Roman blinds for square bay windows – plan carefully for a stunning result

By admin | Published: 22 January 2012

Roman blinds in square bay windows are a tricky proposition. The most obvious problem is that the folds of the side blinds will, without careful positioning, clash with those of the central blind when fully raised – and if you leave a gap between the blinds to counteract this, the chances are there will be window pane showing through the gap in the blinds.

Similarly, the side blinds will be at 90 degrees to the room, which can also give you privacy problems (or in bedrooms diminish the blackout effect of the blinds) because the gap between blind and window will be clearly visible as you walk into the room.

So we were keen to spell out these issues when we were approached before Christmas by a couple who had just recently moved house in Thames Ditton. Following a site technical measure we added to the mix the fact that the blinds were to be fixed inside a box pelmet constructed by the previous owners (which would exaggerate the gap issues mentioned above) and the fact that the ceiling of the bay dropped by 3cms from left to right – which was a particular concern as the fabric they had chosen had a pronounced damask pattern – which would need to be continued seamlessly around the bay – in spite of the drop difference. Oh, and the central blind was a hefty 2.8metres wide – which would raise both fabrication and operational issues!

However they pragmatically (and we think correctly in the circumstances) decided roman blinds were the best option for the bay and so it became our job to tackle and minimise all potential issues…

square bay window roman blind blog

To maximise privacy, we decided to take the central blind the full width of the bay. The side blinds would then butt up to the central blind an inch or so in from the edge when lowered (as pictured below),

moghul roman blind in damask fabric

The central blind runs the full width of the bay, overlapping the side blinds to prevent any gaps between each blind when lowered

thereby ensuring 100% privacy (and also minimise draught) by virtue of there being a complete wall of fabric around the bay.

The light/privacy gap issue was potentially greater here without these measures because the three blinds would each be slightly set forward from their corresponding window by being fixed into an existing box pelmet (as pictured above).

The problem of the roman blind folds clashing: would also be reduced by locating the central blind behind the two side blinds, as the central blind folds would simply swing back behind those of the side blinds when raised.

Takling the 3cm difference in drop around the bay would require a little careful consideration. The issues here were two fold. Whilst the sills were level, the ceiling effectively raised by 3cms from right to left. If the central blind was simply fixed up into the ceiling, it would not hang parallel with the windows. Also, any variations in the drop of each blind might also effect what would need to be a seamless horizontal repeat of the damask pattern across the bay.

So we decided to make all three blinds to the smallest (right hand side) drop. Blocks with gradually increasing thickness would then be inserted above the central roman blind mechanism to make it horizontal. We advised that the central blind at 2.8metres wide would be difficult (or exhausting/painful!) to operate with a traditional cord and cleat mechanism, so we instead recommended an RBS chain driven headrail system from Evans Textiles (pictured below).

moghul chain operated roman blind headrail system for uneven ceilings

Blocks with gradually increasing thickness are fitted above the roman blind brackets to bring the blind mechanism to the horizontal

To minimise the gap between blind and window as you walk into the room we suggested traditional cord and cleat mechanisms for the two side blinds – as we could make these to just under 20mm depth (which is just under half the width of the chain driven system). As the drop on the left hand blind was 3cms deeper than the corresponding drop on the right hand blind, the left hand blind would be hung on a 6cm (as opposed to the more typical 3cm) deep batton, so that each blind could be hung at exactly the same distance from the sill.

Roman blind dowelling rods are typically only manufactured to 2.4metres wide, so we lengthened the roman blind rods for the central blind, to bring them up to the required 2.8metre width.

moghul damask roman blinds in square bay window

With the three blinds balanced horizontally, the pattern repeats seamlessly around the bay, and the gaps between each blind are kept to a minimum

A three piece hardboard stiffened pelmet: wrapped in the same fabric as the roman blinds was attached by velcro to the existing box pelmet structure, with the distinctive damask pattern repeating horizontally across all three sections of the pelmet, and also tying in with the pattern of the blinds themselves.

