Living room blinds ideas that aren’t same old, same old

Interiors mags and websites are absolutely fascinating and great at giving you the warm fuzzies if you are really into nesting and/or are in the market for a redesign, but even then, to many of us (including those of us who work in interiors) they can come off as a little bit…. Twee?

So if you’re trying to get a handle on the best living room blinds ideas but are kind of losing the will to live and/or wondering if you’ve lived your whole life understanding the meaning of terms like “stunning,” “gorgeous,” “eye-catching” and so on wrongly, this article is for you.

I have spent the better part of the last month putting together this guide on the coolest living room blinds ideas for 2023-2024, taking into account the sort of interiors trends that are on the come-up at the moment but that are not also going to age poorly into 2025 and beyond, and have collated them for you along with my advice on which blinds you might want to look at to get in on the act.

Contents:

• 1. What are the hottest living room trends for 2023?
• 2. What blinds should I rule in (or out) for the lounge?
• 3. Living room blinds ideas for people on a budget.
• 4. Living room blinds ideas for modern homes.
• 5. Living room blinds ideas for traditionally styled homes.
• 6. Living room blinds ideas for small rooms.
• 7. Living room blinds ideas for chilly rooms.
• 8. Living room blinds ideas to cut glare for daytime TV watching and gaming.
• 9. Living room blinds ideas for patio doors or very large windows.

1. What are the hottest living room trends for 2023?

This is a small selection of the living room trends for 2023-2024 that I currently vibe with, having firmly discounted anything a little same old, same old, or that looks like it’s going to be glaringly unpopular again/aging poorly by 2025.

Living room noir(ish)

Living room noir, or noir-ish is the sort of look that takes a lot of confidence to go all-in on, and if you have a small, pokey, or dark living room, it is probably best avoided.

However, even a medium-sized living room and any large or high-ceilinged space can absolutely pull this look off. We’re not talking floor-to-ceiling uninterrupted black here, but large black elements, or even very dark greys achieving the same sort of effect.

This is generally best paired with a very light neutral across the rest of the room, and if your room is already fairly light and neutral, you don’t actually have to put a lot of money or effort into pulling off the noir look – a new, dark rug, blind, cushion covers and if you want to put a bit more cash on the table, lightshades, and you’re off.

Bold geometric patterns

Large, bold geometric patterns have been kind of cool for a while now, but this look has definitely evolved somewhat over time.

I’d go as far as saying there’s a line now between the “old” version of this and what’s currently hot. In my opinion, the old version involved dark/deep shades like turquoise, royal blue, and plum/red, with a gilt, gold, or rose gold overlay; pretty simple and distinctive but also now, kind of done to death thanks to your B&M and your Home Bargains versions becoming ubiquitous.

The evolution of this, the newer version, is only just on the come-up now and still has a few years left in it to my mind, as it’s only just starting to take off; it also looks rather different.

Think less velvet and gold two-tone boudoir and more modern brights and mid-tones on lighter backdrops and with less acutely angled edges/defined borders, and you’re away.

Boho meets cottagecore

If you’re feeling deeply catfished to have read this far under the premise that I wasn’t doing “twee” only to read the word “cottagecore” a quarter of the way in, calm down, dear, it’s fine.

Boho cottagecore/new cottagecore isn’t the crochet multicoloured hash-up you think it is, nor is is the preserve only of those with shabby furniture still prepared to die on the hill that this being chic is an actual thing. Seriously, chill. Look what I brought you:

This is Boho cottagecore, in which Boho gets a respectable job without abandoning its roots, and cottagecore no longer lives with its Nan.

This is actually a fairly polished look, and works well with a Roman blind which, in case you didn’t get the memo, is the fanciest blind of the lot, so there.

Soft shapes and curves

Working texture into your living room has long been popular, but this whole largescale furniture-based shapes/curves deal is a fairly new thing and one that works well with a really tactile space, or one that you’re looking to make a bit warmer in terms of of the ergonomics. You can really commit to the look in a big way with your furniture if you have three-piece-suite levels of cash to spend, but if not, you do have other options. Think shaped mirrors and light fittings, a large globe fish tank or plant vivarium, and/or a curvy-sided rug and so on.

Paper, calico, and plants

Few things remind me of my student days more acutely than a large, round paper lightshade, and I honestly thought these were the absolute peak of style when I was in my early 20s. I am no longer in my early 20s, but I am still quite into these… Along with calico/linen fabrics and tones, all paired with lots of lush, green, planty goodness.

Painted ceilings/statement ceilings and or lights

Ceilings probably get less attention than any other part of the living room when it comes to style, probably not least because they’re such a PITA to get to/paint and so on. It comes as something as a surprise to me then that 2023 seems to be the year of the “statement ceiling” in interiors circles; which is all good and well if you already have an ok/interesting ceiling, like one with beams or a fantastic pattern to it.

