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Why choose floral blinds? There are many reasons, and some of them are more obvious than others. You might choose floral blinds because a floral theme complements your room, or because the colour scheme you’re working with happens to be a great match for a specific patterned blind you’ve found that just happens to be floral.
Floral blinds can help to create a mood and theme, and even serve as a feature in its own right, particularly for larger blinds with bolder floral prints.
When many people think of floral blinds, they think of pastel or watercolour finishes in small, muted prints; or perhaps or some fairly grand designs best suited to formal or classical rooms. While these sorts of looks do make up a reasonable number of the sort of floral blinds you’ll find offered for sale, they don’t tell the whole story!
Floral blinds are also available in very bold colours and prints or finishes, ranging from modern to retro to abstract to minimal to vintage and beyond. There are always floral blinds to match the latest and boldest design trends, like the current interiors fashion for palm prints and tropical themes, as well as very subtle, neutral floral blinds that would be eminently suitable to use to decorate an office or business property, a rental property, or to increase the kerb appeal of a home that you’re trying to sell.
Some floral blind prints come to market as the result of designer collabs and crossovers, such as our own Orla Kiely range, the latest additions to which complement 2022’s 1960s retro design trend that’s becoming hard to avoid in terms of both clothing and homewares, whether you love it or hate it!
Whether you like flowers/floral prints specifically, have a particular look in mind, or are just open to ideas, this blog post will take a deep dive into incorporating floral blinds into your home, and talk about what sort of rooms suit floral blinds, and why. Choose floral blinds without reading this guide at your peril…
Are floral blinds out of date?
The question that puts many people off floral blinds even if they really like the idea of them or have found a specific design they love is “are floral blinds out of date.” Without wishing to get too deeply into the semantics of it, “out of date” is kind of a relative term…
If you’re looking for blinds for a classical or traditional home or something like a shabby chic, country cottage, or retro/period theme, then this question is kind of moot because you’d choose floral blinds to match the era/tone/style you’re going for, even if that style isn’t cutting edge or the newest trend of the day.
That caveat aside, people who think of floral blinds as being out of date or that harbour concerns of them being a bit last year/decade/century or whatever tend to have a fairly myopic mental visual of floral blinds as a type.
As I mentioned in the intro, floral blinds are definitely popular in traditional, classical and “feminine” styles, but that is far from the full story.
At the end of the day, floral blinds are just blinds that have some sort of floral image/visual/print/theme worked into them, and the use of florals doesn’t dictate a particular colour palate or theme in and of itself.
There are some really on-trend floral blinds on the market that at any given time, will reflect what’s hot in interiors that year; as well as abstract, minimalistic, modern, retro, and futuristic styles too, all falling under the heading of the wonders that are floral blinds. “Out of date” depends on the date in question, the theme you’re working with, and the blinds you pick to suit it!
What type of blinds come in floral patterns or prints?
Only blinds that can carry a print or design can be made with a floral pattern or finish, which means that only fabric blinds can be floral blinds. You can get both floral printed roller blinds, and floral printed Roman blinds. Both options can also be made in blackout fabrics, and for roller blinds, from waterproof fabrics for use in kitchens and bathrooms too.
Floral roller blinds are definitely the most popular type of floral blinds for sale in the UK, and patterned roller blinds also offer the widest range of floral designs and styles too.
Roman blinds, being another type of fabric blind, can also be found in floral prints. Roman blinds are widely thought of as being the most luxurious and prestigious type of blinds, and a formal or grand floral print on a large blind can be absolutely show-stopping.
Some types of Roman blinds may also involve hand-stitching or detailing to really make the floral pattern or design itself pop.
What colour schemes do floral blinds suit?
You might think that floral blinds would only be likely to come in colours with a green base or accent colour, but that is not the case. Some floral blinds don’t even incorporate green at all, particularly some more modern geometric patterns and designs, and retro floral blinds.
There are certainly a lot of green options or options incorporating green, but also pink floral blinds, and those working in purples and lilacs too; and even red, orange, and blue floral blinds that incorporate little or no green full stop.
Yellow and orange floral blinds and even neutrals like beige and grey, as well as monochrome colours can all be found across different types and styles of floral blinds, which makes incorporating floral blinds into your home easy, whatever style or theme you’re working with.
What sort of styles do floral blinds suit?
Some of these are more than obvious; traditional, classical, rural, and feminine rooms, styles, or themes all work well with floral blinds of the right type. Modern takes on popular classics like cottagecore and shabby chic are also well suited to floral blinds too.
Very classical, grand, or formal rooms can always be paired with a floral print that matches, often in this case in the form of floral Roman blinds, which most people associate with luxury and prestige.
