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Original poster

Cocked up my blind measurements

25 replies

anxiousatnight · 18/04/2023 20:37

Made to measure blind from Blinds2Go arrived today. I measured the window correctly, but failed to think about the fact that the walls either side of the window taper outwards. The blind is now too narrow. The window is also deeply set into the wall and then with the fixing for the blind above the fabric sticks out a long way from the window.

Surprisingly, the blackout is still fairly good.

Does this look really awful? I could possibly use this somewhere else and order a new one for here, but then I'll have a really expensive blind in my utility room that I don't particularly want.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
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Original poster
anxiousatnight · 18/04/2023 20:37

Forgot pics

Cocked up my blind measurements
Cocked up my blind measurements
Cocked up my blind measurements
OP posts:
2023usernameNew · 18/04/2023 20:40

Not ideal but I could live with it.

I’m far from a perfectionist though.

carriedout · 18/04/2023 20:41

It is fine for now. Just live with it for a bit and move it if you find it annoying.

These things happen! When I ordered mine I forgot to specify which side for the fixings and the default option was the wrong side, have to walk round the fucking bed everytime Hmm

Bluebells1970 · 18/04/2023 20:57

I work in interiors and am not a fan of roman blinds inside a window recess for this reason. It's short by at least an inch each side by the look of it and you've got a huge amount of light bleed. It also looks out of proportion to the window as it's stacked so high.... can you get a ceiling fix track instead and bring forward a few inches?

Original poster
anxiousatnight · 18/04/2023 21:07

@Bluebells1970 the ceiling slopes upwards so I'm not sure that fitting it to the ceiling would work?

Also I think the problem is that it's forward from the glass, so not sure how 'bringing it forward' will help with light bleed.

What would you have put there? If I end up reordering, it might be that I go for something different

OP posts:
CatOnTheChair · 18/04/2023 21:12

I'm not sure you will ever get a great black out given the angle of the windows.

I'd live with it too, and see how much the light bleed is a problem.

PS Do you want to report your thread and get picture 2 removed?

Original poster
anxiousatnight · 18/04/2023 21:18

I'm not so worried about the light bleed. It is annoying because I could have done better, but it's still much darker than the roller blind that was in there before and that didn't bother him much.

OP posts:
AHugeTinyMistake · 18/04/2023 21:22

It's annoying but tbh I think it's one of those things only you will be bothered by - any visitors or guests I bet won't even notice.

I would leave it tbh, it's usable, it's just not perfect.

Mamette · 18/04/2023 21:23

It’s fine, unless he is waking at 5am because of it I would just leave it and forget about it. It looks nice, especially in the up position.

vipersnest1 · 18/04/2023 21:26

If you can, you could attach a strip of coordinating fabric to each side which is wide enough to cover at the bottom.
Yes, it will be a bit scrunched towards the top, but might irritate you less that what you currently have. (Or you could taper the addition.)
The only other solution it to get another one made, which should not only taper but be wider at the top too.

SwedishEdith · 18/04/2023 21:33

I think it looks okay. I got inches and cms mixed up once. Fortunately, they did call to check.

Soontobe60 · 18/04/2023 21:35

anxiousatnight · 18/04/2023 21:07

@Bluebells1970 the ceiling slopes upwards so I'm not sure that fitting it to the ceiling would work?

Also I think the problem is that it's forward from the glass, so not sure how 'bringing it forward' will help with light bleed.

What would you have put there? If I end up reordering, it might be that I go for something different

I would put a blind outside the recess it dresses the inner wall rather than the glass. I would also not pull it up fully when open.
The photo I’ve attached is the window in my bathroom.

Cocked up my blind measurements
Sleepyquest · 18/04/2023 21:37

We did the exact same thing. Making do for now

OnMyWayToSenility · 18/04/2023 21:48

To be honest even if you'd got it to fit a few cm bigger to fit the recess it still would let light in all the way around

Partyandbullshit · 18/04/2023 22:02

We had this issue with a recessed window! I also went for Roman shades with a blackout lining, but I had them made to the nearest quarter inch. They fit perfectly. HOWEVER, all our bedrooms are east facing and we’re on an elevation, so in the summer even a quarter inch gap illuminated the room (we don’t live in the U.K.).

The solution was an L-shaped fixture with the long side of the L parallel and attached to the wall, and the short side coming in front of the shade. So, the shade goes up and down inside and behind the L. No light seepage, L attachment is covered in the same fabric as the shade. You’d need a bigger L, but this would solve your light and sizing issue.

mybeautifuloak · 19/04/2023 10:48

Bluebells1970 · 18/04/2023 20:57

I work in interiors and am not a fan of roman blinds inside a window recess for this reason. It's short by at least an inch each side by the look of it and you've got a huge amount of light bleed. It also looks out of proportion to the window as it's stacked so high.... can you get a ceiling fix track instead and bring forward a few inches?

