Two glass panels serve as the studio’s window to the outside world, one of which opens into the balcony. While I appreciate the natural light that it lets in, all that openness treads precariously on voyeur territory. I knew I needed some sort of window-treatment to remedy the situation.
Somehow, I did not think that a curtain was appropriate for it. Besides, the structure of the space where a curtain rod would have been installed is awkward for the purpose. So I looked for alternatives.
There are many, apparently. Aside from roller blinds, there are roman blinds, vertical blinds, venetian blinds, and combi-blinds, to name a few. They are mostly made to order stuff but there are install it yourself pre-made blinds as well that are available in most home improvement stores.
After much reading up on the subject and visits to different blinds makers, I picked custom made roller blinds. I had it done by Streamline Blinds Corp. (in Ace Hardware). I initially thought about getting a sunscreen fabric because it’s cheaper but I did not like the idea of my shadow being seen through the drawn blinds so I eventually decided on shelling out a few bucks to get the blackout type. My color of choice was Sand with the lighter shade Almond as the back up color in case the former was out of stock. Sand was in stock.
The dimensions I measured out was 62.5×78 inches, a bit on the wide side. Naturally, I was asked if I wanted the blinds split in two, one to cover the side of the glass that did not open up and the other the side that did. I said no, I wanted a solid piece. So that’s what I got.
I was not too crazy about the white round bar at the end of the blinds display at the store but the salesperson said that it can be made to look like it was folded over in the end, at no extra cost. Good, I want that, I said. That would get rid of that pesky white bar. The folded over seam was a hundred times classier than that white round bar.
The bracket and the blackout fabric cost Php6,460 in all. This two-part assembly means that the roll of fabric can be detached and thus replaced whenever I wanted a change. With the bracket in place, I could change the look of the blinds for a relatively cheaper price tag. The installation cost Php500 but I had to pick up the blinds from the store when it was finished as this did not cover delivery.
The weird shape of the structure for the blinds gave the installer quite a workout and the installation took so much longer than I expected. With quite a few nicks on the wall paint and a drill hole or two too many, I was undecided whether I was happy with the whole thing right after it was done. But I am at peace with it now. I really like the clean lines I get with it and more importantly, nothing beats the peace and privacy, not to mention sun protection, that blackout blinds could provide.
29 Square Meters 