A Wootton Installation
Can You Fit Blackout Blinds to a 4-Metre-Wide Window?
Large windows are fantastic for bringing natural light into a room, but what happens when you don’t want the light?
Whether you want to reduce glare, create a darker bedroom or simply have greater control over the amount of daylight entering your home, finding the right blackout blind for a particularly wide window can feel more complicated.
Can you fit blackout blinds to a window that’s four metres wide?
Yes, you can. However, the right solution will depend on the dimensions and configuration of your window, how you want your blinds to operate and the level of light control you want to achieve.
We recently fitted made-to-measure blackout vertical blinds across an approximately four-metre-wide window in a home in Wootton. It’s a great example of how choosing the right blind style can provide practical blackout and flexible everyday light control, even across a substantial expanse of glazing.
What Should You Consider When Choosing Blinds for a Very Wide Window?
A very wide window isn’t necessarily difficult to cover, but its size does become an important part of choosing the right blinds.
Different blind systems have different size limitations, and there are practical considerations beyond simply finding something wide enough.
These can include:
- The overall width and height of the window
- The weight and size of the finished blind
- How easily the blind will operate
- Where the blind will sit or stack when open
- How the window itself opens
- The available fixing positions
- The level of light control and privacy you need
- How much of the window you want uncovered when the blind is open
The widest blind available isn’t necessarily the best blind for your window.
A better starting point is to think about what you need your window covering to do. Once we understand that, we can look at the blind systems that are both suitable for the dimensions of your window and able to provide the functionality you need.
What Does a Blackout Blind Actually Do?
The term ‘blackout’ can sometimes create the impression that fitting a blackout blind will automatically make a room completely dark.
Blackout fabric is designed to prevent light from passing through the material itself. However, the amount of light entering the finished room can also be affected by the style of blind, where and how it is fitted, and any small gaps around the edges or between individual components.
This means there’s an important difference between blackout fabric and a completely light-sealed window.
If achieving the highest possible level of darkness is particularly important to you, let us know when you arrange your free home measure and quotation. We can take that into account when looking at your window and discussing the suitable options.
What Types of Blackout Blinds Are Available?
There is more than one way to add blackout to a window. At Gillian’s Blinds, the suitable options can include roller blinds, vertical blinds, Blind Screen® and Roman blinds.
Which is right for your home will depend on the size and style of your window and how you want your blinds to work.
Blackout Roller Blinds
Roller blinds offer a simple, neat way to add blackout to a room and are available in a wide choice of blackout fabrics, colours and finishes.
They can be fitted inside or outside the window recess where suitable. Fitting outside the recess can also help reduce the amount of light entering around the sides of the blind.
The dimensions of particularly large windows need to be considered when deciding whether a roller blind is the most suitable option.
Blackout Vertical Blinds
Vertical blinds can work particularly well across large areas of glazing.
Rather than using one large piece of fabric, the blind is made up of individual vertical vanes. These can be drawn across the window, rotated to control daylight or stacked back when you want the window uncovered.
Blackout fabrics are available, giving you the ability to significantly reduce incoming light when the vanes are closed while retaining flexible light control throughout the rest of the day.
This is the solution we used for our four-metre-wide window in Wootton.
Blind Screen® Light Seal™
Blind Screen® offers a very different approach to blackout.
Its Light Seal™ blackout fabric retracts neatly into the Blind Screen® frame when it isn’t required. Depending on the system chosen, Light Seal™ can also be combined with another Blind Screen® fabric, giving you different ways to manage the same window at different times.
This can be particularly useful when you want blackout at certain times but have different light, privacy or ventilation requirements during the day.
Blackout Roman Blinds
Roman blinds can also be supplied with blackout lining, combining greater light control with the soft, decorative appearance associated with a Roman blind.
However, Roman blinds are generally better suited to more conventionally sized windows than an opening approaching four metres wide. The amount and weight of fabric, together with the way a Roman blind folds and stacks when raised, all need to be considered.
It’s a useful illustration of why choosing blackout fabric is only one part of the decision. A blind may be available with blackout properties without necessarily being the right blind for the dimensions of your particular window.
You can find out more about the colours, fabrics and different options available on our Blackout Blinds page.
Why Did Vertical Blinds Work for This 4-Metre-Wide Window?
For this home in Wootton, made-to-measure blackout vertical blinds provided the combination of coverage, light control and practical operation the window required.
Covering a Wide Span
At approximately four metres wide, this is a substantial window to cover.
The individual vanes of a vertical blind make them a practical option for large areas of glazing, allowing the blind to cover the full width without relying on one enormous piece of fabric.
Practical Everyday Operation
The blinds can be drawn across the window when they’re needed and stacked back when the homeowner wants to uncover the glazing.
This means having blackout capability doesn’t mean permanently hiding one of the room’s biggest features.
Flexible Light Control
Vertical blinds offer more than a choice between open and closed.
The vanes can be rotated throughout the day, allowing the homeowner to change the amount and direction of light entering the room without necessarily closing the blinds completely.
