Custom Design Blinds is an independent guide to window coverings in Melbourne. Whether you're furnishing a new home, renovating or replacing tired blinds, we explain the options, the buying process, the safety rules and the energy basics in plain language, with links to official sources.
Start here
- Choosing Rollers, venetians, Romans, panels, verticals, shutters, curtains and blackout.
- Buying Measuring, mounting, quotes and installation.
- Safety & energy Cord safety, heat loss and gain, and care.
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How we're different
We don't sell window coverings, and we don't publish prices or rank suppliers. Our guides are written in our own words, based on official sources such as ACCC Product Safety Australia, YourHome, Sustainability Victoria, energy.gov.au and Consumer Affairs Victoria.
Use the measuring planner
Our free measuring planner helps you list each window, record inside or outside mount sizes, and print a tidy sheet to take to suppliers. It reminds you about cord safety, and nothing you enter leaves your browser. It doesn't apply manufacturing deductions; suppliers do that based on their products.
Questions to ask yourself first
Before you start, think about what you want your window coverings to do. Is the priority privacy, darkness, glare control, warmth, looks or easy cleaning? How often will each covering be opened and closed, and by whom? Are there young children in the home? Do any windows have handles, winders or unusual shapes? Do you rent or own? What's your timeframe? Short answers to these questions make it much easier to compare products and quotes, and to explain what you need to suppliers.
Homes with young children
If young children live in or visit your home, cord safety should shape your choices. The ACCC warns that some young children have been strangled playing near or using blind and curtain cords. Choose cordless, spring-operated or motorised systems where you can. Make sure any cords or chains are secured with devices fixed to the wall or frame, and move cots, beds, high chairs and climbable furniture away from windows. Check every window, including in rooms children rarely use.
Thinking room by room
Different rooms ask different things of a window covering. Bedrooms usually need privacy and darkness. Living areas need glare control during the day and privacy at night. Kitchens need coverings that are easy to wipe and won't be damaged by steam or grease. Bathrooms need materials that tolerate moisture. Children's rooms need cordless or carefully secured systems. Street-facing rooms may need privacy during the day as well as at night. Walk through your home at different times of day and note how the light falls, which windows face the street, and where heat or cold is a problem. That list becomes the brief you give to suppliers, and it helps you avoid choosing one product for every window when different rooms need different things.
A quick checklist
Before you order:
- decide what each covering needs to do;
- choose the mount type;
- measure carefully, in millimetres;
- see samples at home;
- get like-for-like written quotes;
- check the business and its ABN;
- confirm lead times, warranty and terms;
- plan for cord safety.
Getting help from suppliers
Good suppliers will explain options clearly, bring samples, measure carefully and put everything in writing. Don't be afraid to ask questions, including why they recommend a particular product, what alternatives exist, and how the covering will be fixed and operated. Ask to see examples of similar installations. If a supplier can't answer clearly, or pressures you to sign on the spot, take your time and get another quote. A clear, unhurried conversation is usually a good sign that the rest of the process will go smoothly too.
Living with your choice
Once coverings are installed, give yourself a few weeks to see how they work through different weather and light. Notice whether rooms feel warmer, darker or more private, and whether coverings are easy to use. If something isn't operating properly, contact the supplier early rather than waiting. Small adjustments, such as tension on a chain or alignment of a shutter panel, are often simple to fix soon after installation. Make a note of anything you'd do differently for the next room.
Five habits for better window coverings
- Know what each covering must do: privacy, darkness, glare, warmth or style.
- Measure carefully: steel tape, millimetres, three measurements, smallest figure.
- Compare like with like: the same specification in every written quote.
- Secure every cord: loose cords must not form a loop of 220 mm or more below 1,600 mm.
- Fit snugly and use them well: close coverings when heating is on, especially at night.
About these guides
Custom Design Blinds is an independent information site. We aren't a blinds retailer, manufacturer or installer, and no business pays to appear in our guides. We don't publish prices or rank suppliers or products. We write every guide in our own words and list the official sources we used, such as ACCC Product Safety Australia, the Federal Register of Legislation, YourHome, Sustainability Victoria, energy.gov.au and Consumer Affairs Victoria. Requirements change, so check current details with the relevant agency.
How we keep these guides current
We review each guide against official sources and show the date it was last checked. If you notice something out of date, please tell us through our contact page, and we'll check and correct it.
