We all want the best value for our money, even when it comes to window blinds. When shopping for window covers, the first thing to decide is whether to buy ready-made or custom-made blinds. Custom window blinds may offer superior quality, but they also take more time to manufacture and are more expensive than ready-made designs. So, do the pros outweigh the cons?
At Home Vision Blinds, we think so! If you’re in the process of restyling your interior, here are four reasons to consider investing in custom blinds.
Custom-made blinds offer a wide selection of styles and features, meaning you can easily find blinds to suit any interior design. While pre-made blinds do come in a wide variety of designs, you may find it hard to find a style that fits your window measurements exactly. In comparison, custom blinds afford you the freedom to select any fabric and style you desire and have it custom-fitted to your windows with no compromises necessary.
Although custom window blinds are more expensive than their pre-made counterparts, they provide the best value for your time and money. If you’re after a quick-fix solution to your problems, then ready-made blinds may be a good choice for you. However, ready-made blinds are often made of lower-quality fabric and are limited to their pre-cut size, which can be inconvenient if your window measurements fall outside the standard sizes. With ready-made blinds, you could lose time if you struggle to make them compatible with your interior.
In comparison, custom blinds give you the advantage of easy customization and alteration. You also won’t be hindered by pre-made styles, mass-production quality, or size limitations. Custom designs are also made from top-quality, durable materials, so you can rest assured that your blinds are made to last.
Because custom-made blinds are not limited to the pre-cut measurements of ready-made blind designs, you have the ultimate freedom to customise them to fit any window in your house, no matter the size or shape. There is also no need to worry about the hassle or accuracy of measuring your windows by yourself because many companies also provide measuring services and can easily send someone to measure your windows professionally.
One of the perks of having an experienced professional measure your windows is that they can also provide you with excellent advice on which type of blinds are best suited to your home. Different rooms in the house will require different blinds to meet different conditions. While bedrooms might need a window covering made of light-blocking materials, bathrooms and other rooms that are more prone to humidity and accumulating moisture will require blinds that are resistant to moisture and mould. A professional can really take the stress off your shoulders and ensure that your needs are met.
If you’re in the market for premium quality blinds, explore Home Vision Blinds online for the best range of custom blinds in New Zealand. You can book an appointment to visit our East Tamaki showroom in person and see our complete range of fabrics, finishes, and seasonal colours.
You can also take advantage of Home Vision Blinds’ free measure and quote service, which assures quality and accuracy with every purchase.
Vertical blinds are great, and not just because of their economical and affordable design. If you’re in the middle of redecorating your home and in need of some inspiration, vertical blinds are a popular window cover to consider! Read on for the top advantages of using custom-made vertical blinds in your home.
First, let’s consider the advantages of using vertical blinds as larger window coverings. While wide window designs are beautiful to look at and make a room feel more spacious, finding the right window covers to use can be a bit trickier than for smaller window designs. Venetian blinds might be too heavy or difficult to operate over a large window, and roller blinds might appear like one solid block of colour against the wall, which can clash with décor.
Vertical blinds, on the other hand, are much more adjustable, no matter what size the window is. Made of strips of fabric called louvre, vertical blinds provide great light adjustability and a soft effect for window shading.
Vertical lines are well-loved in interior design for their ability to create the impression of height and spaciousness in a home. While painting lines or using a striped wallpaper can do the trick, vertical blinds are a cost and time-effective way of adding an interior pattern. The extensive range of fabrics available allows you to easily customise your blinds to fit in with your home style, décor, and furnishings.
If you are looking for coverage for your sliding doors or patio doors, vertical blinds are the perfect choice for you! They will meet both your style and functionality needs. Vertical blinds are the best cover design for doors because while they provide effective shading, they also maintain easy access to the door. If you wanted to pass through a doorway featuring roller blinds, you would have to draw the blinds up every time you pass through, which can be a hassle, to say the least. In comparison, vertical blinds can easily be pushed to the side and will stack neatly when drawn in, adding to the organisation of your home.