The three roman blinds can be raised without their folds clashings as a result of careful placement of the central blind:

moghul damask roman blinds in square bay window

With the central blind sitting behind the two side blinds, each blind can be raised fully without the folds of each blind clashing

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Curtains for bifold doors

By admin | Published: 10 January 2012

We’ve blogged before about the challenges you face when putting together window treatments for bifold doors.  We faced a fairly typical situation with a client in Clapham just before Christmas – who wanted a window treatment for their kitchen bifolds. The total width of the doors was 3.8metres which included a stacking space of 60cms. The floor to ceiling drop was a little over 2.4metres.

The key to a successful solution in these circumstances is balancing the client’s requirements on the one hand, with the practical constraints/ challenges presented by bifold doors on the other. Fairly typically there was minimal space between the top of the doors and the ceiling. Roman blinds and roller blinds are often top of the list in kitchen environments, but with too little space above the window for a roman blind to operate, and our client leaning towards a softer, cosier solution than roller blinds can offer, we opted for a single curtain, drawing from left to right.

It was important that the curtain stacked efficiently into the 60cms of space to the left of the window, so we suggested a double pinch pleat heading – one of the most space efficient curtain headings that still has a slightly contemporary edge (which the surroundings required).

Curtains for bifold doors

The single curtain, although 3.8metres wide, stacks neatly into the relatively limited space to the left of the bifold doors

The client chose one of our loose weave 100% cotton (Jinda Spot) fabrics, which we interlined with our lightest interlining (again to keep stack back to a minimum). To protect these two light layers of fabric from the sun, but also to add a little structure we suggested an ivory blackout lining.

cotton curtains for bifold doors, Moghul

The curtains when fully closed soften the kitchen, help to minimise any draft from the windows and provide that all important privacy from overlooking neighbours

The curtains run the width of the room on a white, powder coated, hand operated  Evans DS system track, chosen because its curved front profile makes it blend seamlessly into the ceiling. Click here for a video of the bifold door curtains in operation.

A note of caution: to cover a space of 3.8metres with the requisite curtain fullness (of just over 200%), the single curtain required 6 widths of fabric. This was pushing at the boundaries of possibility, primarily from a fabrication perspective – our workroom carried it off perfectly without the slightest deviation in drop across the curtain, but were a little uncomfortable making a curtain this wide!

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Canary Wharf soft furnishings – combining curtains, sheers and blinds for a perfect soft furnishing solution

By admin | Published: 27 November 2011

Another week, and another installation at Canary Wharf – this time at Belgrave Court, Westferry Circus. Quite an interesting one as it draws together a few different products from the world of soft furnishings – that work so well in apartments.

Silhouette Shades for the Closet and Study: I’m going to be honest and say that I haven’t always been a fan of these blinds – I suppose because, when they’re lowered, the double mesh layer that they’re constructed of  can make the room feel a little claustrophobic. But the huge advantage of venetians (which category Silhouettes fall into) is the versatility – of angling the shades to prevent prying eyes from outside (or the sun etc) whilst not impeding the view from within.

The Silhouette is a uber modern take on the classic venetian. Instead of slats, Luxaflex have formulated shades – strips of fabric that sit inside of a double layer of thin mesh. Like venetians, the shades can be angled by pulling on a chain that is located at the side of the blind. And credit where credit’s due – they fit in effortlessly into the stylish, contemporary Canary Wharf living space.

Click here to download the Silhouette pdf catalogue for further info and visuals.  Note: their design means they’re great for sun protection and privacy, but if you’re after bedroom blackout, you’ll need to combine your silhouettes with another application in front (eg curtains, roller or roman blinds).

moghul canary wharf silhouette shades

50mm Silhouette Shades in off-white fabric Originale - a stylish modern take on the venetian blind

Silk curtains and sheers in the Master Bedroom - the bedroom called for a slightly different approach. We needed to ensure near blackout whilst preserving privacy during the day. The answer – embroidered sheer curtains on a ceiling mounted track, with blackout lined and interlined silk curtains (Romo Rosario to be precise) on a further ceiling mounted track in front.

