Living room blind ideas – 9 super stylish ways to dress your windows

Choosing between Romans, Venetians and rollers, a new blind can be made in a vast array of patterns and plains, making the options virtually limitless. Blinds have the ability to transform your living room windows, offering you the very best in privacy while letting in as much light as possible.

What’s going on at your living room windows can make or break a scheme – all too often we play it safe and replace like with like, without assessing if it’s even the best solution. Choosing the same style without even looking into the wealth of window treatment ideas available might mean you’re missing out on the best solution for your space.

Living room blind ideas

Finding your way through the options can be overwhelming. So as well as our in-house tips, we also asked an interiors stylist, a blinds expert and an interior designer for their take on the variety of living room blinds available.

1. Add plenty of pattern

Image caption: Future/Dominic Blackmore

Roman and roller blinds are an excellent way to add pattern to your scheme. Leah Aspinall, Head of Creative at Blinds 2go agrees. ‘They are such a great way to express your personality in your home. You can express your sense of style, by playing with texture, pattern and colour.’

Keen to add a certain pattern to your space but feel it won’t work with your existing scheme? It doesn’t necessarily need to colour match. Go bespoke and get the fabric made up into Roman blinds. Request a band of plain fabric around the edges of the blinds that picks up a dominant shade that features elsewhere in the room to tie the two together.

Roman blinds are also a great solution if you’re looking for some practical bay window ideas. Instead of fussing around with huge living room curtains and special bay window poles, just measure up and get three matching Roman blinds made for the space instead.

2. Try bespoke for awkwardly shaped windows

Image caption: Thomas Sanderson

It’s a pricey option, but if you have unusually shaped windows, the very best way you can dress them if by getting made-to-measure blinds.  Whether open or closed, they’ll look neat and tidy, and won’t obscure the light unless you want them to.

If your windows are a feature of the space – whether peaked, arched or architecturally unusual – investing in bespoke blinds is even more essential to allow the glazing shape to shine.

3. Make your windows the focus

Image caption: Blinds 2go

Want to introduce some bold pattern on your blinds? Why not push the look further by painting your window frames in a dark shade to make the bold print stand out even more? This works really well in a scheme that lacks pattern elsewhere, allowing the windows to become the focus of the space.

If your living room is a little on the cramped side, interior Stylist Marie Nichols says to avoid small-scale prints. ‘Avoid tiny designs as they will be too busy and can look chaotic,’ she says. Leah adds, ‘It depends on how much of a statement you want to make. Softer hues combined with subtle designs help create a light and airy space.’

4. Layer up light fabrics

Image caption: Future/David Brittain

‘I’m a big fan of layering,’ admits stylist Marie Nichols. ‘Why have one window dressing when you can have two? Not only does it make a big style statement, but they can be super-practical too. Choose a blind for practicality – whether sheer or blackout – and dress with voiles or curtains.’

Here, a Roman blind made from a vertical ticking stripe adds even more height to the tall window. An extra layer in the form of one of the most straightforward of voile curtain ideas – simple sheer drapes – add an extra layer of privacy, ideal if your room faces into a busy walkway or street.

5. Choose co-ordinating colours and fabrics

Image caption: Hillarys

Whether you’re looking for a way for your window to blend into the rest of the space or searching for window seat ideas to help create a subtle, calming reading nook, co-ords are key.

Pick a harmonious palette of colours for your scheme – those found next to each other on a colour wheel – and combine them with plenty of natural hues to anchor the shades. This includes the choice of living room blind you go for. Keep it simple by picking out and repeating a single shade on a unfussy Roman or roller.

6. Go for a minimal look

Image caption: Hillarys

If your window is the frame to a gorgeous garden, you want your living room blind to frame the view, not detract from it. Of all the window blind ideas to choose from, simple, unfussy rollers are the answer. They retract almost completely so won’t block anything out, yet will still give you plenty of privacy and shade when it need them.

Marie has noticed that roller blinds are experiencing a style revival. ‘There are so many more finishes and textures available, including velvets,’ she shares. ‘Patterned or coloured linings are also increasingly popular as we pay attention to how our windows look from both outside and in.’

7. Insulate with thick lining

Image caption: Future/Simon Whitmore

In the current climate, finding new ways of how to save energy at home are pretty invaluable. Good insulation is essential of you want to stop losing heat in your living room and windows are one of the wrist offenders.

Fully lined window dressings are the answer, offering extra insulation to your space – keeping the heat in and the cold out. ‘If full-length curtains aren’t an option,’ suggests Leah Aspinall from Blinds 2go, ‘then a Roman blind makes a beautiful alternative.’

8. Let in the light (but keep your privacy)

Image caption: Blinds 2go

Venetians are the ideal living room blinds to choose when overlooked or facing a busy street. Their adjustable slats ensure you can control the exact amount of light that you get into your room, as well as the level of privacy you require.

From timber-look styles to plain pared-back whites, pick the style that best suits your space. For instance, if you have a lot of oak wood furniture in your room, avoid dark wood blinds (and so on). If in doubt, stick with white provided your window surrounds match. Depending on the size of your room, Leah from Blinds 2go suggests tailoring the slat width. ‘Wooden or Venetian blinds with wider slats will give the illusion of a wider window.’

9. Make your own Roman blinds

Image caption: Future/Simon Whitmore

Have your heart set on a fabric that costs the earth? A little goes a long way with Roman blinds. Interior stylist Marie Nichols agrees. ‘They need far less fabric than curtains.’ If your budget is tight, as well as saving on the cost of fabric, why not have a go at making your own?

Not sure where to start? Take a look at our guide on how to make a roman blind – it’ll talk you though the step-by-step of what is needed and how to achieve your dream window dressings so that not a bit of your precious, pricey fabric is wasted.

What blind is good for a living room?

‘There’s a solution for almost every window,’ says Leah from Blinds 2go, ‘even if it’s an interesting shape and size. Consider what you need so you can still make a feature of it while providing an efficient shading solution.’

The style of blind you choose all really depends on your personal taste and your living room decor. Roman blinds are a great way to introduce fabric and pattern to your space and are an excellent alternative to curtains. They too have a similar drape-y look to them but use a lot less fabric than curtains do and you can even have a go at making them yourself.

If clean lines are more your style, Venetians are an excellent choice. They’re also a solid choice if you’re looking for added privacy or to obscure. ‘Do you want to hide it completely or just diffuse what’s seen?’ suggests Andrew Henry, director of Andrew Henry Interiors, ‘Venetian blinds can be tilted can soften a not-so-great view.’

Do roller blinds look good in a living room?

Roller blinds traditionally have always been the choice for kitchens and bathrooms as the neat, clean construction lends them to a space that allows the most amount of light in while retracting completely. Rollers are now made in a wide array of fabrics including luxe finishes like velvet and linen. Patterned linings are becoming more popular too, adding an extra layer of softness to a traditionally pared back look.

What blind should I choose for a small living room?

While you might be tempted yo go for full length curtains to trick the eye into thinking a small window is larger than it is, blinds are your best bet.  Andrew Henry, director of Andrew Henry Interiors agrees. ‘Roman blinds are a stylish, cost-effective and simple solution for small windows,’ he says. They frame a window perfectly, adding just enough cover for privacy and shading without cluttering an already small space.

Additional words by Jennifer Morgan