Have We Drawn the Line with Curtains?

You once couldn't walk down a street without seeing the vast majority of homes decorated with curtains. Now, things are changing and after once dominating our windows, curtains have largely been replaced.

Blinds are the products which have slowly substituted them and considering some of the advancements in this segment of the industry over the years, it's really no surprise.

Hello, blinds.

Curtains have always been able to block out natural light; with this being the principle reason we use them. However, this is all they could do - light could either come in or be shut out, there were no compromises. As we all know, this is in stark contrast to the typical set of blinds, with the slats being manipulated to at least give some control back to the household.

If it was all about manipulating levels of light, this article probably wouldn't have made it into print though. The truth is, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Another reason why they seem to be getting less and less popular is because of the immense money-saving potential that blinds are now giving homeowners. While this has always been possible to an extent given the way we can control how much light, and ultimately heat, enters our properties, over recent years this has taken a significant change.

Blinds manufacturers have released everything from solar shades to insulated blinds, with these able to block out the solar rays and insulate a room respectively. Immediately, it means that we are relying much less on our heating systems - it's a grey option to an area that was once either black or white.

Blinds in the living room.

However, some of the reasons focus on the actual drawbacks of curtains, rather than advancements in the blinds industry. For example, let’s move onto the issue of maintenance. This has always been one of the worst points to content with for the standard curtain owner, with any accident immediately resulting in the whole fabric being hauled down, washed, dried, iron and re-hung.

It’s an absolutely mammoth process – and one that is reduced drastically with a standard set of blinds. In fact, most blinds are made from materials that can easily be wiped, eradicating the above steps completely. It could be said that one of the big luring points of curtains has been their charm, with so many designs and colors available to cater to any type of room. This is where the blinds industry has had to play catch-up for many years and it’s perhaps only recently that the amount of designs has been able to match this.

Of course, there will be instances where curtains will be completely suitable for a room. There will also be some households that swear by curtains and will never consider changing them, regardless of what else is on offer. However, it’s certainly fair to say that there has been a major shift in how windows across the country are now treated – and most of this is due to the major advancements that the blinds industry has initiated.