Renovation

Blinds - Where to Go?

Hi All, Where is the best place to buy good quality blinds? Lowes? How much should I set aside to purchase custom blinds for 3 large windows? $1000-1500? Thanks!

by gemini10
05/21/2010

Hi All,
Where is the best place to buy good quality blinds? Lowes?
How much should I set aside to purchase custom blinds for 3 large windows?
$1000-1500?

Thanks!

Renovation

Comments

  1. Wood blinds look better architecturally in an interior but I really regret we put wood blinds in the bedrooms instead of blackout shades. Wood blinds do very little to block out sunlight for sleeping especially in a baby room. Anyway, believe it or not years ago for our old apt (in a brownstone coop) I got real wood blinds custom sized from JC Penney for about $75 each and honestly they looked as good and functioned even better than the $250 per window wood blinds I bought for our house. Last time I looked, JC Penney only had the faux wood not real wood but it may be worth checking their website to see if they have new products. They also carry inexpensive drapes including a good basic cotton duck panel drape.

  2. Rob, it’s true, blinds are shockingly expensive.

    Options on the inexpensive end: bamboo blinds of various types available at such places as Pearl River, but the downside is they are semi-translucent. Target has some really great options at very low prices, including cotton duck Roman shades. Most of the inventory is online and not available in the store. Home Depot has plastic shades that are opaque and cost $30 each;they cut to fit. Years ago, I got gorgeous cotton roman shades at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. They were middle price — maybe $70 each or so, but I don’t know if they still carry them.

    On the high end side, I ordered custom at Smith & Noble twice, the first time because my windows were crazy dimensions that could only be ordered custom. They made one mistake, but I found them very pleasant to deal with and have no complaints. The window hardware is also significantly more sturdy than what you get at HD or Target. However, the prices are so crazy you will end up ordering their basic option, which is plastic. So unless you have a special window configuration (unusual size or plaster surround with no wood) I would say it just isn’t worth it to do Smith & Noble. FYI for a regular brownstone bedroom window, a blind will be about $300. It’s also worth paying an experienced installer/handyman to put them in. You can do it yourself, but there’s quite a bit they don’t tell you. (I had a handyman install the huge ones in floating plaster with butterfly screws, but did my own in regular wood windows.)

    If you had blinds made by a decorator in your choice of fabric you would have more options but they would probably cost about $1,000 or so each. It depends on the fabric.

    We’re going with the cheap HD plastic to keep out light, and then we are adding homemade curtains and curtains bought on sale at West Elm.

    BTW, the drawback of the $30 HD blinds is they get off track, have to be rewound, etc. Cheap hardware.

  3. Costco also carries the Hunter Douglas brand of blinds and will come to your house, measure, etc., and install. The blinds are really nice though I admit are not cheap.

    On the other hand, if you want high quality dressings like those from Hunter Douglas, I have understood Costco really ends up having the best deal, and they are free for coming out to review your windows with you and options. So no harm looking into it.

  4. You get what you pay for. If you own, I would make the investment. I went with Budget Blinds and wasn’t disappointed. The service was good and they stand by their products.

  5. wow!
    thanks for all the advice – I mean I have to admit for years we had the old temporary paper blinds that cost us $5 – so I want to be a bit more grown up and get some nice blinds for crissakes

    thanks again everyone – I will check out Smith and NOble and Blinds.com

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