Can’t find blinds or curtains so cannot move in!

[brighthorizonsahead]

Hi everyone,

I am moving into a property which has, as I see it, very standard sized sash windows. Typically 150cm w with a 200cm drop.
My issue is that I cannot find curtains or blinds that are long enough anywhere and I have spent weeks walking around IKEA, Dunelm, looking at Debenhams, B&Q, traipsing around John Lewis and I’m at my wits end

I also want thermal curtains to keep the heat in, but not blackout blinds in every room! I had really hoped to move in in the next couple of days so that my son can get used to his new house before he goes back to Nursery but I simply cannot find any curtains or blinds. The made to measure prices per blind/curtain start at £200 per item and it’s just not in my budget . I actually think I’m about to cry over curtains!

anyone able to suggest a retailer I might have missed? Given how many people on this planet have blinds and curtains I surely can’t be the only one with this issue!

Argos have some over 200 long and not expensive.

Try this site: www.247curtains.co.uk/

There is 25% off all weekend, and they deliver
Both ready-made and made-to-measure

It might have been said already but for now you could put a tension rod inside the frame and cover the bottom half of the window with a smaller curtain until you find one.
We drew a picture scene on white A4 paper (or rather the children did) and stuck that on the bottom windows until we were up and running.
For extra width I have two curtains sewn together (so four curtains all together)

We’ve got Lunacurtains from Dunelm. They’re longer than 200cm but you can just raise the height of the rail. They’re decent quality for the price tbf. I bought one pair from Vinted, they’d never been out of the bag and were half the price.,

Manomano have 150mx 200, eyelet, £19 and amazon has them

I am bamboozled by this post. Dunelm has hundreds of curtains with a 228 drop.

If they are too long you just shorten them, it really isn't difficult, there are plenty of videos on line that show you how.

These are cheap black outs long enough for your windows
www.onlinehomeshop.com/ohs-woven-texture-eyelet-ultra-blackout-curtains-grey-66-x-90

😂😂😂 oh no I've been in my flat ten years and still have sheets hanging up! Whatever will the neighbours be thinking!

Just buy some blackout material & an expanding net curtain rod.

Turn over a hem at the top, homeward -bounder tack stitch it, push adjusted rod through & hang within the frame. Easy temporary fix. I’ve done it & it works.

Dunelm sell temporary paper pleated blinds really cheap to infill the window. I saw them last weekend. Look here:
https://www.dunelm.com/product/daylight-temporary-pleated-blind-1000203267

Im currently looking at Curtains2go. Great customer service going by my past experience.

A local blinds firm will just measure and bring samples. Lots of made to measure curtains on eBay. Terry’s textiles also good value.

Buy two door curtains? They can be picked up cheaply and often are thermal. The window isn't particularly wide.

Otherwise online retailers like Terry's Fabrics or blinds direct have more options in pre made sizes.

This post made me smile OP as it reminded me of my first house which was purchased in 1975.
We were just graduated newlyweds and didn't have 2 pennies to rub together.
So family members donated all sorts and bought us useful presents for wedding gifts.
I wish I had the photo of the living room to show you all .
The house was a 1960s dormer bungalow with a very wide window. I'm stood proudly in front of it with a new net curtain and orange and brown curtains hanging at the edges, destined never to meet.
I know lots of people who want everything brand new every time they move, that's beyond me.
Good luck with your window coverings OP, you have been given lots of great ideas.

this is not something that delays a move.

Curtains are also ridiculously easy to hem yourself.

OP, are you sure that you are reading the measurements correctly when you look at curtains in the shops? These are very standard sized curtains available in many retailers. If you want thermal but not blackout, you can buy the lining separately and attach it to the curtains using a second set of hooks, not sure if that makes sense but I’m sure you can Google what I mean! I’ve just had a look on Amazon and there are loads on there.

Online Home Store has some very cheap options in lengths above 200cm.

These for example https://www.onlinehomeshop.com/ohs-woven-texture-eyelet-ultra-blackout-curtains-grey-66-x-90

You could get 3 pairs from Ikea for under £100! Leave them pooling if you are going to replace them asap but this has got to be a poor excuse for not moving in! Even a sheet nailed up would do.

Are you ever going to move in OP?

I remember your posts in the summer about 'can't move in without £200 litter trays' and 'can't move in without big rugs'.

Dunelm mill. You don’t not move because of curtains, ive moved with nothing. you put towels up or bin bags or you just let the light come in.

This first pair of curtains I looked at on the John Lewis website had drops of 200+. As PP said, so do Dunelm.

Rather than traipsing round shops, look on their websites and buy from there.

We didn't have curtains in most rooms of our old house for 10 years lol. They are very low on the 'necessity' list of moving house.

Just buy some online. I literally typed 150 x 200 curtain in google and first thing was this

You can also just go a bit larger, curtains don't have to be an exact size as long as they aren't to short - Dunelm do 168 x 228 for £15.

I had blankets tacked up for nearly a month. Then, after payday, I went to dunelm for a couple of sets and got he sewing machine out for the rest. That was a learning curve.

Just a quick look on sunken shows 229 cm drops widths more than 150 but just means you will have more curtain each side which won’t matter and longer but you can always re hem

It sounds like you don’t really want to move in otherwise you could have blackout stick on blinds, which I had for 3 months while decorating, or just put blankets up in the windows for now. Even 2 sets of cheap blinds in each window would work temporarily and then just fill in the holes when you buy what you want. Does it need to be perfect and don’t you need to leave the place you’re in now?

Can't move in? Why the hell not?

Stick up some newspaper with masking tape and black bags over the top. Black out and insulating while you sort some out. You can buy longer length curtains online very cheaply. In fact I have bought black out floor length ones on amazon before!

I remember when moving into my first house (35 years ago!) that curtauns seemed much more expensive than they "should", I actually think they're one of the things that's got cheaper in real terms, mainly because it's so much easier to buy them ready made.

I got my last set on Amazon, a bit too long for the window in question, and shortened them myself.

You might need to look for 90inch drops, which is 228cm.