If you have a beautiful view outside your window, chances are you’re feeling reluctant to cover it up. However, vertical blinds are the perfect solution in this case! Often curtains and roller blinds will give you effective privacy and light control, but also minimise your view outside. Vertical blinds won’t block your view as they are designed with maximum adjustability in mind. You can slant them neatly at specific angles throughout the day to suit your needs and keep out the glare, while also maintaining your view outside.
Vertical roller blinds are easy to maintain and keep clean for years of crisp, quality operation. To clean your blinds, they don’t need to be removed from the wall, simply wipe them down with a cloth that’s been dipped in mildly soapy water. You’ll be able to get rid of dust and dirty spots this way.
Here at Home Vision Blinds, our fabrics are treated during the manufacturing process to make them mould resistant and fire retardant, for maximum efficiency. Also, if there are any problems, or if your blinds get damaged, we can easily come and replace individual blades, with no hassle at all.
If you’re in the market for some high-quality vertical blinds for your windows, speak to one of our friendly consultants at Home Vision Blinds today! No matter what your requirements are, we’ll work to bring you the best vertical blinds New Zealand has to offer.
If you’ve been wondering “are roller blinds the right choice for my home space?”, you’re in luck! Versatility is one of the best qualities of roller blinds, and they can easily be used in any home without a hassle. If you’re looking for inspiration, we’ve listed a few of the unique and versatile ways you can incorporate blind designs below!
When shopping for blinds, an excellent way to enjoy the benefits of both sunscreen and blackout blinds is to buy a set! Unlike regular single mount blinds, dual roller blinds let you mount two separate blinds on the same window frame, allowing for maximum light filtering control.
Combine a sunscreen blind with a blackout roller blind made of complete blackout fabric for maximum effect. The light filtering layer will allow you the privacy you desire during the daytime, while not blocking out all the natural light. In contrast, at night time, you can rely on the blackout layer to give you the privacy and darkness you need to rest peacefully through the night.
Imagine returning home after a long day’s work and having everything ready and waiting right as you open the door. If that sounds appealing to you, motorised roller blinds might be just the investment to consider. Adjustable with remote control, motorised blinds can be synchronised with smart devices to completely remove the hassle from your everyday routine. They are the perfect choice for families with young children, because they don’t require a chain and cord mechanism system to operate them. The remote can be safely stored with ease out of reach of curious toddlers. Motorised blinds can also be an excellent solution for homes with windows that are difficult to reach.
Pairing roller blinds with curtains is both stylish and practical, and can be a particularly good solution for houses lacking in privacy, as you can maintain your privacy throughout the day with sunscreen roller blinds. Made from a light mesh fabric, the blinds effectively add privacy without hindering the brightness of your home or your ability to see out into the street. By combining this layer with a thick curtain, you can sleep in total darkness and enjoy your privacy at all hours.
If your home feels a little lacklustre and in need of some sprucing up, patterned blinds might be just the thing you need! The beautiful, bold patterns and soft hues of the patterned fabric can act as hidden pieces of art throughout your house. You can surprise and please your guests with blinds that complement the surrounding décor, or just enjoy the change in atmosphere yourself, as you settle down for a relaxing evening.
When you buy roller blinds online for your home, there are two important things to keep in mind. The first is to make sure that you measure your window precisely, and decide whether you want exact or recess measurements for your blinds. The second thing to take into consideration is the fabric, and how appropriate it is for the area. Rooms that are prone to moisture accumulation—like kitchens and bathrooms—require blinds with moisture resistance that won’t suffer damage from the humidity. In contrast, for areas like bedrooms, where the main concerns are privacy and light control, blackout roller blinds are the best choice.
If you’re looking for quality custom window blinds for your home, you’re in the right place! Our single and dual roller blind designs are low-maintenance, cost-effective, and stylish additions to any home. Feel free to view our collections online, and read our blogs for inspiration. Don’t wait, get your home improvement plans underway today!
