As the nights grow darker it’s only natural that we find ourselves gravitating indoors and relaxing in our own home.  So what better time of year to explore some of your window dressing options: curtains, blinds, shutters and window film.

There are many different solutions available to you and the choice of window dressing can differ from room to room, with some solutions more practical than others.  You should consider the size of your windows and the style of your home.

Curtains

A popular choice for adorning our windows, curtains have far more benefits than it may at first seem.  Not only are they easily drawn and help to soften your windows, but did you know that curtains are a great way of keeping those heating bills down?

Particularly with lined and interlined curtains, having an extra barrier between your room and your windows will help to keep warm air in and cold air out!  Adding a pelmet also helps as it prevents warm air that has risen from falling behind your curtains as it cools, and escaping through the windows.

Blinds

We are all aware of the practical benefits of blinds in rooms like the bathroom and kitchen. They stay neatly rolled or pulled up out of the way until we are ready for them. But blinds are fast becoming popular choices for adding to living rooms and bedrooms. Used alone, a roller or roman blind can give a contemporary feel to a room.  Or you could try combining with matching curtains for a co-ordinated look.  Curtain and Blind combinations are great for adding extra depth to your windows.  Plus, blinds also contribute toward keeping cool air out on those cold winter nights!

Shutters

A pretty feature that can often add character to your home, shutters are becoming increasingly popular for bedrooms.  Enabling the most control over light levels, shutters can be pushed wide open to allow maximum natural light to flood in during the day. You could even consider coloured shutters to bring interest and life to neutral rooms. The pink shutters here combine beautifully with the white colour scheme to create a chic, femenine study.

Window Film

This is great to use in bathrooms, utility rooms and kitchens where window space may be tight. The frosted film can provide privacy whilst still allowing light in and you could even opt for a unique design to add extra interest to your windows.

You could opt for full window film like this one or just film half way up your window for that extra touch of privacy. With so many designs available on the high street and online there’s sure to be something for every taste!

The fourth edition of our featured Fabric Supplier series sees beautiful, co-ordinated designs from British company, Prestigious Textiles.   Founded in 1988 and based in West Yorkshire, the company now supply their exciting designs worldwide where their fine reputation continues to grow.

Their range includes a delectable mix of florals, stripes, damasks and semi-plain fabrics specifically produced to work in harmony creating beautiful statements in the home.  We think the PT range is ideal for creating an eye-catching window display.  The co-ordinating designs lends themselves perfectly to a curtains, blinds and cushions for that extra finishing touch!  Take a look at some of our favourite Prestigious Textiles combinations…

An elegant design in a sophisticated palette.  Octavia and Oracle are available in 4 neutral colourways, each creating a beautiful opulent look. This combination would look stunning in the bedroom.

A fresh, modern take on the traditional floral, Rosella is a delicate pretty design which can be complemented beautifully by the striking stripes of Rosella Stripe.  Both fabrics are available from Plumbs in 4 on-trend colourways including Duck Egg and Lavender.

Another bold statement as floral meets stripe.  Emilia is a striking fabric that draws the eye, perfect for floor to ceiling curtains!  Twinned with Fiore Mini Stripe in matching colourway really brings out the pops of purple in this design.  A winning combination.

It can be fun to play around with co-ordinating fabrics, so take your time and mix and match fabrics to create  a look that’s perfect for you.  You could even request a free visit from a local Plumbs consultant and try out many different fabric combinations in your home?

It can often be difficult to pin-point exactly how you want your living space to look.  And with the living rooms of today being a versatile hub of activity, it’s hard to know how to best decorate for all occasions.  When the family is together and their is that wonderful bustle of life, you may want your living room to be alive with vibrancy and colour.  On the other hand, on a quiet Sunday afternoon you may want nothing more than to curl up with a good book and feel quietly peaceful surrounded by soft, delicate textiles.

Have you ever considered trying to merge both?  Mixing and matching your living room textiles and colours could give you the best of both worlds.  A little bit of everything you love could go wonderfully together to create a personlised look in your home.  Plus, different fabrics will add texture and depth to your room.

When choosing fabrics, remember to try to use complementing colours and designs.   We’ve teamed our beautiful Belinda – Raspberry with the delicate floral design of Chrysanthemum.  The rich, raspberry colour picks out the pink hues of the flowers, bringing them to life.