If you’re still sporting 1990s cake-frosting Artex and a ceiling rose? Not so much.

However, if you’re very into this sort of look but a statement ceiling is a little out of your reach either financially or literally, big statement ceiling lights are also a thing this year, and if you get one that’s big and prominent enough, it could seek to ensure that your visitors miss the presence of that 1990s Artex cake-icing finish entirely.

Accurate angles

In a complete contrast to the whole soft shapes and curves thing I mentioned earlier on, I bring you a real departure from the norm in interiors terms; sharp, acutely angular styling. This is something that tends to get shied away from as a rule, particularly for rooms we associate with comfort like the living room, other than in very modernistic rooms and concept spaces.

For this reason and given the sort of hard-wiring on design absolutes you tend to pick up from early on if you study/work in design and interiors, I could not immediately put my finger on why, upon walking into the interiors set pictured below, I let out a literal sigh of happiness.

Then I realised that it was the subliminal voice of my OCD tendencies chiming in with satisfaction to celebrate how “correct” everything is; everything is aligned, straight, symmetrical and so on, and yet the overall effect isn’t constraining because it is eased by the round edges of features like the coffee table décor and the blind’s pattern, and the throw over the arm of the chair (which may look casual, but that you can bet your butt I’d spend half an hour arranging it to my liking, only to never move it again).

These are just a small sampling of what I’ve found and vibe with in living room ideas for 2023; other options are available! Next, I’m going to throw out there some specific living room blinds ideas to consider if you’re redecorating your whole room this year, or if you just want to liven up the windows.

2. What blinds should I rule in (or out) for the lounge?

There aren’t any living room blinds ideas that you might like the look of but have to write off functionally, because the living room isn’t a room that has practical considerations to account for other than the need to enable privacy and potentially, the need to filter light.

Some rooms like the bathroom and kitchen need waterproof blinds for obvious reasons; but when it comes to living rooms, any type/style of blind is generally going to be a goer, with few-to-no limitations.

The couple of exceptions to this that I would suggest you just consider/cross off if relevant first are:

• If you (or someone else) smokes in the room, you might want to consider waterproof blinds for the lounge even though it isn’t a humid environment. These don’t look at all out of place in lounges (you can’t tell that they’re waterproof/they don’t give off “kitchen or bathroom” vibes) and mean that you can wash/wipe them off to remove or prevent nicotine residue from building up on them and making them look manky. Also, they won’t absorb the smell of smoke like non-waterproof blinds will.
• If you have kids and they like to lose control of their food/drink or do a lot of painting and such, again, waterproof living room blinds might be something you want to consider.
• If you do a lot of daytime TV watching, gaming, or work from home Zoom-ing, you might want to consider blackout blinds, which means ruling out day and night blinds as these can’t achieve a full blackout effect; but unless you need a full blackout and simply dimming the room isn’t enough, this probably won’t be an issue.
• Many people want light-filtering blinds for the lounge, to allow you to enjoy the view as well as enjoying your privacy, and/or to retain some natural light without glare. This would mean ruling out Roman or roller blinds for the lounge.

That’s about it! Every type of blind is fair game unless one of the above scenarios applies, and even then, these are only suggestions, not rules.

3. Living room blinds ideas for people on a budget

If your living room blinds ideas need to come to you from the lower end of the price spectrum, you still have plenty of choices available to you. I’d suggest crossing Roman blinds, real wooden blinds, and day and night blinds off the list; potentially faux-wood blinds too, as these are the blinds that fall from the midpoint in pricing up towards the “ouch, how much?” End of the spectrum.

The lowest cost living room blinds ideas to choose from are roller blinds, vertical blinds, and Venetian blinds.

Roller blinds and vertical blinds are the cheapest living room blinds overall as a rule, but this certainly doesn’t mean that they look cheap if you buy good quality made-to-measure ones! Our lowest cost neutral blackout roller blinds start from £16.23, and our bang up-to-date coloured roller blinds start from £17.92.

Even patterned roller blinds won’t give you conniptions in terms of pricing, with some of our latest roller blind designs on a budget starting at under £22.

If you have patio doors or an otherwise very large/tall window, vertical blinds are probably the way forwards, and we have low cost vertical blinds from around £11 and up, albeit that price is for a very tiny window!

4. Living room blinds ideas for modern homes

If your home is modern, you just need to think in terms of function and style. Any type of blind is suitable for a modern home, dependent on the design and how well it works with the rest of the décor.

My favourite living room blinds ideas for modern homes with up to date and/or even trendy décor are this silver-black vertical blind, which would work with the living room noir theme I highlighted earlier. This Orla Kiely Roman blind would segue into the same theme and also complement a soft curves theme (other colours in this design are also available), and if you’re trying to work in some of the colourful geometric patterns I mentioned earlier as part of your theme, this Ankor Mango Roman blind ticks the box too.

