...to think that vertical blinds

[LampingPolars]

...live in offices and not people's homes.

I have them in my lounge- I hate them. They were already here when we moved in a few months ago.
Both ends of the lounge have massive floor to ceiling windows-one being a big sliding patio door, the whole length of the wall.
90% of my neighbours have them too.

Trouble is they are so damn practical. Unlike curtains they can be tilted so as to divert direct sun, without having to close the whole window off like curtains do.
We get direct sunlight into the lounge most of the day which can make watching TV difficult. Tilting the blinds a little stops the glare.

I wouldn't want to close the curtains in the middle of the day.

I have thought about replacing them, but just not sure what would look good and still be practical- a sliding shoji screen? Colonial shutters? Too pretentious for my home.

If anyone has any ideas about practical alternatives I would love to hear. (I don't really think horizontal blinds look much better)

For replacements, antumbra we just have bamboo roller blinds.

How do they keep out a low sun during the day? My windows are also 18 foot wide- is that practical? Are they not heavy?

I have been looking at bamboo blinds- none of them come anywhere near 18 foot wide- I think thay are for smaller windows.

Urgh I fucking detest nets, they remind me of toilet holders and my granny house.

I've had bambo binds and they are a PITA.

Vertical blinds do there job - no need to go all pearl clutchy about them.

Can't believe some one is that offended by them to start a thread

Trouble is there's no good solution. There's something wrong with all of them, nets aren't always appreciated and get mildewed, horizontals collect dust, frosted glass means you can't see out either...I've given up and decided that if people want to look in that badly they can. Just have a few plants on windowsills to break it up a bit.

We had vertical blinds in the first office I worked in when I left school. They terrified me. Every time I touched them something dropped off.

I totally agree with you. I can understand if you've had them for ages but when people buy them new..yuck!

Better than horrible net curtains.

Roller blinds are all or nothing though.

I'm not keen on the vertical blinds that came with our house but I can't think of a suitable alternative. Horizontal blinds are even more officey to me. Nets are old ladyish. Roller blinds just block out the entire light.

We have a shortish front garden and across the road is a large school so we get school parking outside twice a day. It's a street that people regularly walk down too. I like to tilt the blinds so they stop people looking in at an angle where they could see me sitting on the couch, but still lets light into the room.

I don't like the look of them but can't find anything I'd like to replace them with.

I love my vertical blinds, they're so much lighter than curtains and don't collect dust or make me look like a 1970s throw back like net curtains do.

If I see net curtains I immediately think 'bet they've been up for years!' I've refused to live in a street that has a lot of net curtains up. Doubt there's many young families on that street.

I hate them and took them down the first day we moved in. People love them though, we got so many people asking if they could have them.
SIL has those vile roller blinds with a tassel, other SIL has dark wood horizontals which make her house really dingy. MIL has nets which are hideous.
They all keep trying to persuade us to get their choice of blinds as we have virtually no front garden and get loads of sun but I don't like any of them. Maybe window frosting but I like to see the Christmas tree from outside.

Oh, I prefer verticals over just about every other choice (not that I can have them due to demolishing toddler activity). Net curtains and horizontals just get so dusty! Even when they're regularly cleaned they are like dust magnets.

However, my first choice would be to live rural enough that no window coverings necessary, just clean glass and sunlight.

Even if said sunlight is the colour of dingy dishwater by the time it filters through clouds/smog.

YANBU

We have them on almost every window but we are in rented and can't take them down. Bloody awful things. They are the same colour as the walls pretty much so I suppose they don't look too bad. Doesn't stop me hating them though.

I hate them too, they feel very cold and 'portakabin' to me but can't get that het up about what other people choose to put at their windows, curtains-wise.

YANBU

If I went on room 101 they'd be one of the things I'd put forward. They were at every window when we moved in our house, quickly took them down. They make me feel like I'm sat in an office. They look awful in a home setting IMO. Sorry to people who have them, but I just irrationally hate them.

I agree they looks officey (we have them in work!) but I also have them at home they were here when we moved in but even now that we've got our own curtains up, they're staying at least for now in our large South facing living room, and on the hallway/landing windows.

Agree with atumbra they're practical in that you don't have to have them completely drawn - what's the alternative? Net curtains are vile, and I'm not a massive fan of bamboo blinds - IMO they are better suited in hotel rooms abroad (think Bali/Hawaii!).

Almost all of my neighbours have vertical blinds - but then I live in an arguabley "poor" area where DH and I probably have one of the highest combined incomes between us, so those of you who think they're representation of "poor"...maybe it's because they're affordable.

We have vertical blinds in our living room. It's a huge bay window so roller blinds wouldn't work. I hate net curtains and won't have those. I don't like the verticals, but I can't see any other option.

Perfect fit horizontals are the greatest thing in the world!

discovered them when we moved in our new house, got them on the patio doors - love them!

(also great price if you buy online and fir them yourself using youtube )

We have them in a few rooms. I hate them, but they go with the style and age of our house, and I can't think of anything suitable to replace them. The windows are massive, so roller blinds won't do. I need that special glass that turns opaque at the flick of a switch.

They are really useful for the south/west facing rooms which make a whole side of the house unbearably hot in the summer months.

vertical blinds are for dental surgeries and offices. they are awful - my XH wanted them in our house and it was firmly vetoed. net curtains are elderly and grim.

these days I live on the third floor of a building so no need for either. I would highly recommend it*

*disclaimer: messy divorce required for move. your mood may go down as well as up.

"Horizontals" are called Venetian blinds.

Practically every house where I live has them - I hate them! We have gone for horizontal wooden blinds which I thing look much nicer and still give privacy.

They were fitted in our new build as standard. I hate them. They're not safe either! These are intended as family homes and every single room has them fitted, with two lots of dangling, looped, nylon, unbreakable cords to strangle small children!

Unfortunately renting means we can't remove them. I've looped the cords up and taped them to the walls, high up. Which of course means the blinds can't be used anyway!

They used to be Squeezy