Blinds for bifolds! Alternative ideas?

[Noodlebugs1981]

We are having 5m bifold in our new extension, but the quote for internal blinds is £2k more! Curtains would look weird (right?) and would external blinds potentially spoiling the effect of the doors? What do more people do for privacy?

We have roller blinds, sort of bamboo look ones in a 2 x 2 x 1 arrangement above the doors. Sounds awful and I was very dubious but works well and gives great flexibility in blocking sun glare.

We use these: www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/textiles-rugs/curtains-blinds/skogsklöver-roller-blind-grey-art-60314597/ They have a diffusing effect.

Whoops link was www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/textiles-rugs/curtains-blinds/skogsklöver-roller-blind-grey-art-60314597/

We've got 4m bifolds and I haven't found many bright ideas, it's quite a gap in the market to find something affordable. I might look at those ikea ones though. How do they look from outside when it's dark outside, @gimboid?

We don't have anything - are you particularly overlooked?

I agree about the gap in the market. Internal ones are prohibitively expensive and we just can't find a sensible alternative. At our old house in the end we resorted to one very long roller blind. It was suprisingly compact when up. It had a join but you couldn't see it when it was down at night (but could in the day when the light shone through). Major disadvantage was having to pull the whole thing up and down if you just wanted to go out of the single opening door. I might have a 2:1 part split of blinds this time (3m windows) if we do the same again.

Thanks very much! The roller blinds look good! And a huge one or two may be an option so the draw strings are kept at the side of the doors. Ps Although we aren't massively overlooked I like the idea of being enclosed and cost especially in the window!

It makes it much cosier in the evening too, instead of the gaping black hole...

We really annoying thing is that we have 5 doors, so do we get 5 blinds?! Its such an annoying number.

Don't the protruding blinds get in the way and prevent you retracting the doors fully?

We did 1 for the 1st panel, then 2 more double ones. Totally doesn't get in the way, the doors fold out, not in. Spring loaded blind required in the middle though to avoid the dangly controller. I found it very hard to visualise and wasted such a lot of time mulling over options, hence posting photo 😂

You can also roll them right up

Can you adjust those ikea blinds to be an exact width?

You can see through from the outside if the lights are on inside, we just got them to diffuse the sunlight as we aren't overlooked. They can be cut to size, just bought 2 more £25 quid each for the largest size, no chains to pull and they go up on their own ( just a little tug )

Hi I realise this is an old thread but was curious about how you’ve attached your blinds shanghaismog because our bi folds have steel beam above the doors and this looks like where your blinds attach. I’d love to do the same as yours it looks great