find and buy. All you need to do is go to a blind store, find the ones you like that fit your requirements and you can purchase them instantly.
• You can install ready made blinds yourself, which means you can put them up as soon as you’ve bought them home.
• They often present the cheaper option, although Abbey Blinds and Curtains offers custom blinds at factory direct prices for a more affordable customised option.

The cons of ready-made blinds

The cons associated with buying ready made blinds are small but significant, including:

• You are limited in the size and style you can select. If a shop doesn’t have the colour, size or texture you like, there’s nothing you can do about it. You have to either accept blinds that aren’t completely to your liking or continue hunting until you find a store that sells the right blinds, which can be a lengthy and frustrating process.
• Quality is not assured with ready made blinds, so you can never be fully confident that the product you’re receiving will last.

Our verdict – Which is the better choice?

When considering the pros and cons of both custom made and ready made blinds, choosing custom blinds is the clear winner. Custom made blinds can be a little pricier and you have to wait a bit longer, but this process ensures you do it right once and don’t have to think about it again. The result will be a high-quality product that perfectly fits your window, using a texture and colour you love that compliments the rest of your home design.

If you’re considering custom made blinds, Abbey Blinds and Curtains offers a full service from measure and quote to manufacture and installation. Our blinds are installed by Warren, our expert blind installer who has over 28 years’ experience installing blinds to the highest safety standards. Contact us for a blinds quote today.

Run a business? Always feel a little concerned about break-ins when you lock up at 5.00PM? Sick of walking into a hot and stuffy office first thing in the morning? Consider roller blinds as your next office investment.

Here are five reasons why:

1. Control the temperature

On those long stints of 40-degree days, you can’t not reach for the air conditioner remote. Even when you walk into the office at 8.30AM, it’s already hot and stuffy. Roller blinds block the sun from coming in, so your office stays cooler. It regulates the temperature and provides insulation, too. This means, opening windows on those milder days (in the 20’s) will probably suffice. Compare your power bill at the end of the quarter and you’ll notice a drop.

Above: Blockout Roller Blinds

2. Protect your furniture

When those harmful rays are soaking into your office, your furniture can become compromised. Safeguard your chairs, desks, computers, and carpet from damaging sun rays. Roller blinds mitigate the damaging effects of constant sun exposure. You control the amount of light that comes in – when those rays are at their lowest.

Above: Blockout Roller Blinds

3. Greater security & privacy

If intruders are comparing which properties to break into, they’re going to choose the one that looks the easiest to access. This won’t be the one with indoor shutters. If your office is located on the ground floor of a building, adding blinds to your windows makes it impossible for them to see what’s inside. If they can’t scope it, they’ll simply move onto the next.

Above: Translucent & Sunscreen Roller Blinds 

4. Adding style

On top of the functional benefits, modern roller blinds can dress up your interiors. Match your new blinds to your current look, giving your customers a great first impression and your employees a positive environment. They’ll have more control over factors that affect their performance, such as glare and heat. This window covering solution adds value to your property, if you own it and choose to sell in the future.

Above: Indoor Blinds Perth

5. Minimal maintenance

Forget about always having to clean your windows. With roller blinds, they’ll start nice and fresh, even after those big storms. The blinds themselves don’t require much in the way of maintenance, either. You can (just about) set and forget, with a few basic upkeep tips. Our technicians can advise you on what to do during the installation. If kept in good condition, roller blinds will last years, maybe decades.

Don’t turn a blind eye to security issues. Whether you want to up your security, save money on power bills or stylise your interior, you can achieve it with roller blinds. They’re not just a residential product, like many people think they are. Our blinds blend style and function.

Organise your free measure and quote and learn more about how your business can benefit from installing roller blinds. We’ll design them to perfectly fit your windows. Give your team a little extra comfort for their long eight-hour days. And you, too. Simply contact us or give us a call on 9440 5017 and one of our friendly team members will be more than happy to assist.