To help you find a fabric that suits your needs and the style of window furnishings you have chosen, consider the following factors:

What style of window coverings do you like? There are many types of blinds in the market with a suitable fabric. Whether you have chosen roller blinds, roman blinds, or maybe vertical blinds, it’s also important to note that you can actually use the same fabric throughout the home. Some of the most popular types of window coverings include:

• Roller Blinds are one of the most popular choices for Australian homes. The fabric selected for your roller blinds can determine whether your window coverings blend perfectly with the interior or stand out as a design feature.
• Roman Blinds create a sophisticated look in any room. The beautiful soft folds of a roman blind add elements of style to your interior.
• Panel Glide Blinds are suitable for rooms with large open spaces and look particularly effective in lounge and living areas. Panel blinds are the perfect solution to dress wide window spaces such as sliding and bi-fold doors.
• Vertical Blinds are a more traditional approach to window coverings and are especially suited for sliding or bi-fold doors. Their tilting fabric strips provide excellent light control with a total blockout option when required.

The next step is to consider the level of privacy you require for different areas throughout the home. The three most common types of opacity available in window covering fabrics are: Transparent (or sheer), Translucent and Blockout.

• Transparent – Transparent (or sheer) fabrics diffuse the light to give you a clear view through the window with privacy during the day.  Transparent fabrics are ideal for living areas, where glare protection and light control are often important considerations. Provides privacy in the day but at night people can see in. Provides sun protection (lighter colours provide better protection). Good for living spaces where privacy is not a concern at night, or to be used in conjunction with a blockout blind or curtain.
• Translucent – Translucent (or light filtering) fabrics offer greater privacy, particularly during the day.  Translucent fabrics are perfect for living areas, by providing privacy and UV protection while light is gently filtered into the room.
• Blockout – Blockout (or blackout) fabrics block out the light and give you complete privacy.  By effectively minimising light penetration, blockout fabrics offer the maximum possible protection from heat, glare and UV.

You will need to think about the overall interior design scheme, that is both the colour and texture of a fabric can have a huge impact on the overall design of a room. Different textures and textiles can have a dramatic effect on light and mood in the room. Textural fabrics can provide a softer look or a design statement with the appearance of a subtle pattern in the weave. To enable you choose a fabric that blends perfectly with your interior or stands out as a prominent design feature – discuss this with your retailer.