Canary wharf curtains bedroom blackout and sheer

Lined and interlined curtains on ceiling mounted tracks ensure privacy and bedroom blackout

Points to note:

Think draw rods for hand drawn tracks: whilst cord operated tracks are a sensible option for high ceiling rooms, our client opted for the simplicity of hand operated tracks. So we suggested draw rods for both the sheers and the curtains – so as to protect the curtains during operation. This is particularly important where, like here, the curtains are made from a near white fabric that could easily get marked with regular hand contact when the curtains are being opened and closed.

perspex draw rods for hand drawn curtains

Both pairs of curtains are operated by means of perspex draw rods that sit discreetly behind the leading edge of each curtain

Choose a curtain heading that economises on space: we suggested double pinch pleats for this application. Less traditional than triple pleats, they also take up relatively little space on the track when the curtains are drawn back – which is quite important where, like here, the curtains are overslung (ie sit in front of the track rather than underneath it) to maximise the blackout effect.

Lutron blinds in the Sitting Room: watch this space as we’ll be updating this blog following installation of the Lutron blinds in the Sitting Room, early in the New Year.

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When shutters don’t give you bedroom blackout

By admin | Published: 25 October 2011

Shutters are a great option for a contemporary space where you’re striving for that uncluttered look, or for tricky arched windows – and the way their blades can be tilted makes them in many ways more versatile than more traditional window treatments such as curtains or blinds. But this versatility can also present a problem.

Light shining through closed shutters

Even when the blades are fully closed, it's difficult to keep the light out

Even when the blades are closed, it’s well nigh impossible to achieve effective blackout (see example above), and whilst this doesn’t generally present too much of a problem in the domestic market (that is, as long as you were advised about this before fitting them!) speak to any exclusive hotel, and they will tell you how important it is that their window treatments keep light out – because their guests have the luxury of getting up later than most of us mere mortals!

In the above example, there was ample space between the shutters and the windows, and so we suggested fitting a roman blind in the space immediately behind the shutters.

hardboard for arched window roman blind

Hardboard is cut to the shape of the arch and upholstered in the roman blind fabric

We made a curved piece of hardboard to the exact shape of the arch above the window. A piece of 18mm by 50mm mdf was attached to the bottom edge of the curve, to provide a fixing point for the roman blind’s headrail system.

arched window roman blind

The roman blind is raised and lowered by a chain operated headrail system, that is accessed by opening the shutter

The upholstered arch is screwed in place behind the shutter and the roman blind is attached to its underside. The roman blind sits discreetly below the arch, and is raised and lowered on a chrome chain that can be assessed by opening the right hand shutter.

Important note: roman blind chains and/or cords can be a choking hazard for small children, and so we strongly advise you make the chain safe by attaching it to a child safety pulley or other tensioning device.

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Laminated Roller Blinds – a truly made to measure solution

By admin | Published: 8 October 2011

Here’s why laminated blinds exist:
A neighbour has helpfully felled some tall trees in their garden, suddenly bathing your sitting room and kitchen in dazzling sunlight that you never thought you’d be entitled to. Lovely you might think. But then you realise that there are times during the day when the sunlight needs to be dimmed a little (either to protect furniture, carpets etc or just to give you some precious reading time without having to don the shades).

And with all that tree cover gone, suddenly you don’t feel as cosy and enclosed as you did. As you’ve never needed window dressings before, roller blinds have a certain, minimalist appeal as they’ll reduce to almost nothing when fully raised. But you’ve seen a few samples, and they’re either too crisp, or you can’t find the right colour to match all that furniture you’ve carefully assembled. No, you want a softer look in the right shade.

And this was exactly the conundrum that led to us visiting a lovely old coach house, nestled in a medieval lane in Oxfordshire (Headington in case you’re wondering). Bring on the laminated roller blind!

Moghul laminated roller blind

Hemmed edges - the signature of a truly well made laminated roller blind

Our inquisitive customers had already identified a fabric from our range, to complement the accent colours in their Sitting Room. Without too much discussion we all agreed that laminated roller blinds presented the most practical and aesthetic solution.

laminated roller blind in arched window

The laminated blind is conveniently located below the arched windows, and takes up minimal space when fully raised.

