Your venetian blinds styling guide

A little history…

This style of blind goes back centuries. Interestingly, their exact origin is thought to be Persia. Historians believe Venetian traders brought them from the east to Venice and Paris (where it could be argued all good style trends are solidified). In fact, to this day they’re referred to in French as ‘Les Persienes”, a nod to their supposed country of origin. Since being introduced to Europe in the mid 1700s, venetian blinds have remained a staple of home décor.

So let’s look at how to best use them.

The ideal rooms

Venetians are made of hard materials so they won’t work in rooms where you want a very soft look (read on for a way of contending with this). Part of what makes venetians so popular is their ability to control light and privacy. For that reason you might want to put them on windows that get a lot of natural light or face a street or neighbor.

Lots of homes feature venetians in the kitchen because they’re easy to clean and more flame retardant than a fabric blind. The bathroom is also another room where venetians commonly work well because they offer clean, simple lines and allow you to maintain privacy easily.

Venetians can be used in bedrooms and living spaces also but do offer a harder look when compared to fabric window furnishings.

Which materials

Following on from above, what your venetians are made of affects how they look and where you can use them. For instance, wooden blinds in areas with high moisture (bathroom, laundry, kitchen) will warp so choosing aluminium, PVC or faux-wood would be better.

The material they’re made of also impacts colour choice. PVC and aluminium blinds could be sourced in just about any colour you want, whereas wood and wood-look tend to come in natural wood colours. Aluminium slats also offer a variety of different finishes such as metallic, glossy, satin or matte. If you do want to go for venetians but want a ‘softer’ look, consider wood and faux-wood look materials.

The right sized slat

This is a visual consideration. How thick a ‘stripe’ do you want? 50mm slats are reasonably chunky and give the best effect on bigger windows. On smaller windows you simply get fewer slats which may look a bit odd. It also creates a thick stack when open, which could end up blocking some of the window (depending on an inside or outside mount). Slat size affects style because wood and wood look tend to come in bigger slats (50-60mm) and aluminium is commonly the only material that 25mm slats come in.

Pair with curtains

Curtains over venetian blinds is a wonderful way to soften the hard, straight lines of the blind and bring a little more colour or texture into a room. It also offers a lot of versatility as you can have the curtains open and still control light and privacy with the blind.

Hide it under a pelmet

Pelmets add a stylish, decorative finish. Recessed pelmets offer a really streamlined finish because they’re actually built into the room and hide any tracks and operating mechanisms up in the ceiling. It’s a very slick, elegant finish. One that sticks out from the wall is also a nice way of hiding the stack when the blind is pulled all the way up.

Inside or outside mount

Venetian blinds can be fitted either inside or outside the window frame. Inside, offers a very clean look as the window frame creates a tidy box around the lines of the slats. Outside is quite practical as it makes for easier raising and lowering of the blind.

Shutters

If you like the idea of venetians, but you want to try something different or take them to the next level, consider shutters. They operate and look similar so you get all the same in terms of style and practicality with a few extra benefits:

• A unique structure that adds value to your home.
• Extremely hardwearing and long lasting.
• Much safer for children than a traditional cord-operated blind.
• You can have the windows open and shutters pulled closed without them flapping around in a breeze.
• They’re perfect for doors as they can be fixed. Blinds will move, even if you attach them with a bracket.

Our style consultants are really skilled at knowing what works best where so when it comes to choosing the right blinds for each room of your home, they can help guide you through your choices. Book your free in-home consultation today.