Blackout When It’s Needed
When the vanes are closed, the blackout fabric prevents light passing through the material, providing the much greater level of light control the homeowner wanted.
The result is a blind that works with the window throughout the day rather than only performing one job.
Can You Still Control Daylight With Blackout Vertical Blinds?
Yes.
Choosing blackout fabric doesn’t mean you have to choose between a completely uncovered window and closing your blinds.
The adjustable vanes can be tilted to help manage strong sunlight and glare while still allowing natural light into the room. They can also provide greater privacy without necessarily blocking all of the daylight.
When you want maximum natural light, the blinds can be drawn back to uncover the window.
For a window of this size, that flexibility was an important part of choosing the finished blind.
Do Blackout Blinds Have to Be Black?
No. ‘Blackout’ describes what the fabric does, not what colour it needs to be.
Blackout blinds are available in a wide choice of colours and finishes, allowing you to choose something that works with the rest of your interior.
That could mean a pale neutral that blends quietly into the room, a stronger colour that makes the window more of a feature or something in between.
Needing blackout doesn’t mean having to compromise on the way you want your room to look.
Why Does Made-to-Measure Matter on a Window This Wide?
Accurate measuring and choosing an appropriate blind system become particularly important when you’re dealing with an unusually wide window.
Before recommending a blind, there can be several things to consider, including the exact dimensions, available fixing positions, window handles and opening mechanisms, the level of light control required and how the finished blind will operate.
You also need to consider what happens when the blind isn’t being used. Where will it stack or retract, and how much of the window will remain uncovered?
At Gillian’s Blinds, our free home measure and quotation service means you don’t need to work all of this out yourself before contacting us.
We’ll look at your window, discuss what you want your blinds to achieve and show you the suitable options. You’ll also be able to look at fabric and colour samples in your own room before making your choice.
Our roller blinds and vertical blinds are made in our Northampton factory, and we provide free fitting across our entire blind range.
Which Blackout Blind Is Best for a Wide Window?
There isn’t one blackout blind that’s automatically best for every wide window.
For this approximately four-metre-wide window in Wootton, blackout vertical blinds offered the right combination of coverage, practical operation and adjustable light control.
Another wide window could have very different requirements.
Depending on its dimensions and configuration, a roller blind, vertical blind or Blind Screen® system may provide a suitable blackout solution. Roman blinds provide another blackout option for more conventionally sized windows.
That’s why we recommend starting with what you need your window covering to achieve rather than deciding which blind you need before you’ve had the window assessed.
If you’re considering blinds for a particularly large window or glazed area, you can also read our guide to the best blind solutions for extra-wide windows and doors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Blackout Blinds Help Keep a Room Cooler?
Can Blackout Blinds Be Motorised?
Can Blackout Blinds Be Fitted to Patio Doors or Large Glazed Doors?
Potentially, yes.
The right solution will depend on the dimensions of the glazing, how the doors open, where handles and other fittings are positioned and how much access you need when the blind is open.
We can assess the doors during a free home measure appointment and talk you through the suitable options.
Will Blackout Blinds Make My Room Completely Dark?
Not necessarily.
Blackout fabric prevents light passing through the material itself, but small amounts of light can still enter around the edges or through gaps between components depending on the blind style and how it is fitted.
If achieving a very high level of darkness is particularly important, tell us when you arrange your appointment so we can factor that into our recommendations.
Are Blackout Blinds Only Suitable for Bedrooms?
Can Blackout Blinds Be Fitted Outside the Window Recess?
Yes, where the window and the surrounding space allow it.
An outside-recess fitting can also help reduce the amount of light entering around the edges because the blind can overlap the window opening. The most appropriate fitting position will depend on the individual window and the blind system selected.
Can You Replace Existing Blinds With Blackout Blinds?
Yes. You don’t necessarily have to replace an existing blind with exactly the same style.
If you want greater light control than your current blinds provide, we can look at your windows and discuss which blackout options could work for the space.
Do Blackout Blinds Have to Be Black?
No. Blackout refers to the light-blocking properties of the fabric, not its colour.
There are plenty of colours and finishes available, so you can choose a blackout blind that works with your room and your style.
Looking for Blackout Blinds for a Wide Window?
If you have a wide, unusually shaped or particularly large window, you don’t need to decide which blind you need before contacting us.
Gillian’s Blinds has been helping homeowners choose made-to-measure blinds since 1989. During our free home measure and quotation service, we’ll look at your window, how you use the room and the level of light control you want before talking you through the suitable options.
We offer a wide range of blinds, colours and finishes, with free fitting across our entire blind range.
Our free home measure service is available throughout Northamptonshire and Milton Keynes, and you’re also very welcome to visit our Northampton showroom at 12 Low Farm Place, Moulton Park Industrial Estate, Northampton NN3 6HY.
To arrange your free measure and quotation appointment, call our friendly team on 01604 646007, email [email protected] or complete our contact form.
Got a particularly wide window and aren’t sure which blackout blind will work? Get in touch. We’ll look at the window, discuss what you need from your blinds and help you explore the suitable options.
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