Why? because they could be conveniently located below the arch of each window. When raised they would reduce, rather than block out the sunlight entering into the room, and when lowered they would produce a soft, cosy look. They were relieved to hear that their chosen fabric could be laminated onto a roller blind.

moghul green laminated roller blind

Even with the lamination process, sunlight can still permeate through the fabric, providing a perfect level of opacity and a rather charming rusticity

A few pointers to help you buy laminated blinds:

1. Be careful who you buy your blind from: sounds a bit obvious really, but a number of companies manufacture laminated blinds, some better than others. For a truly rolls royce product, make sure the edges of your blind are hemmed (see the photo at the top of this blog), rather than cross stitched or glued.

2. Choose the right lining: following on from point 1. above, if your blind supplier is worth their salt, they’ll give you a choice of linings (the material that the front fabric is laminated onto) – typically white, cream or dim out.

3. Reverse or standard rolled? Standard rolled blinds have the fabric falling over the back of the mechanism. With reverse rolled blinds, the fabric rolls over the front of the mechanism – the advantage of which is that you don’t actually get to see the reverse side of the fabric rolled around the mechanism (as you do with standard rolled blinds), as the mechanism is hidden behind the fabric. This is also a good option where you have door handles and locks that you want the blind to clear. With the fabric rolling over the front of the mechanism, the fabric is further away from the window and will have a better chance of avoiding your window handles and latches.

For further info on laminated roller blinds, have a look at our laminated blind web page.

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Wave headed sheer curtains for London Fashion Week

By admin | Published: 25 September 2011

As we bid farewell to London Fashion Week for another year, we reflect back on a week where Moghul was touched by a little bit of fashion greatness. A couple of weeks ago we had a call from an award winning London fashion house. The brief was to curtain the wall of their Shoreditch showroom in time for London Fashion Week.

The Showroom windows are 6 metres across from wall to wall and the curtains would need to be over 2.5 metres long, so with minimal drawback space over such a wide span, the choice of curtain material and style required careful thought. The client team wanted a linen type fabric to give the room an element of privacy from the outside, but it was obviously critically important that the light coming into the room wasn’t materially diminished. Our own sheer linen fabric (Linen Sheer shade Linen White) was unfortunately a week away from coming back into stock, and with the clock loudly ticking, we reverted to a Harlequin fabric the team had earlier chosen.

Fabrication: the curtains needed a contemporary twist to compliment the aesthetics of the showroom, and so we suggested a “wave” heading. To accentuate the ripples in the fabric we stiffened the curtain heading with 5 inch buckram, sewn in only along the top edge of the curtain to keep stitching to a minimum and thereby preserve the clean lines of the curtains.

To maintain a sense of proportion, we decided to make the curtains with a 2 inch, unweighted bottom hem. To keep fullness to a minimum we opted for a heading tape that delivered an 80% fullness (more on which below).

Moghul wave headed curtains

The end result: the wave heading creates an understated but stunning backdrop for the Showroom

Tracking: In this instance we opted for an Evans CKS (corded click system), wall fix track – using their Easyflow system to create the wave effect. The Evans system unlike many others on the market is capable of working with heavy lined and interlined curtains (see our earlier blog on this) as well as with the more obvious sheers, and the unobtrusive lines of the CKS track system suited the circumstances to perfection.

winner of the BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund
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Extra wide Roman Blinds

By admin | Published: 11 September 2011

We often get enquiries about wide roman blinds, and after blogging about this some time ago it seems only right to bring back the topic this month.  Window manufactuers are forever raising the bar (if you pardon the pun) with their innovative products (think bifold doors for example), and the proportions of these more often than not call for a slightly out of the ordinary curtain or blind solution.

So what’s the big deal about wide roman blinds? Well the point is that typically roman blinds don’t extend wider than, say a width or a width or a half of fabric (ie up to 2metres). It’s technically challenging to get a flat panel of fabric to hang symmetrically over large widths and drops (especially where patterns need to be matched) and blind manufacturers play to this rule by only making components to a certain size – dowelling rods for example tend to stop at 2.4metres wide.

