I'd go for one of the lighter greys to avoid too monochromatic room. The darker blind looks like a black panel rather than a blind.

I'd choose one of the two lightest greys. White would also look good but shows dirt and dust.

I still love the black blind, very classy with the rest of the house.

I think I’m starting to lean towards white... would they get dirty? There’s no need to touch as they’re electronic.
I prefer the darker one up close, it has some greys through it but from a distance you can’t really tell. The pattern isn’t open enough to see, just looks a bit beige so maybe just the plain white is better, but it has no other colours to hide dust etc.
I’m going in circles!

Are the blinds roller or other, and keep in mind that when looking at the exterior of the house the windows that you see should look the same, ie same window treatment.

Your house looks lovely, did you think of using white shutters, they add texture even though they are white. sorry to add to the confusion.

Just saw that they retract up into a bulk head

Shutters look amazing. But yes, the are just basic blinds that retract up to into the bulk head.

Jodes when I look at the photos I see that the blinds retract up to the bulk head, so that would mean that you would see them?. The bulk head contains the Aircon with downward vents?

I also think that any blinds/window treatments except curtains should be kept to the size of the window?

When they’re retracted you won’t see them at all. Only at night when they’re down.
There’s no vents in the bulk head. Only a slot for each blind to come down from.

That makes sense, and so much better than aircon vents as you can add full height sheers if you wanted to. I think shutters would suit and soften your room instead of the harsh blinds For me blinds and curtains go together

Either of these 2 options would be nice. White is classic and if you choose to change the paint will still work.

I suggest to consider your focal points, if you have stripes of dark around the room you won't know where to look! Then if you do a white it will start to box out like you have no windows! I suggest going for either the light grey or even consider a light Taupe to warm it up and little and work with the timber. Well done :)

much better :)

Last sample is nice

Blinds ( lined or a block-out material ) that match the wall colour will always endure and the room won't look like a patchwork quilt.

I just read all the above , and personally , I am surprised someone hasn't suggested what to me seems the obvious choice -- wooden timber venetian blinds , in a darker / redder shade than the wooden flooring and the display box along the 'chimney' . I don't know if they can be made to work with the electronics , ( I can't see why not , but never know ) but they probably don't need to -- they would look good ( and 'natural' ) inside , but also they look good from the exterior IMO -- better than the 'bare' windows you'd see with the curtains open/up .

SiriusKey also has that great idea with shutters -- a similar vein -- adds variety and interest , rather than the 'blandness' of variations of grey and white -- and don't tell me grey and white are 'on trend' , but IMO it has been done to death .

If you absolutely have to have curtains , then some colour would be my go-to . Personally , I would go with a bright red or orange -- the heavy weave of the fabric should lighten it a bit too , add texture and character . But if you want to be safe , a taupe or coffee or grey/blue or mid-yellow would still add character and tie in with the black , white and timber .

To me, blinds are like a trim and should be kept white and this reduces them being a feature in the room so wall colour is irrelevant. White keeps a room looking crisp and fresh too. I have just done white venetians in my new home and could not be happier with them, the wide slatted ones are no effort to keep clean at all, but I really love the full control I have over temperature, light and privacy at any time of the day. Shutters are also good for this but the framework on them does reduce light coming into the room.

I would go white also... this would make the fireplace be more of a feature.. white blinds will allow other things in the room to stand out.

Jodes, I was chuckling reading this as I'm in the same dilemma at present and have almost the same colour scheme! I really like your last choice of organic and think it will look soft and subtle. Glad you got there in the end (and you've given me some ideas...)

Good luck Lea! The number of decisions to be made when building is overwhelming!!
For what it’s worth we chose our colour scheme not to be ‘on trend’ but because we actually really like all the contrast.
To me, charcoal, white and timber look fantastic together. We couldn’t be happier with what we’ve chosen, especially our kitchen.
We have gone with basic blinds that retract into the bulk head as that’s what we wanted. We love our windows and the view outside. In time we may add sheers or curtains, but for now we are happy with our choices.
Thanks everyone!

