It’s an exciting day for everyone here at Hillarys. Not only is it beautiful and sunny again but we’ve also two new ranges launching.

Last week I told you all about our new ‘Family Favourites’ Roman blinds collection – 20 absolutely gorgeous fabrics that give a contemporary twist to traditional, rustic-style blinds. That collection is now available for you to buy via your local Hillarys advisor; I know you’re just going to love them.

Today I can tell you about our second launch, and that’s a brand new range of venetian blinds.

Venetian blinds are just about the most traditional type of blind you can get. They’re simple and practical and suitable for anywhere in the home. But that doesn’t mean they’re boring. Oh no!

Our new range includes 115 slat options in a fabulous choice of colours as well as finishes. There are gloss, matt, soft sheen, pearl and metallic options not to mention special finishes such as perforated and textured finishes.

And that’s not all. There are four slat widths to choose from that range in size from a super sleek 15mm to a bumper 50mm. This means that no matter the size of your window they’ll be a venetian blind to suit. I especially love the large 50mm option – it follows the current wood venetian blind trend to be as wide as possible, and looks absolutely fantastic.

If you like venetians but fancy something a little different it’ll be worth your while checking out our new Harmony blinds. These cleverly combine a wood valance and bottom rail with a venetian blind slat and are finished very neatly with stylish tape, usually reserved for our wood venetian blinds only. 14 co-ordinating and contrasting variations are available to create a practical yet unusual and elegant blind for your home.

So there you have it, two new ranges both launching today. I know you’ll love them, please, let me know what you think by commenting on this blog or visiting our facebook page.

Villa Pimento was one of lucky fabrics we chose to photograph.

The 20 fabrics that make up our brand new ‘Family Favourites’ collection of Roman blinds are so gorgeous that we couldn’t wait to photograph them. The problem was deciding just which ones to use in our photo shoot!

But decide we had to and after lots of to-ing and fro-ing we managed to narrow it down to eight fabrics in three room sets that encapsulate exactly what ‘Family Favourites’ is all about.

The product team here at Hillarys works closely alongside our photographer and stylist to build room sets that suit the fabrics we’re going to be featuring in our pictures. Of course, we want the blinds to be the hero of the photograph but we also want to give a good feel for what the rest of the room looks like as we know our customers find these inspirational.

Our new Roman blinds have a modern rustic feel. This is an emerging interior décor trend that combines homespun, wholesome style fabrics with contemporary design. Checks, chambrays, cocooning textures and leafy prints are at the heart of the collection, and we’ve given our rooms a simple yet welcoming feel to set them off to perfection.

We hope you like our photography. If you’ve been inspired to give your homes a makeover because of it, let us know via our facebook page. We’d love to see pictures of your room too.

Our new ‘Family Favourites’ Roman blinds collection launches on Monday 3 October.

Our customers wanted to see more checks in the range, so we're introducing this gorgeous fabric called Tatton in three colour options.

Hot on the heels of our new ‘Family Favourites’ collection of Roller blinds comes an update to our Roman blinds range – and we’ve called this ‘Family Favourites’ too!

‘Family Favourites’ Roller blinds have been a big hit, not just here in the product office, but also amongst our advisors and most importantly our customers. You all just love the quirky, chintzy and retro designs as well as the more sophisticated styles we’ve introduced. So we’re hoping you’re going to just as happy with these new Roman blinds.

There are cheeky checks, gorgeous printed designs, lovely textures and pretty chambrays to choose from in a great range of neutrals and on-trend colours. So whether you prefer a fresh feel to your home, or a cosier mood, there’ll be something to suit you.

Putting the range together is down to one of the product managers in the team. Before getting started they listen to what our customers and advisors are saying and look at the trends expected to be important for interiors in the months ahead.

Our customers told us they wanted to see more red in our ranges of blinds, and this collection has plenty in it. They also revealed their love of checks – so we’ve found a fab fabric called Tatton, which comes in three stylish colour options.

Our top tips for choosing new Roman blinds from our ‘Family Favourites’ collection:

Vintage Know-how

Granny chic takes the best things from the past – the knick-knacks we never throw away – and combines them with up-to-date styles for an eclectic look that’s as individual as you are.