Retro floral print blinds in 60s and 70s themes are getting a lot of attention in interiors circles at the moment, which is something of a mirror for 2022’s clothing fashion trend in the same vein, which you may have noticed is involving a lot of both 60s and 70s cuts and styles (yep, flares and platforms), as well as 60s and 70s prints and colour schemes.
Floral blinds are also an obvious fit for a very girly or feminine theme or room, romantic themes, and rooms incorporating soft pastel colours.
If you’re looking for floral blinds to go into a home with a more modern theme or even a strong theme that one might not immediately associate with floral blinds, you have Scandi-style, retro, abstract, bold, and even futuristic and monochrome black on white or white on black floral prints in play too.
What rooms do floral blinds suit?
There are no rooms that automatically self-exclude from suiting floral blinds if the room’s theme can be paired with the right blind. That said, some are a more obvious choice than others.
If you’re looking for blinds for a home office, you’d probably want quite a subtle, muted, or neutral floral blind if you wanted to go down that route, and if you’re looking for blinds for a kid’s playroom, other than a very girly room, you might struggle to find an obvious match for a fun-theme room.
Floral blinds for bedrooms are probably the most popular choice of floral blinds overall, and once more, this is theme-dependent. After bedrooms, I would estimate that floral blinds for the living room or lounge are the second most popular application, followed by the kitchen and then the bathroom.
One point to note if you’re looking for floral blinds to go in kitchens or bathrooms is that you will need to restrict your search to floral roller blinds only, rather than having the option of Roman blinds too. This is because bathroom and kitchen blinds need to be waterproof, and Roman blinds can’t be made in waterproof fabrics.
Floral roller blinds for bathrooms or kitchens can be made of either PVC or vinyl respectively, both of which are waterproof. Double-check (or narrow your search parameters to waterproof blinds only) before you order, as not all roller blinds are waterproof and those made of polyester won’t last as long as they otherwise would if they are used in a wet or humid environment.
What to avoid when choosing floral blinds
I’ve talked quite broadly about what sort of colours floral blinds come in, and the sort of designs or styles floral blinds can work within; but if you’re looking at incorporating floral blinds into your home, is there anything specific to avoid, or that won’t work well?
Function-wise, the only real thing you need to bear in mind is something I already mentioned earlier on; being that floral blinds for kitchens and bathrooms (or other rooms that involve the presence of humidity and/or water) should be roller blinds rather than Roman blinds, as Roman blinds aren’t available in a waterproof option.
It may also be worth noting just to be thorough, that Roman blinds and roller blinds (the only two types of blinds that can be made in a floral print) aren’t the type of blinds that can be used to filter light and enhance your privacy while still allowing you to enjoy the view.
Blinds with slats or louvres are the types of blinds you need to look at if this is your priority, which means vertical blinds, real wooden blinds, faux-wood blinds, Venetian blinds, and day and night blinds respectively. However, you can’t get floral blinds in any of these styles, except for maybe a handful of floral vertical blind fabrics, because a blind needs to be made of a solid sheet of uninterrupted fabric in order to carry a print!
Style-wise, I am a firm believer in the principle that there is no right and wrong when it comes to what you like to add to your home and choosing accordingly, regardless of what your mother-in-law or a random interiors magazine says about it. However, I will offer a few gentle pointers on received wisdom when it comes to what to avoid doing when you’re choosing floral blinds to go in any room of the home.
Avoid a “temperature clash” when incorporating floral blinds into your home
Avoid mixing cool toned blinds with a warm toned room or vice-versa. You won’t need to worry about a “temperature clash” in the colours or prints of the blind itself; well, certainly not if you buy bespoke floral blinds from a retailer with any sort of eye for detail. If you did see blinds that clashed in this respect, they’d probably immediately appear jarring and “off” to you, even if you could not quite put your finger on why.
But be a little cautious in terms of ensuring that the tone (cool or warm) of your room and blind complement each other; ask for a fabric sample from the blind’s material before going ahead and ordering if you can’t quite picture things in your mind, and to be totally clear that the colours you’re seeing on your phone or computer screen are an accurate representation of the colours as they appear in real life.
Fabric samples from any bespoke floral blinds retailer are (or at least, certainly should be) free, including postage; and you should also receive a large enough sample of the fabric to be able to see the full detail of the print. A 2” square of fabric is going to be absolutely no help to you when it comes to making an informed decision if the full pattern and all of the colours within it aren’t shown on the sample, or you need a magnifying glass to make anything out!
Avoid double prints or competing designs
Say what, now? Ok, so a floral blind has a print on it, and this might appear very fluid and unstructured like a painting of a field of flowers, or it may be symmetrical and uniform, like a repeating geometric pattern.
