With internet becoming widespread, it’s possible nowadays to buy blinds online and have them delivered at your home in a few days. This is a very convenient shopping method, first of all because you save a lot of time, and in the second place because you can also save money. Virtual showrooms and stores don’t have to pay rent, they don’t need so many employees, therefore operating costs are much lower than in case of brick and mortar window treatments stores.

What Type of Blinds Can Be Purchased Online

Many people think that it’s difficult to buy blinds online, because one needs to know how to measure in order to be able to choose those sizes. This is why they prefer to have a window treatments specialist installer come at their place and take the measures.

There’s no need to worry about correctly measuring your windows. Most online blinds stores offer detailed measuring instructions with drawings, for all types of window blinds they sell, be them Venetian blinds, roller shades, Roman blinds, timber blinds, drapes, pelmets or valances or roller blind valances. You’ll find instructions for every type of mount, either we are taking about recess mount or face mount, or if your windows have architraves or not, so measuring is only a matter of paying attention.

When you buy blinds online, you can either choose your color directly from the website, or order swatch samples of all colors and materials and have them delivered to you so you can see how they look in reality. Some online blinds and shades stores deliver such samples free of charge, others charge $1 per sample, others have flexible conditions.

One of the most interesting collections of Hunter Douglas blinds and shades are the skyline gliding window panels. Their sleek contemporary look is suitable for very large windows in luxury homes or penthouse apartments. If needed, such window panels can be used as room dividers. Their privacy and light control degree goes from sheer to semi-opaque, total darkness being not an option for this kind of window coverings. Skyline makes a great choice for covering glass sliding doors, offering a contemporary look and a good sound absorption. The UV protection goes from good, 75% – 90%, to excellent, 90% – 95%, depending on the fabric choice. All fabrics are treated so they are dust and dirt repellent and some of them are also GREENGUARD certified. They can be cleaned by dusting and vacuuming, and also spot cleaning is allowed, but you should be careful not to rub too strongly.

Thanks to a special patented headrail system, one headrail can stand as many panels as you wish. Matching valances in eight coordinating colors are available, to offer you a perfect match with the interior of your room and with other elements of decor and furniture. The same colors are available also for the bottom weight and for the cord tensioner. The bottom weight is very useful in the smooth operation of the shades, and in preventing their tangling.

As many other products from Hunter Douglas, the Skyline gliding panels aren’t cheap, but their high quality and their beauty are worth the price.

Arch window blinds can’t be bought ready-made. The reason is obvious: arched windows aren’t standardized, therefore producing fixed size window coverings for such windows only with the hope that somebody would have the matching arch windows and come to your store to buy those shades can’t be too profitable. You may think there aren’t too many clients willing to pay the price tag that comes with custom blinds and shades. Nonetheless, arch windows are expensive themselves, so people who afford them have financial possibilities to buy them proper coverings, so money is not an issue. Quality is more important.

As many renovated old homes feature arch window, blinds of all colors and shapes started to become available on the market from the most important manufacturers. Arch window blinds and shutters can be of two types: operable and non-operable. Operable means that you can open and close them, in order to have light filtering and privacy control. Non-operable arch window coverings are fixed, with the slats already positioned in a certain angle.

Here are a few examples that made me wish I had special windows and not the classic, rectangular ones.

Hunter Douglas Duette Honeycomb Arch Window Blinds: these blinds are made of fabric, with pleat sizes available of 3/8”, ¾” or 1 ¼”, in either single, double or triple honeycomb, depending on the degree of thermal insulation you need and on the budget you have. The triple honeycomb features three air pockets, thus offering a high degree of energy-efficiency. The privacy and light control can be selected from sheer to opaque, with three more intermediary options. EasyView Arch and Bridgeway are the two brands of arch window blinds you can choose from.

Hunter Douglas Vertical Blinds for Arches, Bay and Rounded Windows: here you have multiple choices, but I think the most elegant of all is the Crosswinds wood vertical blind solution, featuring slats made of basswood. The Bridgeway specialty shapes belong to the Hunter Douglas Custom Shutter Collection and they are specially designed to cover arches eyebrow and circle windows. Elegant and functional, versatile and durable, these shutters are in the premium price segment, but they are surely worth all the money. Beware, though, if you think of buying some, that you can only use them for interior, because they don’t resist to dust or mud.

Arch windows are stylish and impressive, however, you need more money to buy arch window blinds than common ones.