Wooden venetian blinds are in demand like never before. While they were always prized for their ability to let in light while still enabling privacy, social media influencers on channels like Instagram have cemented their status as firm fashion favourites. If you're looking to kit out your living room windows with wooden blinds, read on for our advice on making the most of your new purchase.
What are the best wooden blinds for living rooms?
The best wooden blind for your living room depends on a few factors. Do you have a window recess? Do you switch up your interior style often? Do you have children, or pets?
Where possible, you should fit into the recess of your window. This will block light out more effectively, and will also help your room look bigger. However, if you have a very narrow (or no) window recess you can measure and fit in 'exact' sizing. This simply means you intend to install it outside the recess. See our measuring guide for more on how to measure for wooden blinds.
If you like to restyle your home often, we'd advise choosing a natural wood colour. While white is ever-popular, natural wood works well with both light and dark walls - ideal if you're a style magpie who's always switching things up
Homeowners with busy households - particularly those with children or pets - might want to consider faux wood blinds as an alternative. Made from PVC, these blinds are waterproof and a little more hardwearing than natural wood, ready for what your little monsters can throw at them.
Is white wood the right wood?
White wooden living room blinds - like our bestselling Editions Brilliant White with Lilly Tapes - are the most popular choice out there. But are they right for you? White blinds work best for living rooms as part of a neutral arrangement, where the walls and ceiling are all backdrop and flashy furnishings draw the eye. Their classic style and monochrome tone means this blind style works well with a wide range of interiors, including the endlessly popular Scandi look and shabby chic and bohemian room designs.
White wood blinds work in most lounges, but contemporary and retro-contemporary homes might be better with another option. Mid-century interiors tend to look better with real wood tones, while industrial and modern rooms suit 'sleek' blinds styles, such as roller blinds.
And don't forget cleaning. As anyone with a white car will know, white items are cleaning-intensive and need regular dusting to look their best. Venetian blinds also have a lot of surface area, so require a thorough dusting. So if you're keen on a white wooden blind, take your dusting behaviours into account before you purchase.
Which is the best slat thickness?
Wooden blinds come in 35mm and 50mm slat thicknesses. 50mm is the most popular - they let more light into the room, they make the blind look more 'substantial', and they help create that plantation shutter vibe that's so popular. 35mm slats are a better choice for windows with shallow recesses, as a slimmer blind is easier to fit on this window type. As they feature a larger number of slats, 35mm blinds are also shadier, so could be a good choice for conservatories or windows in direct light.
Living room blinds vs curtains
Like jam- or cream-first scone topping, blinds vs curtains is a hot debate. Wooden blinds have a contemporary look, versatile light control, and are less bulky than curtains. Curtains give an imperial appearance and block more light than wooden blind styles.
Ultimately, we'd recommend wooden blinds for living room windows that face onto a street or public areas. The option to retain sunlight while blocking outsiders' observations is a huge selling point for reception rooms, particularly those with bay windows that would otherwise give triple-aspect views inside. Having said this, increasingly the holy grail of living room window dressing is blinds with curtains. This pairing combines the benefits of both styles, so you can have your shade and eat it too.
Image credit: @homeat68
Let's find your perfect blind
There are lots of options for wooden blinds and it can be tricky narrowing down the options. The best advice is to take advantage of our free samples service, where you can get up to 10 samples delivered direct to your door. And if you need any more help, get in touch. We're only a phone call (0117 457 4242), Live Chat or email (hello@makemyblinds.co.uk) away.