Sunlight is vital for our health, and natural light can help make interior spaces seem brighter and airier. However, too much sunlight can fade and damage furniture, and glare from the sun can be seriously frustrating. Not only that, but too much sun also translates into too much heat, and this can force you to spend more on cooling your home than you’d like. The trick is controlling the amount of sunlight in your home.
That’s where blinds come in! From venetian blinds to roller blinds, there is a range of options for managing sunlight in your home, and saving yourself long term on electricity bills from your air conditioning. Managing the sunlight in your home with blinds also helps you warm your home during the winter, by keeping in the heat at night.
Read on to learn our top three ways to manage the ambient heat and light in your home with quality blinds.
A classic option, venetian blinds look great and give you a lot of control over how much light gets in. You can even use the blade angle to let light in while maintaining privacy if you want.
There are many venetian blind designs, so you never have to worry about whether you’ll find a set that matches your interior and/or exterior aesthetic. While choosing colours, however, keep in mind that lighter tones help reflect light. This explains why many blinds are white, grey, or beige.
For spaces that see a lot of sun, you might want to try sunscreen blinds. This blind design excels in sun-drenched areas like lounges or sunrooms. The great thing about sunscreen blinds is that they come in different fabric transparencies. For example, here at Home Vision Blinds, we carry two weights of sunscreen blinds. The ‘sun filter’ weight still lets some light through, but it has a rice-paper effect, in which you can only see silhouettes. The standard sunscreen blind weight lets through slightly more light and is lightly woven, eliminating glare and limiting the amount of sunlight and heat entering your home without cutting it off completely.
Blackout Blinds are the typical option for those looking to block out as much light as possible. They’re most common in places that need to be dark, like bedrooms. They’re easy to install and can be changed without much difficulty. The thicker fabric of these blinds is highly effective for avoiding over-heating and makes glare a complete non-issue.
Roller blinds that feature a motor for lifting and lowering are becoming increasingly popular for several reasons. First, they feel very high-tech, but don’t cost all that much more. Second, they can be programmed or set on a timer, which means you can set up precise times throughout the day for your blinds to open or close automatically.
Motorised roller blinds in NZ are also becoming more popular because they can make opening and closing your blinds much easier, even if the blinds are in physically hard-to-reach places, such as up near the ceiling, where it would be too dangerous or time-consuming to operate them by hand.
Here at Home Vision Blinds, we know how to manage sunlight. If you’re dealing with the problems above—glare, overheating, or light damage to interior pieces—then we can help you find the perfect blinds for your space. Don’t wait, contact us today to find out more.
Venetian blinds are beloved in New Zealand homes today for their versatile style and effective control of natural light and heat, but have you ever wondered where these blinds came from? Are they, like their name suggests, originally from Venice? If not, where did Venetian blinds really originate and how did they come by their name? Continue reading to find out!
The simple answer to this question is no. Venetian blinds are not from Venice. In fact, they very likely did not originate in any part of Italy. The spread of ‘Venetian’ blinds began in the 18th century, with the growing trade and migration between Italy and the rest of the world. After blinds were introduced to Italy by merchants, Italy then proceeded to introduce blinds to the rest of the world.
The blinds were first introduced to France, followed soon after by an introduction in England and America. However, the 18th century does not mark the invention of this slatted blind design. Venetian blinds were in fact only ‘rebranded’ by the people of Venice, not created by them.
Numerous theories surround the true origin of Venetian blinds. Some trace them back to southwestern Asia, believing their origin in Italy came about from trade with Persian merchants. However, other theories date Venetian blinds all the way back to Ancient Egypt, where they first wove reeds into slats to provide respite from the sun.
The introduction of Venetian blinds to the rest of the world was met with keen interest. The innovation of slatted blinds introduced more light control to homes in the western world and quickly became a desirable feature every well-off family and office manager wanted. They weren’t limited to the wealthy, however. The affordability of Venetian blinds made them great options for all levels of society. After this initial re-introduction of slatted blinds to the world, new blind designs started cropping up and being sold, too.
