Evans Textiles

Box Bay Blinds

elsiewolfe Leave a comment

Hello all, 

                 Elsie here, here we are onto the next phase of blinds in bay windows. I hope the last post was helpful and works as a basis to add this next post to?

Box Bays

Measuring the recess is as before. With box bays however the positioning of blinds is very different.

If there are mullions or each window is separate the blinds will then function in their own recess and pretty much any blind can be used.

If however the windows are only separated by the window frame I have found that Romans or shutters are best for close fitting and minimal gaps.

Positioning of Romans in a box bay I find the following to be best……..

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Plan view of possible box bay configurations.

I find putting the back blinds in first is best.

Where you have two blinds butting up to each other in the same direction across the back. I always allow 1/8″ clearance between the two OA. This gives a nice close fit without them touching. 

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Where you have a side blind butting up to a back blind the following needs to be allowed. Rail projection including bracket (varies in size depending on type and company), thickness of velcro and blind (aprox 1/4″) and then 1/8″ to 1/4″ depending if the blind is lined or interlined. Don’t forget the 1/8″ from the other side of the side blind if in a recess !

unnamed-13

Designed by Kelly White at http://www.facebook.com/whitewolfeint

As the above window, some box bays will have the back windows as french doors. This of course makes the back blinds longer than the side ones. Nonetheless you need to make sure that when up they are still level with the side blinds despite the length difference.

It is also worth noting that some one who is tall would need to duck under the blinds unless they are fixed onto the doors themselves. In a situation where there are door blinds, you still need to make sure the patterns line up even though the top of the blinds on the doors are lower and when up they are still level. This makes for a more aesthetically pleasing look and most people appreciate the attention to detail.

When positioning blinds on doors you also need to make sure that the projection of said blinds will not impinge on the door opening.

Because of the positioning of the blinds the side blinds will never sit centrally to the window they are on. 

Also pay attention to if your side blind will cover the glass of the window it is on. This can all be worked out mathematically before anything is purchased.

Some box bays are not recessed on the side blinds. Be aware that because of the projection you will be able to see down the back of the blind and possibly out of the window. Dress curtains on the outer of the bay can help mask this.

unnamed-12

Design by Kelly White at http://www.facebook.com/whitewolfeint

This is another way of dressing a box bay that has mullions but you are wanting to maximise light by dressing on the outer and like the added look of a pelmet. Due to the measurements of this bay it made sense to have the pelmet as one with the blinds centralised over the openings .

Box bay Roman blinds

Design by Kelly White at http://www.facebook.com/whitewolfeint

There are situations that call for the blinds to fit tip to tip, but these are rare and often occur in the window styles above where the corner means that an overlap results in too much glass being visible. A gap is inevitable due to the bulk of the blind but in these cases it is a case of the lesser of two evils. See above and below examples. This and the client requests it.

Blind bliss

 Uber Interiors http://www.thedesignpractice.com/

As I have said before I would strongly recommend that you get a bay professionally  measured. This blog however should help in some way in understanding your particular bay.

There are a few good companies that you can get high quality roman blind rails from. Evans Textiles, Silent Gliss, Tulip Blinds.

I Hope you found the blog helpful.                                                                                                                                Till next time, thank you for reading.

Elsie Wolfe

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Measuring For Blinds In A Splay Bay

elsiewolfe Leave a comment

Hello Everyone, Elsie Wolfe here.

I know I have gone through how best to measure windows before. To a certain degree there is a huge overlap with that and what I am about to guide you through in order to measure up for blinds. I hope this will help, I found when I stuck to the following it helped immensely, to avoid forgetting a measurement and in reducing the chance of mistakes. 

Enjoy.

Reading The Tape Measure.

I know, I know. The first time someone asked me when I was training, “do you know how to use and read a tape measure ?” I rolled my eyes. seriously though, so many people think they know till they watch someone who really knows how to use a tape measure, use one. 

There are lots of little tricks that I will show you in up coming blogs but this is the first with regards to recess’ , specifically for those using the lo tech tape measure and not the digital ones.

Width and drop recess. You can sit most tape measures in a rebate this way due to them have a size written on the side marking the length of the casement. take the size at the point it hits the top of the case then add the case size on. This gives you the recess without having to bend the tape measure. tape-recess2

If you are old school  and prefer to measure this way, the measurement you take is just as the tape begins to curve. In this case 64 1/4″ . This is also the same off measuring drops for curtains to a floor level. I measure in inches because some of the windows I measure are quite large so reading the cm/mm would be practically impossible with me stood in the middle of the tape measure.