Layer up to keep cosy

Layering doesn’t just apply to clothing, it’s all the rage for blinds too! Pick out a colour from your favourite patterned fabric and fit a plain blind in this tone at the same window for an extra dash of luxury.

Keep warm this winter

Fully-lined Roman blinds are a great option for insulating windows – perfect for keeping the chill out. Consider a blackout lining for bedrooms to help get a good night’s sleep.

Don’t forget the finishing touches

With beaded braids and a choice of metal and coloured operating chains, it’s easy to tailor your bind to suit your home exactly.

There are 20 brand new and very beautiful Roman blind fabrics in the ‘Family Favourites’ collection, which launches on Monday 3 October.

We're looking for an ideal location for our next shutters photo shoot

Last week, Mark Lucas, the product manager responsible for our very lovely shutters range, was on the hunt for locations for a photo shoot. We’ve a new range of shutters launching in the new year, which means we’re going to need lots of new photography very soon for all kinds of material. There’s the product presenter that our advisors take into the customers’ homes, brochures, our website, advertising and much more. 

Very often we build room sets in our photographer’s studio but increasingly we’re finding real homes to use instead. Here Mark explains why.

The benefits of using a real house

A big benefit of using real homes over purpose built sets is the cost. To build a set that looks real can be very expensive and then there are all the props that are required too. A good example is a kitchen. As you can imagine it is much cheaper to take a picture of a real kitchen in somebody’s home than to buy one and fit it into a set. But that’s not the only benefit. Using real homes gives our photography a more realistic feel, plus all the stuff that people have in their kitchen is already in place. It also allows us to add a little extra character to our photography – you can often find a location with features we wouldn’t have thought of when designing a set.

The X factor is important

What we’re looking for is a nice looking house with windows that will suit the product we’re planning to photograph. From a practical point of view we need a number of rooms so we can show the product in different environments, and the rooms need to be as plain as possible when it comes to décor. We don’t want the décor to overpower our products! We also need plenty of space for the camera and lighting.  What’s just as important though is for the house to have its very own ‘X’ factor.  It shouldn’t be too run of the mill. 

The role of our stylist

Finding suitable locations is down to our stylish. She’ll trawl the internet looking at websites that are set up to offer houses as locations for photo shoots and filming and make suggestions. Then I’ll look through these to see which ones are suitable. Before the photo shoot takes place we go and view the house in person so we can confirm it really is right for what we need. We also ensure we can get all the angles for the shots. We take the window measurements and a few reference pictures so we know everything’s going to work on the day.

We’ll let you know how it goes soon!

“If the eyes are the windows of the soul, then the windows of a house can easily expose the secrets of its owner,” says Sarah Quilliam, head of product design. “Which means you need to get the window dressings right to avoid giving  the wrong impression,” she adds. “The window-coverings market is worth more than £1.5bn a year,” adds  Sarah “and much of that is spent on shielding our privacy.

 But what do you do if you live on a busy street and want to protect your home from prying eyes while showing off your style credentials to the neighbours? well, this was traditionally the job of the net curtain as it stopped people  looking into your house – perfect if you had little or no front garden.  And because of their lacy texture they didn’t prevent the light from flooding in.

 Blinds or ‘half-up’ blinds, in a sheer fabric are the perfect  contemporary alternative to nets. They offer good levels of privacy  during the day whilst allowing in plenty of light. Hillarys latest range is called Pure and is a much anticipated welcome addition to its Sheer Luxury Collection. Fabrics are available in white, cream, beige, taupe and charcoal. Prices start at £69 for a 61cm w x 76cm blind, measured, made and fitted. If you fancy taking a peek at the latest range then why not book your appointment online today!

 Hillarys, measured,made and fitted. Its easy!

Made to measure Venetian blinds are a great way to conserve heat in the home, but they can also be used to raise the temperature on sunny days, it has been claimed.

Founder of Mahogany Builders Matt Lederer has offered a number of tips intended to improve home energy efficiency this spring.

Making sure that windows are properly sealed to prevent drafts – and also that they have appropriate window blinds or curtains to retain heat – is one of the most important considerations.

However, he also claims that on brighter days, homeowners should draw back their made to measure Venetian blinds and let some sunlight into their living rooms and kitchens.

