I'm thinking of replacing all of the mini blinds in my living area with roman blinds, but I'm concerned about how they'll look from the outside. I've got 6 windows to do, and you walk within inches of 2 of them as you come to the front door. Do they look messy? If anybody can post some "outside view" pictures of their blinds I'd appreciate it!
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Thanks for the pics! I'd be using white fabric & cords, so they'd blend right in.
I have a "1-hr" pattern for the top-down bottom-up type, but I think I'm going to check into seamstresses in town - if I can find one that won't charge an arm and a leg. I want very tailored blinds and don't trust my sad sewing skills to make nice corners!
You could also cover the mounting bar with coordinating/same fabric. I'm looking into changing my kitchen to a top-down/bottoms-up version and the instructions mention more care about hiding the hardware details...including building a mini-valance with velcro around the mounting bar.....I'll admit I haven't done that with my existing one :)
Would you be making them yourself or purchasing them?
I guess I've never thought about the view from the outside, but you could line them with a fabric that coordinates with your exterior. The cords usually match the fabric and if the rings are visible they are usually clear plastic so my first thought is that they are not very messy looking from the outside, whether up or down.
I don't find the look of roman blinds very "messy" - especially if they are lined. Here are a couple shots of the blinds in our kitchen that I made. Sorry about the glare - just the way the sun is shining right now. I've just noticed that you can see the 1x2 piece of wood that I used to mount them, but I've never noticed it before and if you really wanted to hide it you could paint it the same colour white as the trim.