As any experienced renovator or home decorator like the team at Omokoroa knows, window coverings play an extremely important – but often overlooked – role in how your home looks and feels. Soft, flowing curtains can add luxury and filtered light to a calm living space. Smart, layered blinds can keep a kitchen area cool in summer and warm in winter. Blockout blinds in bedrooms can ensure a restful night’s sleep.
Often, however, decisions about window coverings get left to the last minute and are made hastily, without a full understanding of the different options and the enormous difference they can make. So here, with Angie, our interior specialist, join us as we share 5 tips for planning your window coverings for your new or rennovated home.
1. Plan your window coverings early
It’s not uncommon for decisions about window coverings to be left until fairly late in a house build, or even a renovation. In many cases, owners prefer to wait until they’ve seen their new windows installed before choosing appropriate blinds, awnings, shutters or curtains. While this is wise in some respects, it can also mean that decisions are rushed, and coverings are therefore chosen due to their availability, size, or affordability – rather than the effect they can have on the interior or exterior space. Also, leaving window coverings to the last minute may mean that necessary supporting elements – such as electrical cabling, panels or supporting beams – are not planned for, and therefore a compromise has to be made.
Angie’s tip: When it comes to your renovation or build, teamwork is everything. Make it a priority to discuss window coverings with your builder/architect/interior stylist from the outset of any project. Research your options thoroughly, and consider the aesthetic and functional benefits that different window coverings can bring.
2. Consult with an expert
When choosing window coverings, it can be extremely beneficial to meet with a product consultant who can run you through the options available, and even introduce you to styles or functional components you may not otherwise have considered. Angie, Omokoroa Interiors expert, offers a complimentary in-showroom consultation service which you can book online. Angie can walk you through the range, show you different fabrics, styles and operating methods, and help you choose the window coverings that are completely right for your interior and exterior spaces.
Angie’s tip: Unlike other soft furnishing consultants, Angie will also consider factors that so many people often forget, such as window heights and shapes and door configurations, structural requirements and even energy efficiency. Angie will also ensure you achieve the look and feel you desire without going over budget. Get in touch with Angie today and begin your interior transformation process.
3. Plan your windows with their coverings in mind
There are all kinds of factors that can influence the types of window coverings you can install in your home. While all of Omokoroa Interior’s solutions are fully customised, variables such as window heights and shapes – as well as door configurations – can limit the type of window covering options available. The size of your windows will also affect the cost of your blinds or shutters, or curtains – typically, the more space there is to cover, the more expensive they will be. So if you have a fixed budget, or have your heart set on particular types of window coverings, it’s important to ensure you’ve matched your window size and scale to your coverings from the outset. A sloping or arched window may sound fantastic on paper, and be an incredible design feature, but can it be practically fitted with a suitable covering?
Angie’s tip: Rather than limiting your options down the track, be sure to think about your window design at the same time as planning your window coverings. Research the options – or speak with an expert – and before your build or renovation goes too far ahead, be sure that you’re not creating shapes that are going to require overly expensive customisation, or which pose a problem in terms of functionality.
4. Don't forget bi-fold windows and doors
When it comes to window coverings, bi-fold doors and windows are often overlooked in the initial phases. Many people assume that there are simply no options available, or that they won’t be needed. In fact, there are quite a few ways to cover these types of doors and windows. Curtains, for instance, can stack left and right and are perfect for doorways. Blinds & shutters are another great option and operate in sliding, bi-fold and by-pass configurations, which means they can suit any window and door style. There are also a range of single and double roller blinds, which roll up and down, and which can be aligned with individual glass panes to ensure a tidy appearance.
Angie’s tip: Don’t forget to include coverings for your bi-fold doors or windows in your initial budget – and speak with a consultant early in the process so you can keep your options open. Adding these coverings after everything else has been installed means you may double up on installation costs, which can waste your precious budget.
5. Always consider lead times
Last to be included in these tips for planning your window coverings is lead times! Even though you may have chosen your window coverings early, don’t forget to order them! While window coverings are one of the last things to go into your newly built or renovated house, they still need to be put into the project timeline to ensure they arrive in time!
Angie’s tip: Design your window coverings as early as possible, and once you have firm direction from your builder/architect or designer, be sure to place your order. You don’t want to be moving into a new home where you feel like you’re living in a fish tank – on full display to all your neighbours!