What are made-to-measure blinds?

Made-to-measure blinds are blinds that are made to order from scratch, to fit your window exactly, and in the exact style, material, colour/pattern, and finish of your choice. The alternative to made-to-measure blinds is readymade ones.

This blog post will tell you everything you need to know about made-to-measure blinds, and what makes them different to readymade blinds; plus any downsides of choosing made-to-measure blinds over readymade ones.

What are made-to-measure blind’s alternative?

Well, first there’s curtains! This aside, the main alternative to made-to-measure blinds is readymade blinds. These come in common or standard sizes that will fit or nearly fit many standard sized generic modern windows.

What are made-to-measure blinds and readymade blinds like in terms of their main differences?

Made-to-measure blinds can be made to fit all kinds of both standard, non-standard, and even downright weird windows.

But for readymade blinds, being able to buy them at all relies on your windows being one of a narrow range of common/popular sizes, and this isn’t the only drawback either. You may have to trim or adjust them to fit, leaving them looking a little unfinished or bodged, and the fact that it is possible to do this at all does reflect the lower quality of the materials and workmanship that goes into readymade blinds.

Made-to-measure blinds can be made to fit your window in whatever way works best for you; inside of the window recess, outside (or over) it, and with the exact drop, and margin of wall coverage or closeness to the internal window recess wall you like.

They also look better, last for longer in good working order, and mean you have a literally unlimited range of options in terms of customisation choices, as well as for the colours, designs, patterns, finishes and so on you have to choose between.

Readymade blinds certainly aren’t one size fits all, and if you’re talking about being made to fit by made of customising/trimming or altering them at home (as many readymade blinds are meant to be treated) then they rarely look as good as made-to-measure blinds either, as they have joins and graduations where, say, a telescopic bar or rail might be used to enable it to be used across a range of sizes. Additionally, the edges of any fabric or materials like wood and so on that you cut down at home will have an unfinished edge to it.

What are made-to-measure blinds’ expected lifespan compared to readymade?

Even if you get a readymade blind that’s a perfect fit for your window and you would have chosen exactly that same size blind if you were having one made, it is important to note that fit or lack of it isn’t the only disadvantage of readymade compared to made-to-measure.

Made-to-measure blinds are high-quality goods designed to last for upwards of a decade in good working and cosmetic order, and they’re made with the quality parts/materials and craftsmanship to enable this.

Readymade blinds, on the other hand, are designed for a functional lifespan of just 2-5 years, and will often begin to show signs of cosmetic wear (fabric fading, creasing, and losing its shape, wearing on contact areas, threads coming loose, material fraying, painted blinds yellowing or discolouring, wooden blind slats warping and bowing and so on) well before this.

Also, the headrail of readymade blinds doesn’t have the structural integrity of a made-to-measure blind (this is because the headrail or tube of readymade blinds are designed to be cut down, if needed, which would not be possible if they were too sturdy) and so they may begin to bow in the middle over time.

What are made-to-measure blinds going to cost compared to readymade?

Made-to-measure blinds will almost invariably cost more than an equivalent sized readymade blind, reflecting both the quality of the materials involved in making them, and the workmanship that goes into them.

It can also even reflect better business ethics and eco-credentials; for instance, for our made to measure wooden blinds, only sustainably harvested and transported approved hardwoods like environmentally friendly basswood are used, whilst when it comes to readymade blinds, cost is king and sustainable production is rarely relevant or even considered at all in standard ranges.

In real money terms though? Made-to-measure blinds can cost three times as much (give or take, and this is only a broad representation) as readymade blinds, but they will last for around five times as long; and look good for those five laps they’ll run around the readymade blind too!

What are made-to-measure blinds likely to give you in terms of special options?

Literally anything you want. When you order blinds made bespoke for you/your window, you can order any type of blind you want, and in any size you want; but also in any colour/finish you like.

You’ll also get options on the fittings (colours, styles, and so on) and in some cases, you can make special requests for things that aren’t even offered in the regular menu of options too.
For instance, if you have a window that isn’t rectangular/square, a blind can be made to match and for windows that are outside of the standard dimensions, there remains a range of choice of made-to-measure blinds.

You simply can’t buy readymade blinds for really tall, wide, or generally large windows (like patio doors) and some types of blinds (like perfect fit blinds) aren’t available in readymade options at all.

How long do made-to-measure blinds take to make and ship?

Between three to ten working days at most, usually, depending on the type of blind.

This is one of the main concerns that many would-be buyers have; that it will take weeks and weeks to actually get their blinds! However, we generally work to a turnaround time of a few days for most of the blinds we sell, and so you could quite feasibly go from ordering to hanging them within a week to a fortnight.

There are sometimes exceptions to this; during Covid, for instance, it seemed like every home in the country was remodelling out of sheer boredom and wanted the blinds to match; we, meanwhile, were only able to operate at limited capacity due to social distancing regulations and staff taking it in turns to catch the lurgie themselves!

But we do turn orders around promptly, and if there is likely to be any delay over a couple of days, we will let you know immediately and work with you to find a solution that suits.