This can help to heat the house, allowing for savings on heating bills during a period when the thermostat is usually particularly high.

His comments follow claims by Build It Magazine editor Duncan Hayes, who claimed last week that many homeowners find green energy technologies too expensive to implement in their property.

This could see more homeowners looking for cheaper ways to conserve energy and reduce their carbon footprint, such as by installing blinds that help to retain heat in a house.

We have just launched our brand new collection of Roller blinds! We’ve listened to what you have to say and have put together a great range, offering more choice than ever before. Don’t just take our word for it, we have over 200 Roller fabrics to choose from, including new sheer fabrics, new pulls and more beaded options and a metal chain option in three shades, we are sure you’ll be impressed.

Our Blackout blinds collection is bigger and better than ever before!

Blackout blinds are a great way to block out the winter sun and are perfect for lazy lie-ins. We have increased the choice of our plain collection and back by popular demand are two old favourites – Dancing Bears and Night Sky – perfect for a baby’s bedroom, nursery or playroom. You will find smart contemporary prints that will look great in other rooms too, we have also introduced subtle designs that give a pearlised finish and a subtle shimmer at night when the lights are on.

For something a little special!

We have introduced three completely new ranges of sheer fabrics that gently filter the light and offer a stylish alternative to net curtains. These fabrics are great for allowing light to filter into a room and still provide privacy.

Make an appointment with a Hillarys advisor to view the complete range.

• Use cordless blinds in children’s bedrooms, Hillarys suggest choosing pleated blinds with tab opening to ensure no cords at all
• Alternatively try pull cords on roller blinds – a short cord that hangs from the middle of the roller, eliminating the need for sidewinder chains with loops
• Move beds and cribs away from windows or any furniture that children can climb on
• Only buy blinds manufactured after 2001 – when the new safety regulations came in, every single Hillarys blind is made-to-measure to your exact requirements
• Keep all cords out of reach of children
• Ask your advisor for the shortest cords possible for each blind you buy or tie them out of a child’s reach
• All of Hillarys made-to-measure blinds come with a warning sign to highlight the dangers of cords on blinds
• Opt for wands rather than cords on products like Venetian blinds
• Use metal cleats that fix to the wall to tie loose cords around
• For the conservatory we offer the option of remote controlled blinds so there’s no cords hanging down to worry about

If you have any top tips for safety at home – add some to our comments!

Venetian blinds

Great for creating a modern look and filtering the light effectively. 25mm is the standard slat width, for larger windows try 35mm or 50mm. If you want to black out more light go for 15mm.

Vertical blinds

Ideal for bay windows as we can create curved headrails that fit your specifications. They are also great to use as room dividers and in awkward windows as they can be made to any shape.

Roller blinds

A really functional blind, rollers can be accessoried with poles, pulls, beading and different shapes making them the ultimate personalised blind. They can be used to hide away storage shelves and cupboards.

Roman blinds

Romans are ideal in the cooler months and can even help save on your heating bills. They come in 4 options - unlined, lined, blackout and cascade. Use in bedrooms and living rooms.

Pleated blinds

The best choice for conservatories – as matching roof blinds can be made – however they are also good throughout the home, especially in bathrooms.

Woodweave blinds

A great decorative blind woodweaves gently filter light – making them ideal for creating an ambience to a room. Add tape for extra detail.

To see any of these blinds and over 750 style and fabric options book an appointment with your local Advisor.

Hillarys blinds might just have the answer to your energy saving blinds answers. You can choose between Roman blinds and Pleated blinds to help you save more energy. It is all because of the fabric has a performance backing that will help keep your rooms nice and cool in the warmer summer months.

These blinds will not only provide you with great window coverings but will in turn help reduce the amount of cash you spend on heating and cooling every year. Your living comfort will improve and at the same time you can also update the overall décor of the rooms you decide to install them in.

Pleated blinds are very handy in the winter when you can open your blinds easily to let as much light and heat in as possible and then when you close them, they start working at keeping all that heat in.

These blinds come in a wide range of colours and shades, so it won’t be difficult to find a match for your home. So why not try Hillarys blinds and see if you can find what you are looking for, I think you might just be astonished at their great selection. What do you have to lose?