Most people when faced with this infinite choice become over whelmed and just choose a white or creamy colour fabric. This is, how can I put it. Boring, or even dull. A much classier choice which will have your friends in awe are wooden window blinds.

There are a few different types of wooden window blinds to accommodate to different peoples tastes and styles. Here are the two most popular types:

Wooden Venetian Blinds

Wooden venetian blinds consist of horizontal slats of wood that can be tilted or raised and lowered to control the light. Being able to tilt the blinds offers an extra degree of light control that you don’t get with a lot of other blinds.

Slat Width – Another part of the blind which you get to make a decision on is the slat width. The three sizes most commonly offered are 25mm, 35mm and 50mm. Their are no obvious benefits to each side, it is more about personal preference than benefits.

Type of wood – Each supplier will have their own selection of woods that they favour, generally speaking the higher the price of the blind, the higher the quality of wood. Although just by looking at the product you should be able to make your own conclusions on the quality side.

Woodweave Blinds

Surprisingly woodweave blinds are made out of strands of wood woven together! This creates a very natural effect that lets light seep through the imperfections to offer a very classy finish.

Unlike venetian blinds, woodweave blinds are one solid piece like a roller blind. Except instead of rolling up they bunch up at the top of the window.

Hopefully my explanation of wooden window blinds will help you with your purchasing decision, and ideally you will be happy with your selection!

Discount Blinds are not the same as ‘cheap blinds’.

‘Cheap Blinds’ by definition are blinds that are made to be cheap, which normally means mass production, cheap materials, cheap labour, ect.

Discount blinds on the other hand are still a high quality product, they are just discounted for one reason or another, for example during a sale or stock clearance.

What this means is if you are on a tight budget, which I understand a lot of people are during the ‘recession’ you can essentially get hold of the high quality blinds you are accustomed to at the same price as the low quality ‘cheap blinds’ you would usually avoid.

How you say? Simple, search for the discounts and sales!

It is important to understand that you are not the only one feeling the heat of the credit crunch, businesses are feeling it too and they are lowering prices and holding sales left, right and center!

This may sound cynical, but a lot of businesses are also going bust as well, and they have a lot of extra stock they quickly need to get rid of to recuperate at least some money. I’m willing to bet you can get a great discount on that stock!

I’m guessing you have a retail brand you know well, trust and buy from each time? It may be Hillarys, Web-Blinds, Blinds Supermarket or one I haven’t even heard of. But the key to finding the most discounted blinds is to not stick with one retailer but to compare the market, which is relatively easy with a simple Google search.

Another thing to look out for is promotions like ‘price beater’ or ‘price match’ where companies guarantee to beat the quote you’ve been given. This is always worth going for, you have nothing to lose after all!

One last thing to remember is that nearly all sites have discount codes, if you do a google search that looks something like “Web Blinds Discount Code” you may be surprised with what you find

Good luck finding those discounts!

If you think about it carefully you will realise that a lot of the products you buy could have damaged the enviroment in some way, for example to make wooden blinds you must chop a tree down. Once that tree is chopped down it will be no longer absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t purchase wooden blinds, I personally think they are the most stylish material used in blinds. What I am saying is that you should consider who you purchase of and their concerns for the enviroment, or look for alternative solutions such as wood-effect aluminium blinds.

In case you do decide to purchase wooden blinds you could ask the supplier if they support any re-forestation projects such as replanting a tree for everyone cut down in the manufacturing process. The blinds may cost a little more but in return you are doing your bit for the enviroment.

That being said, let’s look at the types of wooden blinds available.

Wooden Venetian Blinds

Venetian blinds are the most popular variety of wooden blinds, and rightly so, they look absolutly fantastic and are extremely practical and durable. Wooden venetians come with different slat sizes depending on your supply, but the standard is usually 25, 35 and 50mm. I personally prefer 35mm as they look perfect but it’s all down to your preferences.

As with each type of blinds they do have their problems, I can think of two:

Damp

Unlike the aluminium alternative wooden blinds can be damaged by damp, so it is extremely important to make sure your room, more specifically your window cills are damp proof.

Dust

If you have ever had venetian blinds you will agree with me when I say they just attract dust! Fortunatly you can easily wipe down wooden blinds so this isn’t too much of a problem.

Woven Wood Blinds

Otherwise known as woodweave blinds, these blinds are the result of skilfully weaving veneers of natural woods and reeds. Although the same style, each woodweave blind is essentially unique in its pattern because of the natural different in tone and pattern. Woven wood blinds are available in two types, one type which rolls up like a roller blind, and one which folds up like a roman blind. Both types look absolutely fantastic and the natural warming effect makes them great for any room.

Wooden Vertical Blinds

If you are looking to purchase an unusual type of wooden blinds then verticals could be the right choice for you. I’m not entirely sure whether vertical blinds are rare because of the price, or if it’s because they aren’t really that good. I’m not really a big fan of vertical blinds in the first place, so these don’t excite me too much. In the hands of an interior designer they may be able to come up with suitable decor for these blinds, otherwise I think you should avoid them.