When I was choosing all the design details of my new home during the building process , I had opted out of getting the blinds that they had offered. I wanted more time to think about it and I wanted to be able to walk through my home and envision the overall feel. For me, I didn't think that I wanted traditional 2" white blinds. I wanted something more stylish and that would add texture to my rooms while giving us privacy.
I thought about it for almost 6 whole months before I decided what direction I was going to go. So that means, for six entire months there wasn't any privacy other than curtains. It's amazing how much more secure I feel in my own home with roman shades up now!
So let's get down to the process and details now. Choosing blinds and ordering them online can seem daunting. I thought that it would be and I thought that I'd be taking a chance measuring my windows myself. What if I didn't measure them correctly and they didn't fit? Well, it was a lot easier than I thought and I'm going to show you how.
BEFORE:
STEP 1: Choose what windows you are going to cover and if you want inside or outside mount. I wanted the main area of my living room to flow so I chose the 2 windows on each side of my TV, above the kitchen sink, the skinny window by my front door and my hallway window.
STEP 2: Choose your supplier and blinds.
I started with choosing Blinds.com and scrolled through their selection of woven wooden roman shades. They have tons to choose from and different options for whatever kind of woven wood or matchstick shades that you choose. I then ordered tons of samples and taped them to my windows to see what would look best with my paint color and style. With them being taped up, I was able to see how much light would filter through when the sun was shining in and how much people could see through at night on my window by my front door. The samples did not have the privacy filter on them and you can order them with the filter or blackout option. I personally love the light filtering in through them! You can also order them with or without edge binding in different colors to finish them off and different pull system options.
After having them taped up for a while, I narrowed it down to my top two choices. Natural Antigua and Montauk Camel. Now, this is what was so hard for me. Choosing between these two. They both are so pretty but different wood tones and thickness in the wood slats. Did I want chunky or skinny wood and did I want a warm or cool tone? Oh the decisions! Each one would give a different look to my living area. I ended up googling these two and looked on Pinterest a bunch and ended up choosing Natural Antigua for the thickness and lighter shade. They have a beachy, boho farmhouse feel to them. Perfect fro my style. They also would keep my room feeling light and airy which is the look I'm going for. They also gave more privacy without the filter than the Montauk camel because the wood strips are wider. You should think about your style and how much privacy you want when choosing your blinds. Blinds will completely change the look of a room so make sure you choose the ones that match your style and the feel that you are wanting.
For my skinny window by the front door I measured 17 2/8, 17 1/8, 17 inches so I chose 17 2/8 for width. Length was 65 inches
For the 2 windows on each side of the TV, I measured 28 6/8, 28 7/8 x 2 so I chose 28 7/8 width. Length was 65 2/8 for both.
For the kitchen window, 59 x 2 and 59 1/8 so I chose 59 1/8 width. Length 52 inches.
For the hallway window, 35, 35 1/8 x2 so I chose 35 1/8 width. Length 65 inches.
If you want outside mount, measure the outside of the windows in 3 places and choose the largest.
The great thing about ordering from Blinds.com is that when you order your samples, they send a brochure on how to measure them correctly. They even have a video too! That helps me tremendously. I will be doing another post on installation and how I measured so that I am able to help you even more.
STEP 4: Enter in your measurements on Blinds.com and order away. They will custom make your blinds and will take a small deduction off of your measurements to make sure that they fit exactly. After that, you wait patiently for a few weeks. When they are finished they ship quickly. When they arrive at your doorstep it's like Christmas morning!
I opened up the big box and unwrapped them. Then I installed them with ease. It really was so easy. All I needed was a screwdriver/drill, ladder, pencil and tape measure/ruler. I have to be honest. They were much more easy to install than I thought that they would be and it was my first time ever installing blinds.
I couldn't contain my excitement as I put each one up. It's really funny how we get excited about house things when we become adults. It really transformed my space and made it feel more like a home than a house. It gave it texture, warmth and brought the room to life as the finishing design touch.
Now I just need to finish installing my orb chandelier!
Blinds.com was really easy to work with. I was able to e-mail my designer that they assigned me to and ask any questions that I had and to make sure that everything was ordered perfectly. They are great quality too.
You can check out all of their woven wood roman shades HERE and the exact ones that I ordered HERE.
I'll be putting together another blog post for installation tips!
So what do you think of my new blinds? Do you think they change the look and feel of the space? I'd love to hear.
* My friends at Blinds.com provided my new blinds but all of my opinions are mine and mine alone. I really do love them and I hope you do too!
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