Creating an energy-efficient home calls for measures beyond typical air-conditioning and fans. Keeping the heat out of your home is better than cooling your house, both financially and environmentally. One of the best ways to beat the summer heat is to include outdoor blinds and awnings. At  Dollar Curtains + Blinds, we strive to provide you with quality outdoor blinds and awnings that you can use to block the heat this summer, keep your home cool and make your exterior appealing.

Window Awnings

You can block out the harsh Australian sun this summer by installing window awnings. Awnings protect you from glare and also prevent your interior furnishings such as your furniture and flooring from getting UV damage from the sun’s rays. With Dollar Curtains + Blinds quality fabric, you can prevent up to 95% of solar energy from entering your home.

To ensure that you keep the exterior of your house appealing, you can purchase custom-made awnings and match the colours to the exterior design of your home. In our range of window awnings, we have three styles you can choose from - Straight Drop, Fixed Guide, and Automatic.

When shopping for awnings, remember to select fabrics that can survive the harsh Australian climate. For this reason, we offer a fabric guarantee for water, mildew, and bacteria resistance. You can also purchase fire-resistant fabrics.

What if you don't want to fold every awning manually? We've got you covered. You can choose from our operating options - spring roller, manual crank, or motorised. By combining our motorisation system with your home automation system, you can control all our window awnings with a button.

Alfresco Awnings + Outdoor Window Blinds

Installing outdoor blinds is an excellent way to keep the sunshine out of your outdoor entertaining areas and to help keep the interior of your home a cool temperature in Summer. You can acquire any of our stylish outdoor window blinds to block out the heat and also maintain the elegance of your home's exterior. Our range of outdoor blinds includes:

•    Outdoor patio blinds
•    Alfresco blinds
•    Café blinds
•    Bistro blinds
•    Verandah blinds
•    Zip track blinds
•    Zipscreen blinds

To ensure that you find the fabric that matches your outdoor shading requirement, we stock canvas, mesh, acrylic, and PVC blinds. All the materials are designed to survive the outdoors and resist moisture, mildew and stains from external elements.

With Dollar Curtains + Blinds, you can personalise your blinds and awnings to fit your windows and doors. We also have several styles for you to choose from:

• The straight drop blinds are ideal for traditional window frames. With these blinds, you can protect yourself from harmful UV rays and achieve a modern simple look.
• The cable guide blinds are excellent if you prefer an industrial look, accompanied by privacy and ventilation. The cables are made from high tensile stainless steel, making them suitable for coastal homes.
• Deep channel blinds block off the light and allow multiple lock-off points.
• If you live in windy areas, we have the side retention system which completely encloses off the protected area, leaving no space for dust and dirt to penetrate.

To avoid adjusting your blinds manually, you can also motorise your blinds. Motorisation helps you adjust your blinds throughout the day to the exact positions you desire without moving around. You can move all your blinds according to the direction and the intensity of the sun..

Finding the Best Awnings and Outdoor Blinds

You can find the perfect awnings and blinds to protect your windows at Dollar Curtains + Blinds. We also provide Free In-Home Measure and Quote to ensure that all your awnings and blinds fit perfectly. For more information, contact our interior consultants at your local DC+B store today.

Venetian blinds refer to blinds that use slates stacked horizontally on top of each other and can rotate 180 degrees. The slats are attached to chords that hold them up and strings that control their direction of movement. If you are looking for modern sophistication with a touch of the classics, Venetian blinds should be on your list.

What are Aluminium and Timber Venetian Blinds?

Our blinds allow you to rotate the slats up and down to control the light entering a room. In terms of fitting, you can have the blinds recessed or face-fitted by installing them in the window frame or on the architrave. If you often leave your windows open, our Venetian blinds have a pin and bracket system at the bottom, which you can use to lock the blinds down. At Dollar Curtains + Blinds, we stock both aluminium and timber Venetian blinds to give you a variety of window treatments to choose from.

What Are the Differences between Aluminium and Timber Venetian Blinds?

Aluminium Venetian Blinds

As the name suggests, these blinds are made from aluminium. They are elegant and provide a minimalist approach to window styling. The slats shut completely to lockout light and can rotate up and down to control light entry. Aluminium is a highly durable material requiring minimal maintenance. With these blinds, all you need is a little water and dusting to keep the blinds clean. At Dollar Curtains + Blinds, we stock Privasee Aluminium Venetian Blinds, which complement any room.

Features and Benefits of Aluminium Venetian Blinds

• Highly durable because they are made from aluminium.
• Low maintenance blinds.
• Easy to clean. A wet cloth is enough to clean aluminium blinds.
• Aluminium blinds lower your energy bill by controlling the amount to sunlight entering your house, which in turn reduces your heating or cooling costs.
• Waterproof and can be used in high humidity areas such as baths and laundries.

When to Use Aluminium Venetian Blinds

With our brand of aluminium Venetian blinds, you can have brightly coloured and metallic-finished blinds to match a painted room's style. Aluminium blinds are ideal for any office setting thanks to their minimalistic finish. They are also suitable for baths and laundries or any areas exposed to high humidity.

