HOW I TRANSFORMED MY HOME WITH MOTORISED ROLLER BLINDS

You know how there are some jobs you do around the house that are quite annoying, but you’re so very used to them being annoying that you just do them without thinking there could be a better way? That is me, with blinds. Every morning and evening, I walk through our apartment, reach over bulky furniture, grab the cords for our eight sets of roller blinds, and start yanking them to get the blinds up or down. If I am very lucky that day, they’re not tangled. There was just one lovely bay window that still needed three blinds, but the thought of adding to that daily chore kind of put me off. So, when Carpet Court suggested that I road-test their new affordable motorised blinds in that window, I was intrigued. Well, they were installed a month or so ago, and it’s safe to say - I AM OBSESSED.

Blinds and curtains are one of those home items that do double duty – they serve a very practical function in terms of letting in and out light, letting in and out heat. But they also offer a huge aesthetic opportunity – you can go as lush and opulent, or as natural, or as minimal as you like. I personally love the privacy they afford, and if I remember to keep them down on a hot or cold day, there’s great energy savings to be made.

The whole selection and installation process was seamless. I was worried that my bay window might not be suitable and that I would lose access to the timber windowsills where I love to place flowers and plants. The installer quickly assured me that three blinds – two skinny ones at the sides and a larger one in the middle – were completely achievable. I was also a little concerned that ‘motorisation’ would mean bulky – and that the unit would not look elegant in the window. Well, as you can see from the images, the blinds are beautiful – and not even remotely oversized

I selected the Contemporary BlockOut blinds in a lovely pure white called ‘Quill’, which is an almost perfect match to my windows that are painted in Dulux’s ‘Vivid White’. The measuring-up took about half an hour, and the installation just two hours. The blinds can be hard-wired to power, but that wasn’t an option for me, so mine came with a charger and an ultra-long-life battery, and I still haven’t had to recharge it. There’s also a tiny remote control that allows me to put all three blinds up and down simultaneously, or I can control the light by altering them individually. You can even integrate them with your smart home devices, so Alexa (or one of her friends) can do it for you remotely.

While I went for plain white, there are many other designs – from super-contemporary matte black, through to textured blinds like the Downton, which is a gorgeous textural jacquard. There are transitional styles that give you all the other benefits but also offer a clear view outside and 95% UV protection.

My new blinds are the only window coverings I have on that window, but it’s important to remember that they also work very well as part of a two-pronged approach when they are used in conjunction with curtains. Using both curtains and blinds gives a very polished and layered look for your rooms – they feel incredibly resolved in a decorating sense as well as providing peak options for controlling light and heat.

So now, every morning and night, I am still trudging through rooms, trying not to strain a muscle as I lean over to pull down or up those other eight blinds. But I always save my motorised ones till last, and I smile every time I click that little button – now, I can’t wait until I can replace those other eight!