Living room blinds

What the living room asks of a window

The living room is often where everyone gathers, so it's worth finding window coverings that feel right throughout the day. We can help you soften glare, make the room feel private in the evenings and choose a finish that suits the rest of your home.

This is the room people sit in during the evening, which makes it the room where privacy after dark matters most. It is also usually the largest window in the house, often a bay or a wide picture window, and the one that catches afternoon sun on the sofa and the screen. A good choice keeps the room welcoming in the daytime, private at night and calm when the sun hits the television.

Blinds that tend to work well here

Roman blinds for warmth

A Roman blind brings fabric into a room and softens hard corners. It folds up neatly, so it suits a window where you want a curtain look without the stack of fabric at the sides. Fabric choice matters: patterns, linen-style weaves and plains all behave differently.

Wooden blinds for control

Wooden blinds let you tilt slats to steer light and keep a view while staying private. In a living room, where moisture is rarely a problem, real wood can be a good fit. If you want a similar look at a different weight or budget, faux wood is the alternative.

Roller blinds for a clean line

Roller blinds are straightforward and tidy, with light-filtering fabrics that cut glare without darkening the room much. They also pair well with curtains.

Vertical blinds for wide openings

If your living room has patio doors or a very wide window, vertical blinds cover width easily and let you angle the vanes. Our comparison, roller vs vertical blinds, is a helpful read first.

What to tell us at the measure

• Where you sit and where the sun lands, and whether the television is opposite the window.
• Whether the window is a bay, a bow, or a picture window, and whether the sill is deep.
• If you plan curtains alongside the blinds, so we leave enough projection.
• Any radiators, shelves or furniture tight to the window.
• Whether the room is open plan, because a blind can show from the next room too.

A few things to watch for

On a south-facing wall, it is worth thinking about fading and glare before choosing a very dark or very thin fabric. If you want real privacy at night with the lights on, a pale, loose-weave cloth may not give you as much as you hope. And it helps to treat a bay as several windows, as each section may need its own blind. The guide to blinds for bay windows explains the choices.

Practical tips

1. Sunlight fades fabrics and furniture over time. Sun glare and fading covers what you can do.
2. For a room that runs into a kitchen or dining area, see blinds for open-plan rooms.
3. If you cannot decide between fabric styles, read curtain or Roman blind.
4. Look at colours and fabrics in daylight and again in the evening.
5. For large windows, ask about a motorised option; motorised blinds explains how it works.

Book the measure

A big window is the one worth getting measured properly. Book a free measure, show us how you use the room, and we will give you a quotation before you commit.

Inspiration