Contrasting the slim, wooden, faux wood, or metal Venetian blinds sought after today, the early designs introduced to the west in the 18th century featured large, flat slats.
During the early years of their introduction to America, Venetian blinds with natural finishes were the most popular style for homes. However, as the century moved on, blinds of white or stone colouring came to be considered more elegant and desirable.
Not until the early 20th century in 1930’s New York, did aluminium Venetian blinds come into production and upon introduction to the market, they boomed in popularity. These slats slowly became thinner over time as they continued to be developed and redesigned into blinds combining thinner designed slats in a higher number.
During the 1960’s, plastic slats became the trend in offices and homes. By the 21st century, more traditional wooden Venetian blinds have come back into fashion with some even incorporating larger slat designs.
With the many benefits provided by Venetian blinds in your home, it’s no surprise they’ve lasted this long and continue to thrive today as great window cover options.
The popularity of Venetian blinds has endured for centuries, for a few simple reasons:
If you’re looking for Venetian blinds for your home, explore excellent custom-made designs at Home Vision. We have the best range of Venetian blinds Auckland has to offer.
Custom-made blinds are the cherry on top of a well-designed home. They’re an opportunity to make your home look crisp and clean, while also adding to your environment in the practical sense. Ultimately, they’re the perfect blend of form and function.
We’ve been in the business of creating custom blinds our customers love for over thirty years. Therefore, we’ve seen the way they can elevate a home. Read on to discover five ways custom blinds can change your home for the better.
Windows are made from glass, a well-known conductor of heat. Leaving your windows uncovered allows heat to flow freely from within your home to the outdoors and vice versa, creating gaps in an otherwise well-insulated home. Therefore, your home will find itself cold in the winter and warm in the summer.
While double-glazed windows are certainly an option for reducing heat transfer, they’re also costly. On the other hand, since cloth is an effective insulator, custom blinds accomplish the same purpose at a heavily reduced price point and will benefit you in many other ways.
Speaking of transfer in an out of the home, another unwelcome intruder is noise! If you live in a busy or noisy area, then you know how frustrating it can be to battle with extraneous sounds from day-to-day.
Installing custom blinds in your home will help to reduce this troublesome noise pollution effectively! Most blind materials, including fabric, wood, etc., interrupt sound waves, reducing their strength and making noise quieter as it passes through the blinds. This is a cost-effective choice that adds a lovely design element to your windows rather than addressing the issue structurally, thereby costing you time, money, and energy.
We have a variety of blinds dedicated to creating privacy and solitude in any kind of home. If you live in an apartment and find yourself locking eyes with a neighbour in the building across the street, or if you want to turn your bedroom into a more private sanctuary, then blinds are the choice for you.
Depending on the kind of style you wish to exude, you can choose from any number of styles: roller blinds, venetian blinds, vertical blinds, and even motorised blinds. Vertical blinds are our most cost-effective solution, while roller blinds completely obscure the outside and offer a bolder choice of design. It all depends on you!
All too often, homeowners and designers alike treat windows like a bland space that can be ignored. Blinds are chosen based solely on price and then they move on, but they’re missing an opportunity to be creative with an interesting space!
Elevate your chosen aesthetic and tie the whole home together with your choice of custom blinds. For example, wooden venetian blinds add a warm and natural touch to the home, whereas sunscreen blinds are perfect for a sunlit room in need of modern sun protection. Don’t be afraid to experiment with swatches or consult our experts for their opinion.
The one benefit of blinds we have not yet discussed is, arguably, essential to your day-to-day happiness—putting the right blinds in your bedroom is a sure-fire way to get a good night’s sleep.
We have all tried to sleep through the sun pouring in through the windows and transparent curtains, and we have all failed. While rising with the sun is a lovely idea, most of us need to sleep past six in the morning. That’s where blackout blinds come in!
