Custom Blinds

Custom Window Treatments

If you have unusual windows or other decorating needs, custom blinds can provide what you need. While virtually all styles of blinds are available in a range of standard sizes, many designer windows or vintage windows require custom blinds to fit their unique dimensions. Custom blinds can be ordered on-line, but care needs to be taken in measuring and material selection to avoid disappointment, both for the home owner and for the custom blind manufacturer. This is one reason why previewing sample swatches is absolutely critical in choosing and ordering custom blinds.

The first step in acquiring custom blinds is to measure your windows. You will need to follow the measuring instructions exactly for satisfactory results, so take your time and do it right. Typical instruction for measuring for custom blinds include using a metal tape measure. Determine whether you are measuring for an inside or outside mount. Round your measurements down to the nearest eighth of an inch. For an inside mount on a rectangular window, you may be advised to measure the height in three different places and then choose the smallest. Do the same for the width of the window. The standard method of writing the dimensions for custom blinds is to place the horizontal measurement first and the vertical measurement second. In other words, 30 x 48 refers to a blind that is 30 inches wide and 48 inches high.

When you've measured and chosen a style for your custom blinds, you can add special features. For instance, you can have several separate custom blinds attached to a single head-rail. This feature is appropriate for a series of windows. Other custom blinds features are a blackout liner or a privacy liner. You can also choose to have the custom blinds made so that they can be lowered from the top as well as raised from the bottom. Features like these will make your custom blinds more expensive, but the payoff in convenience and efficiency may be well worth it.