Today Guest Blogger Steph from Bathshop321 shows us how we can use fabrics to bring colour and personality into our bathrooms.

The household bathroom is one of those ‘vital’ rooms in our homes . It provides us with a place to relax, unwind and spend a little ‘me time’ washing away the stress of a long day. Whilst the regular bathroom will consist of a toilet, sink and shower/bath you can spruce up your bathroom so much more with a hint of fabric here and there, to not only personalise but soften the appearance of what can often be a rather generically decorated room.

Choosing the Right Colours

As with any decoration, it is always best to consider your colour scheme and theme before committing to buying a new coloured or patterned fabric. No matter where you are looking to apply the material or accessory, be sure to complement the existing bathroom features rather than overpower them.  These duck egg fabrics work beautifuly with the crisp white suite and various blue accessories to create a tranquil, seaside environment.

Bathroom Curtains and Blinds

Bathroom curtains and blinds are the obvious choice, yet so many people opt for the first set of plain white curtains or Venetian blinds they can find. A great way to add a little extra energy to your bathroom is to source a vibrant or sleek colour and design that contrasts nicely with the current style of the room. Tones such as maroon or brown can have a great effect on a bathroom with a warming, cosy tone, whereas a fresh, green works well with lighter, refreshing bathrooms with a neutral palette.

Occassional Bathroom Chairs

Occasional chairs can be a great addition to your bathroom, and if you have the room can add a little luxury. Whether you use them just to make a statement or you actually find them convenient for pampering your feet and putting your makeup on, they’re quite a popular accessory! Go for an overstated, traditional chair with an upholstered seat to match your curtains. Vintage and Victorian bathrooms are in right now, so choose an elaborate piece to create a unique focal point.

Steph at Bathshop321 thinks Plumbs have a fantastic range of fabrics for decorating the bathroom.  Which is your favourtie?

At the beginning of the year Pantone announced their colour of choice for 2012 as Tangerine Tango and since then we’ve seen it cropping up everywhere!  A few months into the year and you can deck your whole house out with Tangerine Tango inspired products and designs.  And what better colour to bring some fun and vibrancy to your home.

With that in mind, we thought it would be fun to see what we could find on the high street and online.  It seems the heart of the home, the kitchen, has most fully embraced this year’s hottest colour trend with a wealth of appliances, utensils and culinary bric a brac all available in Tangerine Tango…

1. Colour Scheme inspired by Pantone Colour of the Year: Tangerine Tango (17-1463 TCX)

2. Orange Poppy in Glass Vase – Matalan

3. Made-to-Measure Blinds in ‘Katie – Autumn’ fabric – Plumbs

4. Rainbow Orange Cafetiere – La Cafetiere

5. Gmundner Ceramics Selection Orange – porzellantreff.de

6. Made-to-Measure Dining Chair Covers in ‘Turin-Honey’ fabric – Plumbs

7. Colourworks Accessories Reversible Chopping Board – Kitchen Craft

8. Smeg 28yo1 Orange Refrigerator – Comet

When it comes to decorating a new room or even if you simply want a change for your windows, you will inevitably come to the question: curtains or blinds?

Curtains can soften the frames of a window, and bring a homely touch to larger, brighter rooms.  Depending on the colour and fabric you choose, curtains can be used for a cosy living room or a more wistful look.  Heavy, black-out lined curtains are ideal for keeping the warm in and the cold out in winter…

…or you can create a soft, romantic look with curtains that drape and hang lightly.

A great benefit of blinds is that when pulled up they will allow more natural light to flood into your room, where draped back curtains could block some out.  This is particularly useful in smaller darker living rooms where every bit of light is crucial…

…Blinds would allow you to illuminate more of the room, and give an airy feel.

If you’re still undecided then who says you have to choose?  You can have the best of both worlds by combining curtains and blinds together.

Choosing co-ordinating fabrics can add depth to your window dressing, and with the many colour, pattern and texture combinations available, you can create all kinds of looks.  You could really go to town with bold colours and contrasting luxury fabrics for a display that would make a real feature of your windows.

Alternatively, you could tone things down with matching shades and designs, for subtle depth.