Our roller blinds come in blackout-level fabric density, and they don’t have to be black to work. The thickness of the fabric will restrict any light from penetrating through the blinds and you can sleep on in peace.
All these benefits come at a cost-effective price point with minimal hassle and a fantastic payoff. Even the smallest detail can make a huge difference when it comes to the design of your home, and when you install the perfect blinds you will find that they make a world of difference.
No matter who you are, or what kind of home you have, you can create exactly what you need with custom blinds from Home Vision Blinds. We offer a free, no-obligation window measure and quote for all our new clients. Contact us today!
With a hot few months ahead, here are our tips for a sun smart home this summer.
Protect your home from sun damage without sacrificing on style.
Consider using a fabric throw to protect furniture from fading while giving your lounge a touch of bohemian summer style. Sunscreen blinds are an ideal choice for preventing sun damage in your sunroom, conservatory or light-bathed living area. Our lightest weight sunscreen blinds protect your furnishings without spoiling the view.
For outdoor furniture, a more direct approach may be required. For fabric furniture, you can apply fabric guards to ward off unwanted colour fades. For wooden outdoor furniture, exterior varnish is essential – if you’re doing this yourself, check the varnish labels for UV protection levels. Back this up with regular cleaning and covering or stowing away when not in use.
Lightweight roller blinds can act like a mosquito net to keep out unwanted bugs. Keep the blinds down and open the windows for fresh evening air.
If you’re considering blackout blinds in your bedroom, but are worried how you’ll sleep on hot nights, don’t be fooled by their thick appearance. The insulative quality of thermal backed blinds helps regulate temperature year-round, simply keep your blinds down with the windows open as you would with sun filter blinds.
If you’re planning a summer renovation, dusky blues and fresh, Scandinavian whites are in this season.
The Auckland Home Show investigated colour trends and detected a rise in earthy tones, alongside a move toward adventurous colour combinations and metallic accents. Talk to our team for advice on colour matching, blinds styles, and fabric weights. Find blinds for comfort and style this summer and beyond.
Thinking of selling your home? Here are a few expert tips to help you increase the value of your house. You might not have the time or money to completely rehaul your property, but a few simple changes like these will help ensure your house is ready for auction day!
One of the most important parts of selling a house is how you stage it, especially when it comes to photos and open homes. Buyers shop with all their senses, says Anthea from Homebase. Be mindful of who your buyers are, and what you want them to appreciate about your property. For example, if your lounge has a beautiful view from the window, place a mirror in the room that will capture it. On the other hand, if your lounge is on the small side, simple tricks such as raising furniture off the ground or using glass tables will make a room appear more spacious. If the house is looking a little empty or drab, some leafy house plants can make a dull room look lively and fresh in seconds! For photos, opt for lighter coloured furniture to give the illusion of space and spice it up with colourful cushions, artwork and throws which show up great in photos.
One of the simplest ways to make your house look refreshed is to give it a new coat of paint, either on the inside, outside, or both! If you’d rather do it yourself than bring in the experts, Go Day 1 Painting have a few tips for the DIYers. Ensure you spend a good amount of time on sanding and priming so that the final finish will look as good as possible. This will also help reduce the amount of paint needed to cover marks. Don’t skip the test run – once you commit to a colour it’s very expensive and annoying to change, so make sure your trial shades first. When it comes to exterior painting, wet weather can seriously prolong drying time, so try to ensure you’ll be painting in peak weather conditions! If your considering roof painting then the work is best left to proffesional painters.
Regardless of whether you’re selling your house or not, replacing your traditional halogen bulbs with an LED downlight system is a no-brainer, according to Home LED. That’s because LED lights are more energy efficient, safer, and cost-effective than traditional ones. The initial cost of installation pales in comparison to the long term savings – LED bulbs can last up to ten years without needing a replacement. As they emit less heat, they’re much cheaper to run. Not only are they are great way to add value to your home, they also look chic, making your house appear more modern and contemporary.
