First I need to say that I've been caught out by old threads too so everybody, it's an OLD THREAD and the poster has already said what she ended up doing. But FWIW I thought your blinds looked good but I can understand wanting a colour change and grey would also be lovely from outside and a nice change inside. I hope you didn't give up on the vertical blind idea only because of the negativity from 'style experts'. We 'upgraded' our front room windows and although I like the appearance of what we have there now I am frequently conscious of the fact that I can't "filter the amount of light & privacy". Vertical blinds are very functional and how cheap or expensive they look is influenced by the choice of fabric, of course as with everything people's personal tastes vary, but the negativity toward vertical blinds sounds like a case of 'Emperor's New Clothes'.

Dear Creatively Challenged , I can recommend Dulux Colour Consultants, I gave up after about 5 sample pots . At the time it cost me $150 and if I used dulux paints I could claim a full refund . That was 12 years ago . I didn’t realise at the time just how good they were , the colours are still in fashion but it’s ready for another paint job for sure. It was such a relief to have someone in who is trained and fully understands colours and fashion and what goes with what . I finally stopped stressing about it and got the job done ✅

To add texture and softness to a room i would always recommend a curtain.. For bedrooms I always recommend a blockout with a sheer curtain hung very close to the cornice .. Depending on the “fall” of the fabric.. ( how it sits) your window treatment professional will recommend a style ( double pinch pleat, reverse pleat, s fold) but they will recommend the best pleat to showcase the fabric you choose .. However here is a cheap but smart alternative. Firstly.. very rarely do I hang either curtains or blinds within the window “reveal” I always go at least a minimum of 150mm above the window for blinds and generally always up to the cornice for the curtains. When you hang in the reveal you lose the height and a portion of the view.. You want to highlight a view so this is why I’m suggesting it! Plus it always makes your room look bigger. But .. if this is not for you then Alternatively you can get a sunscreen blind hung within the reveal and hang a curtain above roughly 150mm about be the reveal. The curtain should “frame” the window on either side of the window frame wall .. NOT covering a good portion of the window.. you want most of the fabric to sit in the wall when open. The combo blind / curtain is your most economical.. But I have always always hung curtains in bedrooms without fail.. It gives you that element of texture and luxe that is very hard to beat!!

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