Bringing it forward would make the light bleed worse

CC4712 · 19/04/2023 11:00

TBH- if it was my bedroom or I was a guest there- the halo light effect would drive me absolutely nuts! I wear an eye mask and still woken at 4am each morning when I stayed in a hotel with similar 😡

If the person who stays in the room is ok with it though, just leave it.

Out of interest, how did you find Blinds2Go as a company, website, prices etc? We have just renovated and need to get blinds/curtains etc for 38 windows and someone else recommended them.

Bluebells1970 · 19/04/2023 11:21

It's hard to explain properly but on a sloping ceiling, you'd probably need to fix a wooden baton and then the track onto that - or order a specialist ceiling fix option. We've done them but they are awkward. By bringing forward and adding a few inches to each side, you'd then have a bit of flexibility about how close you can fit to the window frame. Honestly though, outside recess is usually the best option.

Or have you considered Intu blinds to sit into the glass frame of the window? You can get blackout ones and they work well in awkward recesses? Very minimal but efficient and you could leave the blind as it?

Original poster
anxiousatnight · 19/04/2023 13:34

CC4712 · 19/04/2023 11:00

TBH- if it was my bedroom or I was a guest there- the halo light effect would drive me absolutely nuts! I wear an eye mask and still woken at 4am each morning when I stayed in a hotel with similar 😡

If the person who stays in the room is ok with it though, just leave it.

Out of interest, how did you find Blinds2Go as a company, website, prices etc? We have just renovated and need to get blinds/curtains etc for 38 windows and someone else recommended them.

Blinds 2 Go have been great and I will be ordering more blinds from them for other rooms. Fortunately those rooms don't have the sloping ceiling or tapered walls, so should be easier! The blind is really nice quality, lots of choice of fabrics and I think it was about 10 days from order to delivery.

My son sleeps on that room and it didn't bother him last night. He has a nightlight at the moment anyway so doesn't sleep in darkness. Compared to the cheap roller blind he had in there before, this is much darker even with the poor fit.

OP posts:
Original poster
anxiousatnight · 19/04/2023 13:39

Bluebells1970 · 19/04/2023 11:21

It's hard to explain properly but on a sloping ceiling, you'd probably need to fix a wooden baton and then the track onto that - or order a specialist ceiling fix option. We've done them but they are awkward. By bringing forward and adding a few inches to each side, you'd then have a bit of flexibility about how close you can fit to the window frame. Honestly though, outside recess is usually the best option.

Or have you considered Intu blinds to sit into the glass frame of the window? You can get blackout ones and they work well in awkward recesses? Very minimal but efficient and you could leave the blind as it?

Thanks. Looked at the Intu blond but I'm not really a fan and they wouldn't suit my old cottagey house.

Personally I prefer the look of inset blinds, and as I said I'm not so worried about the light bleed because even with this poor fit the room is much darker than it was with the cheap roller blind and we managed for nearly 3 years with that. Also, other windows in my house have inset roman blinds which were left by the previous owner which I really like and feel are I keeping with the property, so I'm happy to keep them the same. I was mainly posting about the size issue in terms of aesthetics rather than 'blacking out properties' if that makes sense.

OP posts:
CC4712 · 19/04/2023 13:41

@anxiousatnight Thanks so much for the info re Blinds2Go 😀

Original poster
anxiousatnight · 19/04/2023 16:09

So a second blind arrived today which was meant to be for my other son's bedroom. He has the same type of window - tapered walls, slanted ceiling - so obviously I knew I was going to have the same issues. I tried it in the room from yesterday and I think it looks better in there - photos attached.

I have a few options for the bottom gap. I will either make up a window seat cushion of thinnish foam covered in fabric, or lower the brackets slightly so it's not quite so close to the ceiling, or add a trim such as pom poms to make the gap look intentional.

The original blind from yesterday I think will work in the spare room. Again it will be slightly too small, but I'm hoping I can work with it. If it looks terrible, it is a perfect fit for the utility room (where I'm not fussed about having a fancy blind that fits perfectly 🙄)

Cocked up my blind measurements
Cocked up my blind measurements
Cocked up my blind measurements
OP posts:
Original poster
anxiousatnight · 19/04/2023 16:11

What I have also realised today is that the ceiling isn't even straight in my younger son's room, so any blind will either be wonky at the top or wonky at the bottom. I think in there I'm just going to try and find a reasonable fit blind from somewhere like IKEA and just make the best I can of it.

Penny has suddenly dropped that my wibbly wobbly cottage isn't made of straight lines, so unless I want to spend crazy money on blinds I'm probably just going to have to deal with it not being perfect.

OP posts:
Echobelly · 19/04/2023 16:12

Livable with. DH did similar where main windows were OK, but no space to attach to sides of bay.

We found one of them fitted another window perfectly (and the colour worked in the room), but still have one spare... anyone want a nice blue and yellow deckchair stripe venetian blind for a fairly tall Edwardian window?! 😉

Melroses · 19/04/2023 16:21

I would just tack some tape at the sides in a colour that blends in, but I am a bodger. You can always take it off again if it doesn't work.

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