When it comes to deciding on a window treatment for your home, there is a multitude of choices. One big question to ask is this: Should you get blinds or curtains?
There is no one correct answer, as both have their pros and cons. The ideal choice for you depends on what you are looking for in your window treatment. To help you in your decision-making, we’ve compiled a quick guide outlining the features of each type.
First things first – what are curtains and blinds? Curtains are usually fabric materials that are hung from the top of the window. They are drawn by pulling the fabric across the window. On the other hand, blinds come in a variety of materials like wood, plastic, and metal. Often, they involve a pulley system wherein you pull a cord to draw the blinds.
Blinds VS Curtains: The Lowdown
- Costs
The price of curtains and blinds vary greatly depending on the manufacturer and materials used. Thus, there is no clear winner when it comes to the most cost-effective choice.
For curtains, usually, the thinner materials will be cheaper. If you opt for customised curtains in Singapore here at Ming’s Living, a sheer curtain goes for as low as $6 per square feet. Blackout materials or fabrics with more intricate designs will fetch a higher price, where in our store it goes up to about $30 per square feet.
At Ming’s Living, blinds sit at the lower price range of the curtains, at $8 to $14 per square feet.
- Installation
It is possible to do self-installations for curtains and blinds. If you already have tracks or rods installed in your home, buying new curtains is just a matter of hanging them up. For blinds or curtains in a new home, you would need to do some drilling to fit in the attachments.
For a fuss-free installation, you can also choose to hire someone to do the installation for you for a small fee. At Ming’s Living, we provide installation services that are dust-free, ensuring you can get your curtains or blinds up conveniently, without the need for extra cleaning up afterwards!
- Privacy and lighting
Both curtains and blinds can come in blackout options, which are excellent at blocking out light and maintaining privacy in the room. However, getting blackout curtains in Singapore may prove to be more expensive than getting blinds that achieve the same effect.
Some types of blinds, such as Venetian blinds and Korean combi blinds, are also more versatile when it comes to fine-tuning the amount of light entering the room.
- Design options
Curtains are the hands-down winner when it comes to the variety of design options. The fabrics come in infinite possibilities of designs, ensuring there is one that suits your theme and tastes. In contrast, blinds usually come in plain and simple designs, where you can choose the materials and/or colour.
However, it doesn’t mean blinds lose out in terms of style – while curtains give off a warm and luxe look, blinds are favoured for their modern, clean looks.
The conclusion?
After learning about the pros and cons of each window treatment type, we hope you have a better idea of which you should be getting for your home. Both are excellent choices, and will be beautiful additions to your home. If you still can’t make up your mind, why not browse through some of our offerings and past projects for some inspiration?