What to Know Before Choosing Curtains and Blinds for a New Home
There’s a quiet clarity to new build homes: clean architecture, modern materials, and light that pours in uninterrupted. But it doesn’t take long for that clarity to feel unfinished, especially when the windows are bare.
Whether you’re settling into your own space or preparing a development for sale, made-to-measure curtains and blinds aren’t just a finishing touch. They’re foundational. In the South West, where the light can shift from golden to grey in a day, what covers the windows matters.
Start With What the Room Needs
Before you choose fabrics or colours, pause and think about function.
Every window has a role, and every room a rhythm. A street-facing living room might call for privacy without blocking light. A south-facing bedroom will benefit from true blackout. A kitchen near the garden might want flexibility: sun by day, privacy by evening.
Curtains and blinds aren’t just decorative. They’re responsive tools that help shape comfort, flow and feel.
Blackout, Sheers, or Something In Between?
There’s no single answer. That’s why layering works.
In bedrooms, blackout linings are a given, but done right, they should also frame the window beautifully, soften acoustics, and move well. For day use, sheer blinds or voiles add elegance without sacrificing light. In kitchens or bathrooms, practical takes the lead: moisture-resistant rollers, faux-wood Venetians, or sleek Romans in wipeable fabrics.
Think in terms of rhythm and range. Homes, like people, need different moods across the day.
Measurements Matter More Than You Think
Off-the-shelf doesn’t know your walls, your ceilings, or the subtleties of new-build quirks. That’s why precision measuring matters.
Made-to-measure means exactly that: measured to work. To hang just above the floor. To stack back neatly. To sit inside a recess without sagging, or to frame a bay without swallowing the light.
Our team handles all of this. Not because it’s fiddly (though it is), but because it’s the difference between a room that works and a room that frustrates.
Don’t Just Choose a Fabric (Choose a Feeling)
In homes across Somerset, Bath and Bristol, we often find that what clients really want is warmth and quiet.
Linen blends add softness and casual elegance. Wool and velvet bring weight and comfort. Sheers offer movement, grace, and gentle diffusion. Interlinings boost insulation. Flame-retardant finishes are a must in rentals or high-spec developments.
But what matters most is how it all feels. What does your hand do when it touches the fabric? What impression does the light make as it filters through? These are the moments that shape how a home lives.
One Home, Many Stories
A common misconception is that all window dressings need to match. They don’t. In fact, they shouldn’t.
What suits a nursery won’t serve a hallway. A show home might use full-length curtains in one room and subtle Romans in another. The art is in cohesion, not repetition.
We treat every window as part of a greater whole - designed for its context, but tied into the wider rhythm of the house.
Installation Is Where It All Comes Together
This is the unsung step. Even the best plans falter with poor fit-out.
Tracks must align. Corded blinds need safe operation. Curtains must kiss the floor, not puddle or float.
We oversee every install. Not just because we care about standards but because our clients (from private homeowners to regional developers) rely on us to make things seamless.
Why Made-to-Measure Makes Sense
This isn’t just about aesthetic value. It’s about lived experience.
For developers, it’s about faster sales, stronger first impressions, and reduced snags. For homeowners, it’s about a quieter bedroom, a softer lounge, a home that feels cohesive.
And across the South West - from contemporary developments in Bath to countryside homes in Somerset, we’re seeing more clients choose to get it right the first time.
Because at the end of the day, it’s not just what you see when you look at a window. It’s how the space around it makes you feel.
Looking for help designing your curtain and blind package? We work across the South West, from Bath and Bristol to the Mendips and beyond.