Recess Sizes

How to measure a rebate is largely effected by the type of window we are dealing with. In this blog I am only going to focus on the following type of window when measuring for blinds.

Bay Window

Lets put the varying types glazing to one side, and focus on how we attack measuring for blinds in a bay once we have decided where we are fixing said blinds to begin with.

As a rule I tend to advise against using traditional style Roller blinds in bays. I have yet to see them fit neatly, function properly and not have huge gaps caused by brackets and side controls. 

With this in mind lets look at how blinds fit into a splay bay windows.

sheila-garside

http://www.curtain-up.ltd.uk/

  1. Measure the recess (corner to corner as well as top and bottom).
  2. Measure each angle. Top and bottom of the recess (just in case of variances).
  3. Measure from the top of where the blind will sit to where you want it to finish. In this case the sill. Measure at several points around the bay ( I recommend 2 for each blind).

As previously advised, please use simple line drawings and fill in the sizes. This is so much better than a list of measurements. There is also less chance on getting them wrong or mixed up. I find plan drawing helps for width sizes and a separate elevation drawing for drops is also useful.  

Now you need to work out the size of the blinds that will be made.

This will be different because the projection of the blind reduces its width because of the angles.

Step By Step Guide to Sizeing Blinds in a Bay Window

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Draw in the angle of the bay, then using the real sizes (Not scale), draw in the front edge position of the blind. This needs to be the rail + the thickness of the blind. (I normally allow about 1/4″ blind thickness.) In the example I have drawn it is 4cm just for the purposes of this exercise.

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Draw in the front edge of where the back and side blind intersect.

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Measure in aprox 1/8″ from the intersection on both sides.

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Draw right angle lines back from this point to the wall.

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The above has to be done for every angle where two blinds meet. 

Take measurement A and – measurement B from both sides of the middle blind. 

This will give you size C = the blind size.

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The side blinds sit just up to the corners on the outer edge. Measure forward at a right angle then go past edge of rail aprox 1/2″. Due to the projection of the blinds and the bay there will be gapping at the side . The 1/2″ reduces this gapping. You can also have external dress curtains to hide the gaps.

fti1

http://www.finishingtouchesinteriors.co.uk/

Side blind is as follows. D – E + 1/2″ = F. Be aware that the rail size excludes the 1/”.

If you want a snug fit on this outside edge a batten system using an adaptor for safety from Evans means you can shape into the angle.

This then changes the workings on the side blind to ………….

D – E + distance from edge of blind to wall – 1/8″ =  blind size.

Keep in mind that the back of the batten will be a different size to the front (blind size).

The 1/4″ and 1/8″ allowances are to stop / reduce the blinds from rubbing as well as helping them to fold up properly and so the gaps are not too big.

Always size the blinds using the shortest and narrowest sizes obtained.

Use the shortest drop for the blind drop but do not take anything off that size. The blind will naturally spring up slightly.

 

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Finished blind positions.

fti3

http://www.finishingtouchesinteriors.co.uk/

 

victoria-hill

http://victoriahillbespokesoftfurnishings.co.uk/

Some bay windows have frames or mullions that allow the blinds to sit within a rebate and not interfere with each other. These are just worked out using the recess sizes of each separate area. A 1/4″ off the width size needs to be deducted so the blind does not rub. It can be a real feature having the frame, framing the blinds.

Kelly White @ www.facebook.com/whitewolfeint

Swaffer fabric and Evans rails were used in the above design.

I hope you have found this post helpful / informative. I plan to write additional posts about blinds in other types of windows so keep your eyes peeled ?

Thank you for reading.

Elsie Wolfe

Modern Times

elsiewolfe Leave a comment

Hi all,                                                                                                                                                                                              Elsie here. It has been a while since my last communication. I apologise profusely but my attentions have been split due to new business ventures with White Wolfe Interiors, and my on-line presence. Too much to do and not enough fingers to type!

 

Since the beginning of my career at the age of 16 there have been advancements and changes in the world of soft furnishings. I must say though, I was not sad at the change in fashion away from the heavy chintzy floral’s of the eighties, lol.

I want us to look at my favourite designs / items that have been added to the repertoire of Interior decoration history.

EYELETS

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Designed by Kelly White @ White Wolfe Interiors www.facebook.com/WhiteWolfeInt .