A print in any colour or style draws the eye to a degree; obviously more so if it is bold than if it is subtle or neutral. This means that if you have other printed goods in the room (like cushions, wallpaper and so on) two bold prints or strong designs might well either clash with each other, or compete with each other for attention, making the room look overly “busy” and potentially jarring.
Generally, if your blinds have a loose, unstructured kind of design, you can work an additional geometric or structured print (floral or otherwise) into the room’s cushions, wallpaper, or other design elements without conflict, as long as their colours don’t clash either. The same is true in reverse, i.e., if the blind has a more structured print and the other element(s) of the room have a more unstructured design, this can work too.
However, two of a kind prints-wise don’t otherwise make for good bedfellows, unless they’re an exact match. On which note…
Don’t make things too one-dimensional or matchy-matchy
If you ever watched Project Runway, you’ll be hearing “matchy-matchy” in the judgemental and derisory tone of the panel as one of the main Things to Avoid when designing clothing. Basically, it means that having say, dress, bag, hat, and shoes all the exact same colour or pattern is not a good thing, and will look a bit… Stepford? Just for starters.
The same is true for your interiors. A single colour-themed room really only works if that’s a light neutral like white or beige (and not even always then) and even just two colours without a third accent colour can be a bit production-line looking too.
This might seem somewhat contradictory to my advice about not choosing two different prints/designs for your blind and another design element; but either repeating the same design/pattern on lots of things or keeping a single-colour theme across your blinds and a lot of other stuff too will look both unimaginative and overwhelming.
This is one of the main mistakes made by people trying to play it really safe – but it fails badly in the same way that “if you’re trying to avoid being pulled over by the police, the worst thing you can do is drive with the sort of exaggerated caution that translates as probably having something to hide.”
Avoid a style/blind misfire
I have expounded long and loud above about there being a floral blind to suit more or less any theme or style, because there really are lots of options. However, lots of choices also increases the chances of you inadvertently making the wrong one.
Picking a specific floral blind design because you absolutely love it is potentially the soundest basis to making the ultimate decision that you can proceed with; but do have a think and/or explore the design and what sort of style it is, or suits, or what it “says” before you buy.
Now, just because a floral blind suits one style or theme well doesn’t mean it won’t also work just as well in another style or theme. However, some sorts of floral blinds definitely won’t work in some sorts of themes/styles; like, you probably wouldn’t put these Orla Kiely floral Roman blinds in a traditionally styled room, nor these delicately-designed neutral-toned Roslyn sky roller blinds in a younger child’s bedroom or a very funky-themed room of any type.
Factoring in size and scale
My final comment on potential pitfalls to avoid when choosing floral blinds pertains to the size and scale of the print on the blind itself as it relates to the size of the blind and potentially, the size of the room too.
If you have a small room and/or small window and so, blind, a floral print that’s large is probably going to look off for one reason or another. For a very tiny window, the full extent of a large design might not even be evident on the blind, and it’s also likely to make the window look disproportionately small in comparison.
If the room as a whole is small, an oversized print on the blind can swamp or overwhelm the room too, either making it the focal point (which may or may not be fine) or simply making the room look even smaller than it already is.
You do have a lot more leeway when it comes to choosing a very small or delicate print for use on a large blind or in a large room, as this won’t cause the same sort of obvious stylistic mis-fires that I mentioned above.
That said, a small print could potentially get somewhat lost in a big room or on a very large blind, and mean that the pattern or design isn’t clear or obvious, and if the colours of the print and its background aren’t quite distinct from each other, might appear to be one uninterrupted block of colour with no design in play at all from a distance too.
Finding the right bespoke floral blinds can take time
Shopping for blinds of any type (even the plainest of neutrals for an office) can be something of a rabbit hole; how many shades of beige are there anyway!? However, when it comes to buying blinds with a print or design, everything kicks up a notch as there’s a lot more to think about.
You should definitely take plenty of time shopping around, drawing up shortlists, and checking out fabric samples, before allowing your thoughts to sit for a while to ensure you’re happy with your choice before you actually go ahead and order your new blinds.
When it comes to floral patterned blinds, these are only available in roller and Roman blinds and so this helps to rule out a number of styles. However, you might find that your problem isn’t so much not being able to find something you like as having too much choice and getting a level of snow-blindness or blinds-fatigue to the point that you soon lose the will to live and/or buy any blinds in the end anyway!
If you’re getting to that point, want a second pair of eyes, or are looking for some suggestions or design pointers on incorporating floral blinds into your home, feel free to drop me an email or ask in the comments, and I promise I will respond to every single enquiry.