The way you shade your home is often an afterthought, but in fact blinds and curtains can drastically change the look, temperature, and energy efficiency of a house. Blinds are a great way to make a house appear more spacious, but the amount of choices in style and colour can be overwhelming. Home Vision Blinds Ltd have a few tips for choosing the right ones for your space. Generally, roller blinds are the most popular choice due to their easy of use and range of styles. If you want to reduce sun glare but don’t want to fully shade your windows, transparent blinds are an easy solution. If your house tends to get a bit cold, thermal blinds help insulate rooms, keeping your guests nice and toasty. Venetian blinds are another option for those looking for something a little more traditional, especially for those wanting to retain the character of their older style houses. Another great benefit of these blinds is the option of volume control, that is, the amount of light you’d like to let in the room.
A clean, fresh carpet is a simple way to woo buyers. If your carpet is looking a little dingy, a simple professional clean can make a mammoth difference. You can do it yourself, but it’s highly recommended that you leave this job to the professionals if you can, according to local carpet cleaners Smart Clean. Not only does a fresh carpet look great, it also means less dust and allergens present in your house, which is important for potential buyers with allergies.
If your exterior needs a bit of TLC but you’re worried about the effort and cost, never fear. Kate the Gardener has a few simple remedies to refresh your yard. First and foremost, your lawn is one of the first things buyers see when viewing a property, so if it’s looking a little worse for wear, invest in some spring feeding and weed control to get it looking its best. When it comes to weeding, simply focusing on areas that are clearly visible rather than wasting time trying to weed your entire garden. Clearing walkways and edges can make a huge difference too! Add a few pops of colour with some flowering potted plants to spruce up your doorstep. Edible plants are also useful to make a house seem like a home, so pp some small plants like strawberries around the yard for your open home guests to admire.
By following these tips, there’s no doubt you’ll have your home in prime condition for selling time! Make sure you use high quality materials and if you’re not sure, ask an expert – safety comes first when it comes to renovations. Hopefully with some or all of the experts advice, you’ll have made some awesome improvements to your property.
To find out more about any range of blinds available speak to one of our friendly consultants today! Request specialist advice
We all love roller blinds! It’s simply one of the most versatile window enhancements; flexible, practical and stylish. To help you decide we put together the answers to 9 frequently asked questions.
A: No. To install roller blinds properly, you will need to drill holes in the frame then secure the installation brackets with screws.
A: Yes, they will retain more heat than lighter fabric weights. However, thermal blinds do not generate heat and should be used alongside a heat pump, wood burner, or another heat source.
A: Yes, they can be cleaned using a damp cotton cloth. Avoid using any bleach or cleaning products that contain bleach as this could discolour your blind. A gentle rub on the spot immediately after its been stained is recommended. To find out more about how to clean your blinds follow this manual.
A: Yes, but it will need to be done with proper cutting equipment. Parts of the roller blinds will need to be reassembled after cutting. It’s best to ask for a quote estimate first before altering the size of the blind this way.
A: Roller blinds are very versatile. You can have them in any room of the house. People tend to use block out roller blinds in their bedroom or bathroom, and sunscreen or light filtering roller blinds in their lounge. Dual roller blinds are popular for bedrooms and living rooms because they allow both light control and privacy.
A: They are installed with brackets. The brackets need to be installed inside your window frame with small screws (see question 1).
A: This is up to you. The patterned or textured side will face inside the house unless you request otherwise.
A: If components of your roller blinds need fixing, depending on the age of the blind, we may carry the same component. You can purchase parts in our store or over the phone (if the original blinds were manufactured by us). If the problem can’t be fixed with a new part, we can give you a quote to have it repaired at our factory.
A: Roller blinds come in hundreds of different fabric types. The most basic type is non-thermal blackout fabric. All of our fabric used are tested and proven to be non-toxic under harsh sunlight and we will not use any fabric that has not been tested.
To find out more about any range of blinds available speak to one of our friendly consultants today! Request specialist advice