So why go wide with a roman blind? The circumstances tend to dictate what window treatment to go for. For example, with a kitchen with bifold doors, space limitations and practical considerations (amount of traffic through the room) make the case for roman blinds or rollers more compelling than, say curtains.

Our largest roman blind to date: So when a couple from Scotland approached us to make a roman blind for them – 382cms wide by 230cms drop in one of our crewel fabrics we had to think quite carefully about the issues.

extra wide crewel roman blind

Our widest roman blind to date - at 3.82metres wide x 2.3metres drop

The mechanism: A blind of this size and weight requires a geared mechanism to operate it – you just physically wouldn’t be able to operate such a blind with a traditional cord (and cleat) mechanism. Our preferred choice for this size of product is a continous chain operated headrail system from Evans Textiles (who also supply motorised systems) – and not all manufacturers make mechanisms this wide. The blind was fabricated with traditional dowelling rod pockets made from the lining fabric itself – into which are sewn 7mm rods. The rods themselves are only manufactured to 2.4metres in width, so we had to length the rods ourselves in our workshop.

Fabrication issues: the technical challenge for our workroom was to join together 3 widths of crewel fabric with the pattern matching seamlessly from width to width. On the face of it this isn’t a problem, but if patterns are woven asymmetrically from width to width (as is often the case with hand embroidered crewel fabrics), this can throw out the shape of the fabric when joined. From experience we also recommend blinds of these dimensions to be fabricated with blackout lining, as this provides strength and stability to the blind – quite apart from preventing sunlight from damaging the blind or diminishing the overall effect of the pattern.

extra wide crewel roman blind from Moghul

Although over 2metres in drop, the blind when raised fully clears the window allowing unimpeded views of the stunning landscape

Other considerations: whilst it was important that the blind cleared the window when raised (as as not to interrupt the stunning views of the East Lothian countryside) we also didn’t want to put too many rod pockets into the blind – as too many blind folds can make a blind rather cumbersome when stacked. After some careful calculations we made the blind with 5 rod pockets which delivered a finished stack space of just over 30cms.

And finally: whilst this wasn’t planned, the blind when lowered enhanced the acoustics of the room – much to the delight of our music loving client!

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Canary Wharf Curtains – taking to the skies when curtain tracks don’t fit in the lift!

By admin | Published: 9 August 2011

We were faced with something of a conundrum last week when fitting two pairs of curtains in a redeveloped apartment on the 9th floor of Horizon Building, Canary Wharf.

Our client had six large windows spanning the width of her sitting room and had ordered a pair of silk curtains, with sheers hanging behind. Each pair of curtains was to be ceiling mounted on a 4.5 metre wide hand drawn track.

We knew the tracks wouldn’t fit in the lift or up the stair case of the building, and whilst we could cut each in half, we didn’t really want to do this as it would interrupt the clean lines of each curved fronted design system track and potentially impede the operation of the curtains when closed.

Horizon Building Canary Wharf Moghul curtain track

A Moghul fitter trails a cord from the 9th floor balcony down to street level where the tracks are attached and hauled up the side of the building into the apartment

The solution: our fitters took a long reel of cord. The cord was carefully lowered down the side of the building from the apartment balcony 9 floors up from street level, and secured to the tracks at ground level. The tracks were then carefully hauled up the outside of the building, in the gap between the apartment balconies (see photo above).

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Blinds for Bifold Doors

By admin | Published: 29 July 2011

The genius of the bifold: Bifold doors should be at the top of the wish list for any kitchen or other living space renovation. They fill the room with light and provide stunning and uninterrupted views of your garden, terrace or swimming pool. In short, they bridge the gap between the living and outside areas, adding a new inspirational dimension to the room.

If you choose the right bifold door manufacturer you will end up with a product that is beautifully, precision engineered, stacks back effortlessly with finger tip control and seemlessly compliments the clean lines of your room.

bifold doors from the CEDAR bifold company

CEDAR bifold company doors: Sleek, contemporary lines from a beautifully engineered product

Privacy and cosiness: most gardens are overlooked to some degree and so you’ll want a degree of privacy, particularly after nightfall, and whilst draught prevention certainly won’t be on your mind if you’ve chosen the right manufacturer, on winter evenings you might yearn for that degree of “cosiness” (as one of our customers recently put it) that curtains or blinds provide.

