I worked with a decorator who explained to me just how complex the construction of a roman blind is. There are something like 400 pieces that all have to be assembled, so it is genuinely a lot of labor. One good trick: if you want panels of some gorgeous, expensive fabric across a wide space, do juuuust enough so they look full and fluffy when hanging at the sides and then get blinds, shutters, etc. for the center windows for the actual light blocking.

Anonymous wrote:Just go to IKEA.

I don’t have any shades like that but I made my own curtains (properly, lined and interlinked) and they are not ripping you off for those tbh. The material costs are high and there’s a fair bit of labor (obviously I was slower than a workroom but still). I really only saved money because you can buy a lot of fabric close to wholesale online without a decorator now. So Roman shades would be the same deal and still a couple yards of fabric even with the single width. Woven wood blinds are cheap - get them at Home Depot.

“Conrad’s” are the really fancy woven blinds.

I’ve made my own curtains and agree — fabric bought at retail is expensive and you save less money than you think you will, once you’ve bought all the trim.

I ordered custom Roman shades from a company on Amazon for around $100 each. They look good, and I couldn’t have made them any cheaper.

Anonymous wrote:This thread just has me daydreaming about the custom curtains I want to order. Why oh why do I always go for $150/yard fabric?!

It’s the prettiest. Post what you love and we’ll find you an alternative! I think Fabricut seems to have a lot of good mid-price options.

This thread just has me daydreaming about the custom curtains I want to order. Why oh why do I always go for $150/yard fabric?!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:stevesblindsandwallpaper.com

Second this! Our house had NDB in the dining room when we moved in. They looked cheap, and we replaced with Hunter Douglas (cost a fortune). When kids came along, we did their rooms, and at the time I comparison shopped and went with someone who had a buy one get one half off sale.

Then we redid our basement, turned it into a teen space, and did 3 windows inexpensively at stevesblindsandwallpaper.com which someone on here recommended. Awesome quality, and since we used them, they keep sending me emails about sales. With all of us working from home, we redid the office - 3 windows, $160 (honeycomb, top down/bottom up).

Who keeps posting about this place? They have like 5 color options.

Steve.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:stevesblindsandwallpaper.com

Second this! Our house had NDB in the dining room when we moved in. They looked cheap, and we replaced with Hunter Douglas (cost a fortune). When kids came along, we did their rooms, and at the time I comparison shopped and went with someone who had a buy one get one half off sale.

Then we redid our basement, turned it into a teen space, and did 3 windows inexpensively at stevesblindsandwallpaper.com which someone on here recommended. Awesome quality, and since we used them, they keep sending me emails about sales. With all of us working from home, we redid the office - 3 windows, $160 (honeycomb, top down/bottom up).

Who keeps posting about this place? They have like 5 color options.

I think that it must be an employee. Any of the big blinds places have cheaper blinds, more selection, and better customer service if things go wrong.

But if one of the colors works, it saves you a ton of money! Cellulars are as good as hunter douglas. Just get the "best" version.

Anonymous wrote:stevesblindsandwallpaper.com

Second this! Our house had NDB in the dining room when we moved in. They looked cheap, and we replaced with Hunter Douglas (cost a fortune). When kids came along, we did their rooms, and at the time I comparison shopped and went with someone who had a buy one get one half off sale.

Then we redid our basement, turned it into a teen space, and did 3 windows inexpensively at stevesblindsandwallpaper.com which someone on here recommended. Awesome quality, and since we used them, they keep sending me emails about sales. With all of us working from home, we redid the office - 3 windows, $160 (honeycomb, top down/bottom up).

Who keeps posting about this place? They have like 5 color options.

stevesblindsandwallpaper.com

Second this! Our house had NDB in the dining room when we moved in. They looked cheap, and we replaced with Hunter Douglas (cost a fortune). When kids came along, we did their rooms, and at the time I comparison shopped and went with someone who had a buy one get one half off sale.

Then we redid our basement, turned it into a teen space, and did 3 windows inexpensively at stevesblindsandwallpaper.com which someone on here recommended. Awesome quality, and since we used them, they keep sending me emails about sales. With all of us working from home, we redid the office - 3 windows, $160 (honeycomb, top down/bottom up).

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Agree with PP. Learn to sew.

FWIW, it’s not that much less expensive. Buying fabric by the yard isn’t cheap, even with internet discounters. Someone still has to measure, cut and ship it. Plus it’s expensive to stock all those fabrics, it’s not like they’re made on demand. By the time you’ve bought the fabric, the lining, the interlining and all the notions you’re only saving a few hundred bucks in labor.

This. My mother made beautiful custom curtains for one of our rooms - floor to ceiling, three panels, lined with the white black out fabric for the sun. I think it was around $200 just for the fabrics. Maybe more, I can't remember. And that was with joann's coupons.

Ten years ago I purchased maybe eighteen "honeycomb" black out blinds, able to be raised from the bottom or lowered from the top (lets light in while keeping prying eyes out) from Next Day Blinds on 29 near where Routes 50 and 29 cross.

I don't remember what I paid ten years ago. Their installer, and every service visit since, has been exemplary. Now that they are out of warranty, and the pull cords (the weak link) break more and more often, I'm looking around at other options. Maybe replace NDB blinds that are past their pull date with new versions of the same. Maybe select another option.

At and nearing their pull date, the worst that has happened is the blinds "freeze" in place, depriving me of my privacy and them of any value as a window treatment.

Price wasn't the most important point. I wanted to be able to open from the bottom or the top, I wanted blackout blinds, and I wanted a wide choice of colors. Having gotten all those, I swallowed hard and paid da man.

We measured ourselves and ordered them from Overstock for $40-60 per shade. We've had them for years and they are in perfect shape.

Select blinds used to do 25 or 30% off plus a buy 3 get 1 free.

I’ve had good luck with them. I have a new house so I’m overwhelmed with window treatments too.
I don’t use the same place for every room. I just buy what I need on sale and wait until I figure out exactly what I need.

My mom custom makes curtains for me (my master bedroom blackout curtains were $2,000 for fabric) and it saves me a ton.


JCPenney has great shade options. I like shades plus curtains so the shade doesn’t have to be perfect. In my last house, I somehow ordered from overstock and the blinds fit perfectly. Worked well for 10 years

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got so excited because I thought my favorite thread ever from this forum got bumped. 14 pages.

Omg I just looked at this thread. Pure gold.

That thread was awesome.

I've had great luck ordering from JCPenney (cellular shades). Got great blackout curtains from Costco this summer.