Choosing the best blinds for your home

Our guide is here to shed a little light on all things blinds, from types to room options and installation.

A Habitat multi-coloured, daylight trees roller blind on a window.

With clean lines and compact styling, blinds make for a modern and versatile alternative to curtains. They are easy to install, can be cut to size and are ideal for providing light control and privacy in rooms like bathrooms and bedrooms.

Types of blinds

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Venetian blinds

Venetian blinds have horizontal slats which can be tilted to control privacy and the amount of light entering the room. There are different materials available, with the two most popular being metal and wood. Metal blinds are very versatile and practical, whereas wooden blinds add instant warmth and style to your home interiors.

An Argos Home egg shell blue blackout insulating roller.

Roller blinds

Simple but effective, these blinds are one of the most popular choices for those exact reasons. They're easy to install, block out light well (even better if they're blackout), and can be cleaned easily. Our insulated blinds can even help keep your house cool in summer and warm in the winter. Roller blinds come in different designs - you can go for plain, choosing colours that complement your décor or patterns to inject a bit of fun and make a bigger statement.

Vertical blinds

These are made of fabric vertical slats. Like venetian blinds, you can control the light and privacy of a room by how much they are tilted. Vertical blinds can also be pulled back completely, making them a great choice for sliding glass or patio doors as you can open the doors without the blind getting in the way.

A Habitat mid-century geo printed blackout roller blind in a dining room's window.

Blackout blinds

The most common type of blackout blinds are roller blinds that use a special blackout fabric. They're ideal for bedrooms as they block out light more effectively, meaning less sleep disruption caused by bright light flooding in. Like ordinary roller blinds, they come in a variety of colours and designs to match your décor.

Choosing your blinds

A contemporary bathroom with a white blind.

Best blinds for bathrooms

For bathrooms, blinds that are moisture resistant are a must. These moisture resistant blackout roller blinds are perfect as the moisture will slide right off. They're also great for making sure you get the privacy you need. If you fancy something a bit different to roller blinds, aluminium venetian blinds will also work well.

A modern kitchen with a white venetian blind.

Best blinds for kitchens

Kitchens can get pretty steamy and humid so it's best to avoid wooden blinds as they become disfigured and crack when exposed to moisture. Aluminium venetian blinds are normally the best choice as they can be easily cleaned without having to be taken down.

A wooden blind on the window of a living room.

Best blinds for living rooms

Want to add a bit of contemporary style to your living room? Wooden blinds work really well here, providing a feeling of warmth, with good privacy and noise reduction. In terms of type, venetian and vertical blinds are popular choices as they look great and allow you to control the amount of light and privacy you let in.

A nature-themed bedroom with indoor plants and a black blind.

Best blinds for bedrooms

It goes without saying that blackout blinds are best for quiet spaces such as bedrooms, helping to block out unwanted light for better, undisturbed sleep. But if you're not overly sensitive to light, and can sleep through, or get up relatively early anyway, ordinary roller blinds or venetian blinds are good options too.

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Measuring for blinds

How to measure for blinds

Once you've decided if your blinds will sit inside or outside your window recess, follow the steps below to find your perfect fit, or watch this simple step-by-step video.

Measuring inside the recess

Measure a few different points of the recess - the best places would be either the end and in the middle. The smallest measurement is the one you should use (do this for both width and length). If you're measuring for roller or venetian blinds, reduce width by 1cm, and for vertical blinds, reduce length by 1cm.

Measuring outside the recess

Follow the same steps as you would measuring the inside of a recess but just take the measurements from the outside edge instead. You should add a few centimetres on the width measurement to give you a good amount of overlap with the wall to prevent unwanted light coming in.

Measuring windows without a recess

Measure the length and width of your window. We recommend that you again add a few centimetres on the width measurement to ensure good coverage (10cm is ideal). If you're installing a roller blind, you should also factor in a couple of centimetres on the width for the operating mechanism.

Cleaning blinds

Over time, blinds can accumulate dust and dirt, so it's a good idea to clean them every few months to keep them looking good.

Here are some top tips to help you take care of your blinds.

If your blinds get dusty, use the brush attachment on a vacuum to lightly clean the top of each slat.
For blinds that have a lot of dirt and dust build-up, simply run a damp cloth gently across the surface.
To give your blinds a deep clean, you may want to use a purpose built cleaning tool.

How do I fit window blinds?

It's best to read through the instructions that come with your blinds, as not all types are installed in the same way.

Check out our step-by-step video guides below for easy tips on installing roller and venetian blinds.

How to install a venetian blind

How to install a roller blind

Blinds and curtains

Blinds and curtains together

Blinds and curtains can work really well together, both stylistically and functionally. Not only can they look great, the two paired together offer more warmth, light control and privacy. The blinds that work best with curtains are roller and venetian.

If you want simple but effective, opt for neutral coloured blinds paired with either a slightly darker or lighter shade of curtain in a similar colour. If you're feeling a bit braver, there's lots of fun ways to pair the two up.

Generally, most people choose to have the pattern on their curtains and keep the blinds fairly plain. But that doesn't mean to say you can't do it the other way around or even have both patterned. It's completely up to you, so how will you pair yours?

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