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Roller blinds vs curtains
Curtains are warmer, softer and better at making a room feel finished. Blinds are cheaper, take no wall space, and do things curtains cannot: glare control, view retention, and fitting windows that curtains simply do not suit. In a lot of rooms the right answer is both.
blind down, curtains open at the sides
approx. 760×620
The short answer. Blinds for kitchens, bathrooms, home offices, small windows and anywhere you want daylight controlled rather than blocked. Curtains for warmth, softness and rooms where the window is part of the decoration. Both for living rooms and main bedrooms: the blind works all day, the curtains close at night.
What each one is actually good at
These are not really competing products. They solve overlapping problems from different directions.
A curtain is a large piece of soft fabric that opens sideways. It is either open or closed: there is no partial state that usefully controls light while keeping the window covered. What it does superbly is insulate, absorb sound, soften a room and make a window look important.
A roller blind is a flat fabric panel that covers the glass itself. It adjusts by height, and with the right fabric it can cut glare while you still see out: something no curtain can do.
Side by side
| Roller blinds | Curtains | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Lower. See the price guide. | Higher for made-to-measure, especially lined and interlined. |
| Warmth | Good with a thermal fabric, better with side channels. | Better. Heavy lined curtains trap a large volume of air. |
| Daytime light control | Much better. Sunscreen cuts glare while keeping the view. | Poor. Open or closed, with little in between. |
| Space needed | None beyond the window. | Wall space each side for the stack, and floor clearance. |
| Wet rooms | Coated fabrics are made for it. | Unsuitable. Absorb steam and stay damp. |
| Cleaning | Wipe or vacuum in place. | Take down, dry clean or wash, rehang. |
| Sound | Minimal effect. | Noticeably softens a room. |
| Radiator under the window | No conflict: the blind stops at the sill. | Floor-length curtains block the heat. |
| Blackout | Excellent, fitted outside the recess or channelled. | Good with blackout lining, but light spills at the sides and top. |
The insulation question
Curtains are genuinely better at keeping heat in, and it is not close. A heavy lined curtain hanging from above the window to the floor traps a substantial layer of still air against the glass.
A blind can get closer than people expect, though. Most of the insulating effect comes from sealing the air pocket rather than from fabric thickness, so a thermal fabric fitted outside the recess, or in side channels with a cassette at the top, closes the gaps that let warm air circulate. It will not beat full-length interlined curtains, but it will outperform a thin unlined pair.
The practical exception is a radiator. Floor-length curtains in front of a radiator send a good share of its heat straight up the window, and closing them every evening means heating the glass rather than the room. A blind that stops at the sill has no such problem.
Using both, properly
In living rooms and main bedrooms this is usually the best answer, and it is worth planning rather than accumulating.
The division of labour: the blind does the daytime work, glare, heat, privacy, view, and the curtains close in the evening for warmth and softness. That means the blind is the functional choice and the curtains can be chosen almost purely on looks.
Two practical points:
- Fit the blind inside the recess so the curtains hang clear of it. A blind fitted outside the recess will foul the curtains when they draw.
- Choose the blind fabric first. It is the one doing the work and its colour range is narrower. Matching curtains to a blind is far easier than the reverse.
The exception is a bedroom that must be genuinely dark. There the blind should be fitted outside the recess or channelled, which means the curtains need a pole set further forward: worth planning before either is ordered.
Room by room
Kitchens and bathrooms: blinds
Not a close call. Curtains absorb steam and cooking grease and cannot be wiped, and long fabric near a hob is a hazard. See kitchen blinds and bathroom blinds.
Living rooms: usually both
A day & night blind or sunscreen for the day, curtains for the evening. If you are choosing only one, choose by what the room needs most: glare control and view point to a blind, warmth and a finished look point to curtains. See living room blinds.
Bedrooms: blind for darkness, curtains optional
A properly fitted blackout blind darkens a room better than blackout curtains, because curtains leak light at the sides and over the top of the pole. Add curtains for warmth and softness if you want them, not to do the darkening. See bedroom blinds.
Home offices: blinds
Screen glare is the whole problem, and a sunscreen fabric solves it while keeping the daylight. Curtains would mean working in the dark.
Small windows: blinds
Curtains need wall space each side to stack, which a small window rarely has. Hung too narrow, they cover the glass permanently and make the window look smaller.
Doors and patio doors: usually blinds
Curtains across a door in daily use are a nuisance. Blinds fitted to each leaf move with the door. See door blinds.
Bays: blinds, usually
Curtains in a bay need a curved track and a lot of fabric, and they cover the glass when open. Rollers per pane follow the shape. See bay blinds.
Conservatories: blinds only
Curtains cannot address a glass roof, which is where the heat comes in. See conservatory blinds.
Cost over time
Made-to-measure curtains cost considerably more than roller blinds at the outset, particularly lined and interlined. They also carry an ongoing cost that people forget: cleaning. Curtains need taking down, cleaning and rehanging periodically, and heavy interlined curtains usually mean specialist cleaning.
A roller blind is wiped or vacuumed in place in a couple of minutes, at no cost.
Child safety
Both need thinking about. Blind chains are covered by the UK child safety standard and we fit the required devices as part of every installation, or remove the chain altogether with cordless or motorised blinds. Curtains have their own considerations: long fabric a toddler can pull on, and curtain poles that can be used to climb.
Where we stand
We fit blinds, and curtains are warmer
If your priority is keeping a cold room warm and making it feel soft and finished, lined curtains do that better than any blind we can make. We would rather say so than argue otherwise.
Where a blind wins is everything that happens during the day, cutting glare while you still see out, plus wet rooms, small windows, doors, bays and conservatory roofs, where curtains are not really an option at all.
approx. 560×420
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Read the guide
Common questions
Blinds or curtains, answered
They do different jobs. Blinds control daylight while you are using the room and suit kitchens, bathrooms, offices, small windows, doors and bays. Curtains are warmer, softer and make a window look finished.
In living rooms and main bedrooms, both together is usually the best answer.
Heavy lined curtains, clearly. They trap a large volume of still air against the glass.
A thermal blind gets closer than people expect if it is fitted to seal the edges: outside the recess, or with side channels and a cassette. And if there is a radiator under the window, a blind stopping at the sill is better than curtains covering the radiator.
Yes, and it is very common. Fit the blind inside the recess so the curtains hang clear, and choose the blind fabric first because its colour range is narrower.
If the room needs true blackout, the blind has to go outside the recess, so set the curtain pole further forward and plan both together.
A properly fitted blackout roller blind, because it covers the glass itself. Blackout curtains leak light at the sides, at the centre join and over the top of the pole.
Fitted outside the recess or with side channels, a blackout blind gets a room darker than curtains realistically can.
Roller blinds, usually by a clear margin against made-to-measure curtains, and more so once lining or interlining is involved.
There is an ongoing difference too: blinds are wiped in place, while curtains need taking down and cleaning periodically.
A blind, with the drop set to finish at the sill. It covers the glass without covering the radiator.
Floor-length curtains in front of a radiator send much of its heat up the window rather than into the room, which is a common and expensive mistake.
Tell us what the room needs
Warmth, darkness, glare control or looks: the priority decides it, and sometimes the answer is a blind now and curtains later. Free visit, written quote.
Unit C3, Star Business Centre, Marsh Way, Rainham RM13 8UP