Plan your soft furnishings carefully: but you’re not likely to want to clutter your beautiful new living space and/or diminish all that new light with fussy curtains, or ill-thought out blinds, so some careful planning is required. Here are a few isses to consider:

bifold doors roman blind

Roman blinds require 20 to 30cms stacking space

Roman blinds: in terms of the soft furnishings aesthetic, roman blinds sit somewhere between roller blinds and curtains. They score well on the cosiness scale, don’t take up the space that curtains do, and are a great practical solution in kitchen environments (where dogs, children and/or the need to clean floors pose perils in equal measure for the humble curtain). But remember – roman blinds typically require 20 to 30cms stacking space above the window. So if you’ve set your heart on roman blinds, talk to your builder/ designer as early as possible and find out how much space they’re going to leave you with above the doors.

Roller blinds: roller blinds are a more suitable option if space above your doors is limited and/or you’ve decided you want a more contemporary look. They don’t score so highly on the cosiness scale, but will give you privacy and, with careful fabric selection, will keep your kitchen or other living space cool in the summer, and your soft furnishings protected from the sun’s harmful rays.

Moghul roller blinds for CEDAR bifold doors

Roller blinds take up minimal space, and afford both privacy and protection from the sun

In the above example, our customer chose a cotton polyester fabric (Cotswold Hemp) that was colour matched to their interior scheme and that diminishes much of the glare from the sun on hot afternoons, leaving the kitchen area beautifully cool.

Roller blinds incorporated into the bifold doors: some bifold door suppliers, such as CEDAR bifold company are now designing their bifold doors with the customer’s soft furnishings requirements in mind – by for example incorporating pockets into the door frames themselves to house the roller blind mechanism.

Presumably any old roller blind will do? a resounding “NO!” here. You need specialist advice on the right type of blind and guage of mechanism. Wider and deeper windows require heavier duty cassettes (the tube the fabric is attached to) – to minimise flex and to guarantee smooth operation of the blind. Also, care needs to be taken with the measurement of each blind to ensure they are positioned symmetrically in front of each door – badly positioned blinds will ruin the aesthetic that you’ve worked so carefully to achieve.

Can I use my own fabric? well actually you can. Some suppliers will laminate customer’s own fabric onto roller blinds, which gives you the best of both worlds, in terms of having your own fabric on a product that takes up minimal space. Be careful though – whilst a few manufacturers offer this laminating service, to date we have only found one that produces an end result that we are happy with.

lamianted roller blind from moghul

Laminated roller blinds allow you to use your own fabric

Curtains? Don’t totally dismiss the curtain option. The key here is stack back space at the side of your doors, and the right wall/ceiling fixing points for your pole or, more typically, track. A good soft furnishing supplier or interior designer will be able to tell you whether curtains are a feasible option, how much space either side of the doors your curtains will take up, and will be able to recommend a suitable pole or track. Proceed with caution if you don’t get a straight answer to any of these questions!

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Pastel Perfection

By admin | Published: 26 July 2011

Our take on the resurgent pastel trend boasts intricately hand embroidered motifs on a muted palette.

pink pastel curtains and quilted bedspread from Moghul

Add a touch of pink with single pleated curtains, paired with a delicately striped roman blind

Add a touch of pink with elegant curtains, paired with a delicately striped roman blind to create a restful haven. Add depth with complimentary cushions and a quilted bedspread to complete the look.

quilted bedspread from Moghul signature range

Nature inspired embroidered motifs: Moghul's corn ear and floral designs

Embroidered motifs drawing inspiration from the natural world around us this summer, from the bumble bee, frond and corn ear through to the dragon fly, flower and block print design, available in seven colour ways.

embroidered dragon fly cushion and pink pastel curtains

Embroidered dragon fly cushions and single pleat curtains with embroidered corn ear design

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