Harlequin, Fusion 2538

Harlequin Fusion fabric.www.harlequin.uk.com

 

eyelet+colours

This is a great one to start with. I loved the Eyelet the moment it came out. Shockingly the company I worked for at the time were insistent they were a “faze”. They would not listen to my recommendation that they invest in an eyelet punch machine, I insisted that they were here to stay, they would have none of it. Boy were they wrong!  I must admit the lower costing eyelets on tape with plastic clip in rings were not great. Stick with the metal ones every time is my advice, the extra cost is well worth the superior end results. If you make your own curtains there are some companies who are only to happy to just charge for putting them in the top of your curtains and leave the rest of the construction to you.

 

WAVE 

 

Wave by http://www.silentgliss.co.uk/           &        Easyflow http://www.evans.co.uk/

UBER_prj-3W-kchn__0450-Edit-1170x650

Uber Interiors Design. http://www.uber-interiors.com/

English Rooms2

http://www.englishrooms.co.uk/

Even though Wave Heading is a trade name by Silent Gliss, it is also what the industry calls this heading, despite where they get this style of tape and rail system from. Wave is a similar type of pleating to eyelet. However the main obvious differences are the tape required, how the spaces are worked out and the fact it is under-slung. This great modern heading gives a neat flush fitting and allows you to use in tight spaces and ceiling mounted. The down side, if there is one, is the fact you cannot just use any old pole for the above tapes. There is a tape on the market that allows you to use any pole, but I must admit I am not a fan. Everyone has their preferences.

French Pleat

IMG_1198

French Pleat curtains deigned by Kelly @ White Wolfe Interiors. www.facebook.com/WhiteWolfeInt

 

English Rooms

Pleating to pattern by Jules @ http://www.englishrooms.co.uk/

Whether you call it French pleat, Parisian or Top Pinch, it is all the same.                             The original pinch pleats whether they are triple, double or have four pleats have been around for decades. Traditionally with a stitch set down several inches it is a more traditional heading and historically was pleated to pattern. In my opinion the pleat to pattern art is practised by few in the industry these days, it is a beautiful art and should (in my opinion) be studied and learned by all those who wish to consider themselves superior curtain manufacturers. French pleats are stitched at the top and (in my opinion) tend to look best as double pleats. This heading has made a resurgence in the last few years, it looks smart and lends itself to the more modern setting.

Technology

There has been a huge change in technology in the world of interiors over the last decade. 

  • Remote control blinds and curtain rails.
  • Electric Pole systems.
  • Solar and battery Powered systems.
  • Home Cinemas and controlling the whole house at the push of a button.
  • CAD (Computer Added Design).

MRS_circel

http://www.evans-textiles.com/

pps_13095_00_el_5090SG

http://www.silentgliss.co.uk/

There are many more than the companies and rails featured above. They vary in price, style and capability. Each designer has their preferences and each job requires a different rail solution. The choice is out there.

Safety

Legislation does not effect, let alone change  the interiors world often. The milliners law, retail law and FR regulations are mostly what we have had to work with for many years.    In 2013 a big change rolled across the soft furnishings business, and as with a number of laws it involved SAFETY, specifically the safety of children with relation to corded and chain operated systems.

logo-child-safety-RGB-transp-contChild Safety Device 10483make-it-safe-logoRear-Cord-Breakaway

 

Break away chains and distance of chain to floor are amongst some of the items outlined in this very important legislation. Some customers have not liked the changes but the law is the law. Any legislation that protects children is a good thing. 

The law = BS EN 13120:2009+A1:2014  

The BSI (Bristish Standards Institute) published the document, it is in the public domain and effective immediately. This was on the 28th February 2014.

Please note that when you are either making or advising the use of blinds please ensure the BS safety regulations? I refer to Child Safety Requirements for Internal Blinds BS EN 13120, BS EN16433 and BS EN 16434.

For more information on this legislation that is keeping children safe with regards to chain and corded systems go to :- http://www.makeitsafe.org.uk/.

 

There have been other changes across the last ten / twenty years but the above are the ones that are foremost in my mind. This is probably because they have occurred during my career. Like any design / art form, interior decoration is constantly changing, evolving, reinventing and coming up with new innovations. I love the history of this world, enjoy its present incarnation and eagerly anticipate its future and what it has to offer.

I thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed this blog. If this is your first visit, please check out my other posts?

E.Wolfe

 

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