5. Living room blinds ideas for more traditionally-styled homes

If your home is more traditionally styled, it can still look stylish and cool without “breaking character!”

I’d advise avoiding day and night blinds, vertical blinds, and faux-wood blinds for more traditional homes and also avoiding some of the more modern patterns if you choose roller blinds or Roman blinds.

Wooden blinds look fantastic in more or less all styles of living room, including period properties and very traditional styles of any era. This warm creamy pink luxury Daitan wooden blind with beige ladder tapes will add light to the room, or for a darker style of room, this luxury cool toned Sato might just fit the bill.

Roman blinds are perhaps the go-to blinds for a traditional, formal, or very elegant living room, and for good reason. These are the blinds that fall at the top of the pecking order of window blinds in terms of style and quality, and they have a real presence to them as well as benefitting from the highest quality fabrics and level of skill in their creation.

This warm caramel-brown Roman blind will work with a range of colours, and this Plush Mocha Roman blind has a similar tone to it but with a little texture.

My current best living room blinds ideas if you’re looking for a design or pattern for a traditional room include this Puente thistle floral Roman blind in a very versatile colour that I’d argue has all of the options you’d get from a neutral but with a real personality of its own too!

You also have all manner of patterned roller blinds to choose from as well, coming in at a rather lower price point than the average Roman. I like this fresh, subtly-patterned Eden Green (on white) roller blind, particularly if you’re working with a Boho or cottagecore theme or even simply lots of plants/foliage and lighter shades.

6. Living room blinds ideas for small rooms

If your living room is small, you won’t want any one feature (including the blind) to swamp it, which may mean sticking with lighter shades and smaller prints if you choose a patterned blind; but not necessarily.

If you have light walls or the room is overall quite light, you can definitely work in a blind in a very bold or statement colour, and if the window itself is large, a blind with a large bold and distinctive pattern can make the blind itself the backdrop or focal point of the room as a whole.

The blinds that I’m loving if you’re going down that path at the moment are this Fizz Sapphire Roman blind, and this lipstick coloured (apparently… Not my shade though) vertical blind, albeit this latter would be very dependent on your room’s wider colour theme!

7. Living room blinds ideas for chilly rooms

If your living room is on the cooler side (and not in the good way) and a reasonable amount of that can be assigned to heat loss via the windows, the best living room blinds ideas for this scenario come in the form of thermally insulating blinds.

Any good quality Roman blind will cut heat loss, and you can also get both roller blinds and vertical blinds with a special thermally insulating lining. I’d suggest roller blinds are slightly more effective in this respect as they’re made of one solid sheet of fabric with no joins where the louvres of a vertical blind would meet.

Both faux-wood blinds and wooden blinds for living rooms are excellent insulators too, with faux-wood blinds having a slight edge here as they’re made of a thicker material.

The best living room blinds ideas for chilly rooms then that also look cool (see what I did there) and tick your other boxes are for me, this warm and on-trend Magma Fire Roman blind (which also has the visual effect of warming the room up too)! And at a lower price point, this retro-chic Rhododendron thermally insulated roller blind.

My favourite faux-wood blind to insulate a cold living room is this warm cream neutral with 50mm slats.

8. Living room blinds ideas to cut glare for daytime TV watching and gaming

If you watch TV during the daytime and/or are gaming during daylight hours and suffer from screen glare due to an inconvenient convergence of sun and window, you’ll probably want a light-filtering blind or, if you’re quite hardcore about these things and want an immersive cinema or alt-world experience, a blackout blind.

Fortunately, there are blinds that tick both of these boxes; so, what are the best living room blinds ideas to cut glare and allow you to pow pow pow the baddies or watch your Neighbours re-runs in corneal comfort? Vertical blackout blinds. You can also consider day and night blinds, Venetian blinds, wooden blinds, and faux-wood blinds respectively just for light filtering, but none of these types of blinds can technically achieve a full blackout.

My three favourite blackout vertical blinds for living rooms at present are this grey/brown Havana vertical blind, this rich royal blue textured vertical blind, and this totally neutral warm cream vertical blind as well.

9. Living room blinds ideas for patio doors or large windows

And finally, if you want all of the blinds in your living room to match and one of the windows you need to contend with is a patio door, you might find some of your options are off the table. Heavier blinds can’t be made in very large sizes, and even some fairly lightweight blinds like rollers have limits; which would mean that you might need to consider using two roller blinds side by side to cover a patio door due to their upper size limits.

However, vertical blinds can be made in almost literally any size, and they’re also available in a huge range of different colours and textures too.

I’ve already suggested quite a few different vertical blinds at various points earlier on in this round-up of the best living room blinds ideas for various applications, but just to give a final shout-out to a couple more, how about this textured Planet Stone vertical, this Sweet Dreams Como in one of our newest up-and-coming colourways, or this very economical Arcade Stone vertical blind for those on a budget (and those not on a budget too, for that matter)!