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What are the best blinds for tall windows? Window blinds do top out in terms of the realistic length that they can be made in, even when it comes to made-to-measure blinds created to order by specialists like us who do love a challenge.
That said, very long window blinds aren’t impossible to get, and some types of blinds can be made in significantly longer lengths than others. There are, however, a few factors to bear in mind if you’re in the market for very long blinds, which may mean that while you could potentially find a certain type of blind in the right size for your tall window, it might not do the trick in the field. Or overlooking the field, more realistically. Or the Asda car park, or neighbour’s garden, or whatever.
Anyway. This blog post will provide a guide to the best blinds for tall windows or long windows that may or may not also be wide, including covering some of the potential problems to avoid when shopping for very long window blinds for sale.
The challenge of how to decorate tall windows
If you’ve bought a house with a really tall window (such as a long, narrow window running the height of two floors, a converted church with the original windows, or something else cool and interesting but also, a massive PITA to get blinds for) it might not even have occurred to you that very long blinds might be hard to come by until you tried.
There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is that there is an upper limit to the size in which different types of window blinds can be made, which you may already know if you spent ages picking out a blind type and design you liked, only to input the size you wanted it made in but Computer Said No.
This comes down to a combination of the maximum lengths of the fabrics and materials different blinds come in, the facilities they’re produced by, and even how (or if) they could be shipped, other than as an abnormal load with its own escort of outriders ruining everyone else’s day on the motorway.
The other thing to bear in mind is that while certain types of window treatments for tall windows might be possible to make in theory, they wouldn’t be fit for purpose when done. This could be for one of several reasons (or all of them), mostly relating to their finished weight.
Long window blinds in some materials are also heavy; and this comes with challenges such as how they could be hung. Even if several people helped, space may be limited, and getting more than one person up a ladder to the top of a very tall window could be a recipe for disaster, particularly for one of those aforementioned two-storey narrow windows that often run alongside of the stairs.
This is before you even factor in the weight and awkwardness of handling the blind, getting it to the top of a tall window, and everything else.
Another thing too is if the blind weighs an absolute tonne, even if you did manage to get it fitted without anyone losing a limb, the structural integrity of some walls simply won’t support significant weight and can result in the whole blind along with a large chunk of the wall holding it collapsing. This is obviously going to be a Big Problem, and could be incredibly dangerous too.
And (this is the last one) even if none of the above cautionary tales go to the publisher, a blind that’s very heavy will also be reeeealllly heavy/difficult to operate by means of manual controls (like a chain or cord), although this problem can be negated to some degree by choosing automated controls or a winding mechanism instead. If they are available for the particular type and size of blind you have in mind.
So, what type of long window blinds are actually fit for purpose? You do still have a few options and approaches to take when choosing blinds for tall windows.
Vertical blinds for tall windows are the most popular choice overall
Vertical blinds are made of vertically hanging louvres with weighted bottoms and a connecting chain. The louvres themselves are lightweight, and the header rails aren’t as chonk as the header rails for many other types of blinds either. This means that vertical blinds are often the best window treatments for tall windows if bringing the whole wall down with a heavy blind is considered to be a significant possibility.
Vertical blinds for tall windows are a popular choice, whether the window is tall and narrow or tall and wide. They can be purchased in a wide range of colours and textures, and in either polyester or PVC; the latter meaning they’re suitable blinds for bathrooms, kitchens, and other humid rooms with tall windows too.
- What is the longest vertical blind you can get?
We can make vertical blinds for tall windows in lengths of up to 290cm, longer by request, and in your choice of widths.
Roller blinds for tall windows are also available
Roller blinds are relatively popular as window treatments for tall windows, again being comparatively lightweight and so not coming with a huge risk of collapsing the house or being impossible to operate.
Long roller blinds look good on both narrow windows, and those that are wide as well as tall.
Another idea on how to decorate tall windows if the window is not all one uninterrupted sheet of glass but instead made up of two or more individually framed segments, is to use multiple individual roller blinds hung in a vertical row. This can create a really stunning effect in tall windows if you mix the colours up, either contrasting the blinds with each other or creating a colour fade effect, just for a couple of starter ideas.
- What is the longest length roller blinds can be made in?
We can make roller blinds for tall windows in lengths of up to 270cm, sometimes longer depending on the fabric and in many widths, and if you do have the option to “stack” multiple blinds for a tall window as suggested, there isn’t really a window height you can’t cover with rollers.
Are Roman blinds for a tall window an option?
Roman blinds for a tall window are a viable option when the height you’re dealing with isn’t enormous; ie., fine up to around the height of the average patio doors or French windows.
Generally, to style patio doors or French windows with Romans, you’d buy a pair and hang them side by side, as this creates a nicer visual effect and also means they’re less heavy to operate than one hugely wide one, which would potentially be rather clunky given the quality and weight of Roman blind fabrics.
- How long can Roman blinds be made?
Roman blinds for tall windows can be made up to 250cm long; which is shorter than any of our other maximum length window blinds, reflecting the fabric weight, but even so, does mean that Roman blinds are an option for all but the tallest of windows.
What about Venetian blinds for tall windows?
The final option you have for tall window blinds is Venetians, which are blinds made of horizontal slats that can be tilted, as well as opened and closed.
Venetian blinds can be made from either aluminium, faux-wood, and real wood; and the reason I waited to talk about Venetian blinds for tall windows until the very end is because depending on what they’re made of, Venetians can be too heavy for very tall or generally big windows.
This means that getting a supermassive wood or faux-wood Venetian blind for a tall window would probably be out of the question; because it would be a complete hazard to hang and handle, possibly too heavy for the wall, and too heavy to operate other than by means of automated controls.
Aluminium Venetian blinds for tall windows are significantly lighter though, opening up the possibilities a little.
If you’re dealing with a reasonably narrow window, any type of Venetian blind will be an option, but if the window is also wide (and using a row of Venetians rather than one big one is not an option) then you’ll probably have to rule out a wood or faux-wood Venetian blind for a tall window based on the weight.
An aluminium Venetian blind for a tall window will generally be a sound pick though, as aluminium is light.
- How long can Venetian blinds be made?
Our aluminium Venetian blinds can be made up to 350cm long, making them our longest window blinds overall for use on a tall window.
- How long can wooden blinds be made?
Or real wood Venetian blinds can be made up to 300cm long, although we don’t recommend them for tall windows that are also very wide, due to the potential weight of the blind itself.
- How long can faux-wood blinds be made?
We make faux-wood Venetian blinds up to 300cm long too, although as is the case with our real wood Venetians, we don’t recommend using them for windows that are both very wide and tall, or at least, not without specialist advice and assistance to determine whether or not this will be safe and functional.
You could also consider long window blinds along with curtains or drapes
Another styling option for tall windows, particularly patio doors or French windows, is fitting a long blind within the window recess itself and then placing curtains, drapes, nets, or voiles to the sides.
This allows you to “dress” the window and create a really stylish finish that can be fashioned to suit more or less any room and taste, from ultramodern minimalist to country cottage.
What are the longest window blinds you can buy?
The longest window blinds we can make as standard are our aluminium Venetian blinds at 350cm long. We can also make vertical blinds up to 450cm long by request in certain fabrics. Don’t forget that you can also switch things up a bit when choosing blinds for tall windows too rather than just limiting yourself by length, such as by using a stack or row of shorter-length blinds hung vertically.
Got questions about tall window blinds?
If you want to buy blinds for tall windows and are facing a challenge that I haven’t covered above, I’d be really interested to hear about it. Our design team does like a challenge too, so we can hopefully help you to resolve the problem as well!
