Before the advent of temporary blinds, if you wanted to buy any kind of covering for your windows, you would have to pay out a fairly sizeable amount of money, whichever option you decided upon. Shutters, curtains, Venetian blinds, Roman blinds, and most other types of window coverings have never been particularly cheap. So fitting out an entire house with traditional window coverings like these has always been an expensive proposition. But now, fortunately, all of that has changed. There is a new kid on the block. Temporary paper blinds are the future! Why? Because not only are they incredibly cheap, they are also easy to install. As well as all that, they look great too!
What are Temporary Window Blinds?
You may not have come across a temporary blind before, in which case you are probably wondering exactly what it is, and what is so good about it. Don’t worry, it’s nothing too complicated, simply a blind made of paper (or sometimes vinyl) that can be attached very easily to a window and that can be raised or lowered as needed. Vinyl blinds tend to be more hardwearing than the paper ones, but the paper blinds offer a slightly cheaper option.
Surprisingly, considering what a simple concept and an obvious solution the temporary window blind is, it is only fairly recently that the product has actually come on to the market. But then all good inventions seem obvious after the fact!
Ease of Installation
Temporary blinds are now becoming very popular, in both their paper and vinyl form. One of the great things about them is their ease of installation. They come in standard sizes that can be cut to fit almost any shape or size of window. In fact, the only tool you need to install them is a good strong pair of scissors. There is no drilling or screwing necessary because the blinds come with an adhesive strip, which enables them to be attached easily to the frame or the glass of the window.
Light
So how effective are these temporary blinds and how do they look once installed? Well, the black vinyl version is actually very effective in shutting out light (although the blinds don’t provide a complete blackout) so they are good for bedrooms for example. Whereas the white blinds allow a fair amount of light in, so these are generally used more for privacy purposes, maybe for kitchens, bathrooms or office windows. For the most translucent option, you would probably want to choose a rice paper blind. Rice paper has a unique light diffusion quality all its own.
Temporary Blinds Manufacturers and Distributors
In terms of who actually makes and sells temporary window blinds, there are now a growing number of manufacturers and distributors.
Redi Shade Temporary Blinds
In the U.S., the biggest supplier is probably Redi, the company that produces the Redi Shade product line. Redi Shades can be purchased either in their original pleated form or with honeycomb cellular pleats, which are designed to provide greater energy efficiency.
Although Redi are based in the U.S., it is now possible to purchase Redi Shades around the world, as they have distribution outlets in Australia, Canada, Mexico, UK and Europe. Redi shades can also be purchased from online stores such as Amazon.
Blinds in a Box – A UK Newcomer
An alternative to Redi in the UK is Blinds in a Box, a relatively new company with an interesting history.
Blinds in a Box was founded just two years ago by a lady in her sixties called Simeone Salik. Mrs. Salik came up with the idea when she was looking for a temporary covering for her windows while waiting for some curtains to arrive. At the time, it was only possible to order temporary blinds from America, so Mrs. Salik along with her designer Janice Dalton, decided to make up some temporary blinds themselves. They immediately saw that what they had created could be marketed. And so the company was born.
Earlier this year, Mrs. Salik and the other directors of Blinds in a Box decided they needed some investment to grow the company, so they applied to go onto the popular UK television programme, Dragon’s Den (a show where entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to investors for financial backing). To their delight, they were offered £40,000 by millionaire businessmen James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne, who immediately saw the potential of the product. Since then the company has gone from strength to strength, and is now probably the leading supplier of temporary blinds in the UK.
How Much Do Temporary Blinds Cost?
Paper blinds are ridiculously cheap. Purchased singly, they can be bought for $8 to $10 (or around £5-£6 in the UK). A box of six will set you back less than $50 (£35 or so in the UK). Expect to pay a few dollars more for vinyl blinds.
Where Can Temporary Window Blinds Be Used?
Temporary window blinds can be used pretty much anywhere. In the home, in the office or in shop windows, upstairs or downstairs, in the kitchen, the bathroom, the bedroom or the kids’ play house!
One area where temporary blinds are becoming increasingly popular is in student accommodation facilities. If you are a student, you don’t want to be spending all of your money on curtains or expensive Venetian blinds, so temporary window blinds offer a good, cheap alternative.
And despite the fact that they are called temporary window blinds, they can actually last a very long time, so many people who buy and install them are in no particular rush to replace them with something more permanent. They are very easy to clean and the vinyl blinds particularly are remarkably hard-wearing. Couple that with the fact that they can look really chic, and you realize why many people keep the blinds up for a lot longer than they originally intended to when they bought them.
So in conclusion, if you are shopping for curtains or blinds, and particularly if money is tight, take a good look at the various temporary window blinds that are on offer. Temporary blinds are without doubt the best way to cover your windows on a budget.