Click here to see the curtain fabric range that Plumbs have to offer, or view a selection of our blinds fabrics here.

When cash flow is at a lull it can sometimes feel like you’re stuck with the same old décor in your home.  But you don’t need to spend a fortune to make a quick and easy difference to a room.

As I was nosing around the Plumbs archives this morning (my first port of call for home décor inspiration), I stumbled across this great kitchen transformation.

Sometimes all it takes for a fresh new look, is a nice new fabric and a couple of colourful trinkets – hardly a break the bank exercise!

This roller blind, made in Deck Chair Stripe – Rouge fabric, gives this kitchen a whole new feel.  The red and white stripes promote the perfect colour scheme for this quaint country kitchen.  Accented with red features and colourful flowers, these simple changes have really helped to bring the room to life.

Remember, you don’t have to go to great lengths in giving your home a complete makeover.  Often you can give your room a great new look and feel simply by adding an accent colour, or introducing various textures and textiles.  Give it a go – you’ll be surprised with the results!

The clocks have gone back, the nights are drawing in and the first signs of Christmas are adorning the shop fronts – winter is well and truly on its way.  But for many of us, this year’s holiday cheer is being dampened by news of rising energy costs and worries of the implications for our heating bills.  With the ‘big six’ energy companies including British Gas and EDF Energy all announcing rises of up to 18%, it’s no wonder that so many of us are searching for a solution.

The struggle is often not heating your home, but keeping that heat in.  A huge proportion of heat can be lost through windows and under doors, as the image below shows.

So, to help you on your way, we’ve come up with 5 top tips to keeping your home warm, keeping your heating bills down and keeping your spirits high!

1) Don’t invite the cold in! Draught-proof your front door by adding a door brush; particularly useful in windy conditions.  Consider getting a door curtain – not only will this reduce the draughts coming in and the warm air getting out, a door curtain can add a real cosiness to your hallway.

2) Fill in the gaps! If your radiator is directly below your window, tuck the edges of your curtains onto the window sill.  This will prevent the hot air from the radiator escaping straight out behind your curtains.  Alternatively, you could invest in a radiator cover to ensure that heat is directed out, into the room.

3) Safeguard your windows! Opt for lined and interlined curtains to keep the draughts from coming in. Interlinings act as an extra insulation layer within the curtains. To be twice as prepared, add a blind behind your curtains.

4) Pick a pelmet! Not only do pelmets provide an excellent finishing touch to your window dressing, they can also reduce the amount of heat lost when hot air that has risen begins to cool and fall.

5) Bathrooms and kitchens! In rooms where you may not have curtains such as bathrooms or kitchens, consider installing blinds.  They may be less effective insulators than curtains, but they should certainly make some difference.  Avoid slatted blinds and opt for roman styles.

Plumbs offer made-to-measure curtains and blinds in a beautiful range of designs, so you can keep warm and you won’t have to compromise on style.

To view our range and find out more about about Plumbs’ Curtains and Blinds, click on the link below:

http://www.plumbscurtains.co.uk/

Thermal Imaging picture taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/aqa/energy/heatrev3.shtml

There’s nothing like summer to give us all a breath of fresh air, just when we need it most. So it’s a delight to see the arrival of a brand new range of made-to-measure blinds from Plumbs.

If you’re stuck for ideas on how to revamp your living room, or give your bedroom a new lease of life, the experts from Plumbs are here to bring the warmth and colour of Summer into your home.

Windows are the focal point in most rooms; Modern, minimalist interiors shun heavy fabric treatments and instead favour the simple, straight lines of Roman or Roller blinds. Blinds offer a perfect mix of security, shade and style.

Plumbs Merchandise Director, Linda Hindle says: “if you prefer plain walls then bold, dramatic blinds using an eye-catching patterned fabric is very effective. You can really enhance the effect by adding a co-ordinating cushion or two.”

Linda continues: “Our home consultants always advise people to pick colours from their existing furnishings as a starting point. They will bring along samples and swatches so that people can match their new blinds to their carpets, upholstery and wall colours”.

Plumbs offer a free measuring and free quotation service by a fully trained home advisor. Plumbs can also provide curtains to co-ordinate with blinds – again a free estimate service is provided.