Timber Venetian Blinds

At Dollar Curtains + Blinds, we stock two brands of Timber Venetian Blinds. Our Hampton Timber Venetian Blinds range is made from real timber. We also have our Whitefield Timber Venetian range, which is made from polystyrene. Both blinds offer a beautiful wooden finish.

Features and Benefits of Timber Venetian Blinds

• Wood is a natural insulator, and by using timber blinds, you naturally insulate your home. In the summer, the wood keeps the warm air out, and in the winter, it keeps the warm air in.
• You will control your energy bill by regulating the amount of heat and light entering the house.
• Timber blinds provide noise insulation. If you live on a noisy street, closing these blinds will assist in shutting out the noise.
• The wood is stained to expose the natural grain and match the wooden finishes in your home.

When to Use Timber Venetian Blinds

If you have a craftsman home with a display of wooden features on the ceilings, floors, windows, doors, walls, and kitchen boards, timber Venetian blinds will complement the design. These shutter blinds also blend well with wood furnishings such as furniture and flooring. Coupled with light sheers, they provide a great backdrop on the windows.

Venetian Blinds at Dollar Curtains + Blinds

Best of all, your aluminium and timber venetian blinds will be custom-made to your exact measurements by Dollar Curtains + Blinds through our Free In-Home Measure and Quote. You can also reach any of our stores through a phone call, and our Interior Consultants will be more than happy to assist you.

If you are searching for that quintessential blind for your home, you might be overwhelmed by the variety of options in the world of window treatments. Dollar Curtains + Blinds has created this helpful guide to discuss the difference between roller style blinds and Roman style blinds. Keep reading to learn which type of blind is the perfect fit for your home. 

Roller Blinds

A slim, architectural design gives roller blinds a sleek, contemporary finish. Roller blinds are made from durable, lightweight fabrics that are easily rolled up or rolled down by chain operated, spring loaded, or motorised components. An aluminium bottom rail aids smooth, controlled movements of roller blinds during operation. Roller hardware is concealed by colour coded brackets and bracket covers.

Function

Roller blinds are extremely easy to operate and completely customisable. Roller hardware can be installed on either the outside recess or inside recess of your window frame. Choose from several child and pet safe methods of operation:

• Chain Operated with Pre-looped Stainless Steel or Plastic Chain
• Spring Operated + Snap Lock Spring System
• Motorised (battery or hard wired) + Home Automation Compatible

Fabrics

An essential factor of the unique style of your blinds, fabrics provide colour, texture, and thermal insulation for your home. Select from high quality and durable fabrics that are available free of lead and PVC, flame retardant, and UV resistant. Roller blind fabric options include:

• Blockout
• Sunscreen
• Sheer
• Translucent
• Bonded

Finishing Touches

Choose a fancy finish for the bottom trim of your roller blinds, such as a Georgian, U-scallop, or wave scallop fringe or braid. For a plain finish, select a fabric wrapped, powder coated, or stitched pocket base rail.

Accessorise with the addition of a pull ring or tassel. You can really elaborate the statement made with your roller blinds by adding pelmets. A pelmet is a stylish, multi-purpose feature ideal for creating either a soft or bold frame around your windows while simultaneously increasing light control and improving insulation.

Roman Blinds

Designed for simplicity with style, Soft Roman blinds can create a feeling of warmth in your home or Hard Roman blinds can make a crisp, bold statement. Roman blinds are made from durable fabrics that take shape when raised by the use of lightweight, strategically placed fibreglass battens to create evenly laden folds.

Function

The versatile arc fit installation of Roman blinds can be affixed above window frames or door frames. A recess fit is also an available installation option. Choose from several easy to use methods of operation:

• Cord Operated with Cleat + Acorn
• Chain Operated with Pre-looped Stainless Steel or Plastic Chain
• Motorised (battery or hard wired) + Home Automation Compatible

Fabrics

High quality, Australian fabric is the key to the finished look and smooth function of Roman blinds. An additional layer of lining accentuates the neat folds of the Soft Roman blinds while providing increased light control, thermal insulation, and sound insulation. Roman blind fabric options are available free of lead and PVC, flame retardant, and UV resistant including:

• Blackout
• Sunscreen
• Sheer
• Translucent

Finishing Touches

Soft Roman blinds can be uniquely finished by choosing from bottom trim options of plain, contrasting banding, scarf, fringe, or Georgian scallop braid or fringe. Accessorise with the addition of a pelmet for further light control and insulation.

Hard Roman blinds are finished with plain bottom trim yet, can be folded at various stack heights to customise the finished look by altering the shape of the raised folds. The stack height of Hard Roman blinds can vary from the narrowest, Barbados at 240-270mm to the widest, Le Meridian at 340-370mm. The Bali design, at 240-270mm stack height, creates a casual finish with puckered folds created by the addition of stitched pockets into the back of the blind.

Roller or Roman Blinds for Your Home

At Dollar Curtains + Blinds, we help you to customise blinds made from quality, Australian materials for the perfect fit in your home. Choose your style and fabric. Add accessories for that final, finishing touch. Dollar Curtains + Blinds has everything you need for window and door treatments. Contact us today for a free in-home measure and quote. Our experts can help you make the perfect selection.