Blinds in a Box – Temporary Blinds in the UK

Binds in a Box are the only company that manufacture and sell temporary blinds in the United Kingdom (UK).

They are a relatively new company, formed in 2007 by Simeone Salik, who had just built a new home and needed a temporary solution to cover her windows while she waited for more permanent curtains to arrive. She commissioned a friend, Janice Dalton, to make some temporary blinds and it was at that point she realised that there could be a gap in the market that could be filled by a small company specialising in temporary window blinds.

Blinds in a Box’s big break came when BBC producers noticed an article about the fledgeling blinds company in a Manchester Newspaper, and invited Salik and her partners to apply for a spot on the new BBC Television programme Dragonís Den.

After pitching their idea to the Dragons, they were offered an investment of £40,000 for a 50% stake in their business (a stake that would reduce to 40% if the Blind in a Box team managed to hit their targets) by James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne.

A clip of Salik and her partners appearance in the Dragons Den is available on Youtube, and a copy is embedded below for you to watch:

Fitting with their simple design philosophy, Blinds in a Box offer only two kinds of temporary window blinds – White, and Black. The blinds come in one standard size ñ 36 inches (91.5cm) wide, and 6ft (183cm) long, and can be cut to fit most window sizes. These temporary paper blinds come in a box containing six blinds (enough to install blinds to all the windows of a small house) for a list price of £45, although currently their website lists the price at a discount rate of £39.10 for those who buy online.

You can buy temporary blinds direct from Blinds in a Box via their website, at the prices quoted above. You can also pick them up at other retailers across the UK, including Argos (both online and in their stores).

Interestingly, with an eye on the British ex-pat market, they have also expanded into Spain with their new website, blindsinaboxspain.com, which sell the same products for 69.95 Euros.

Once you’ve purchased your temporary blinds, they are very simple to install. They are basically a pleated blind made of paper, and can be cut down to match the size of your window using a small, sharp knife or scissors. Once you’ve cut the blinds down to size, you then peel the backing away from the tape that is fixed to the back of the paper blind and stick it to your window frame, or the wall surrounding the frame. The blinds are pleated paper blinds, so to open them just gather the pleats together, and secure them with the clips provided. To lower the blinds, follow the same procedure.

Blinds in a Box provide detailed instructions in the pack, but a video installation guide is also provided – see below.

As you can see, installation takes less than a minute and a half, which is a testament to the simplicity and elegance of Blinds in a Box Temporary Window Blinds.