Ditto here! I have a similar dilemma with exactly the same colours. We put white plantations on 3 windows at one end of the room. They’re brilliant - great looking and provide excellent insulation.

Another wall has a sliding door and a window each side. More plantations or more white would be way too much.

I had charcoal sheers (or maybe another fabric) very firmly in mind. A window covering consultant came ‘round. In our room, a lighter, silver shade of grey looked much better and more soothing than any of the darker greys. They tended to look quite harsh in comparison. We haven’t placed the order yet, otherwise I’d post a pic. But I hope our experience helps - even just a little bit. Keep us posted, Jodes. I’d love to see the outcome. :-)

Good to know Dm Stan - we had also thought about charcoal blinds but I'd been wondering if it would be too harsh and Jodes' photos helped me see what the dark looked like - thanks Jodes! We have a white kitchen so I'm hoping the floor coverings and 'pops of colour' everyone reassures me about(!) will help soften the look. You raise another point though - is it ok to mix and match window coverings in the one room? I thought I would need to do the same type of covering on all windows. Would love to see photos when your room is done Dm Stan. Hope to see the end result Jodes.

I had a little chuckle, Lea. Privacy isn’t an issue so those windows don’t have covering for that very reason. We’ve been scratching our head for 2 years, wondering if we could put 2 different types of window covering in the same room. We wondered what on earth would go with white plantations. And didn’t want to spend a fortune and then think, yuck!

I found a couple of pics of large rooms with shutters in one area of the room, and blinds and sheers in another. They look surprisingly fine together. Like our room, those rooms would have been too much with plain white blinds, and more shutters would have created a horizontal prison bar effect. The pics showed that the fabric added softness, texture and colour but didn’t ‘fight’ with the plantation. I’m hoping that’ll be the outcome here, too. If I can find those pics again, I’ll post them - if that’s ok with Jode’s, of course. :-)

Dm Stan, if your room is multi purpose I see no problem having different window coverings as it can help define different areas.

Thanks Dm Stan - good to know I'm not alone in struggling to make decisions! We have a lot of window space to cover, but also don't want to lose our view out the back. Would love to see the pics if you can find them - or just post yours when you're done:)

Thanks, olldroo. It's funny how we get stuck on ideas, or colours. Some of us have a rule or an image in our head, and get quite fixed. Or we second guess ourselves to the point of crazy. That's where Houzz is so helpful. Articles and reader feedback challenge and open us up to other (often better) options we would never have considered. Some decisions can make or break a house, and the bank! Feedback certainly helps us feel more confident about our decisions. So, ta!

Would love to see final outcomes. Especially different coverings in the one room.
We are the same, there are no privacy issues due to land size.

I haven’t decided what to do over our kitchen window which is the same area. It has a stacker sliding window to own out to a serving area outside. Ideas would be appreciated!

I’ll put a photo of the kitchen up later tonight.

Jodes, are these pics of any help?

You'll have to use more imagination with the timber shutter idea. I don't have Photoshop, so this is this best I can do quickly in dear old PowerPoint.

DM Stan, that’s fantastic!! I actually don’t mind the dark blinds seeing them like that but I think the neutral will be less invasive lol
Thanks so much!!
I’ll send through a photo of the kitchen later.

Please do. If you have anything in mind for it,

let me know. It’s easy enough to try it out electronically (like the lounge room option pics).

We also have a kitchen window in the space I’m on about. We’ll just leave it, I reckon. Privacy isn’t an issue and heat loss/gain from it would be minimal. I think a blind would get in the way here??? Y/N?

I would absolutely leave that lovely window alone! Blinds and curtains would just get spattered, and I say go for the view every time:) Wish I'd seen your kitchen splashback pic before we chose ours...

I think you’re right, Lea. No matter what we put there, it’d be in the way / wreck the look.

And ta about the splashback. It’s very lightly metallic - softens it a bit.

We’re like Jodes. We picked the colours because we liked them. And even tho I’m reading that people are over grey, I don’t regret the decision. We remodeled the whole thing, but our old kitchen was grey and white. We got an extra 10 years out of it because it was grey and white. Whilst other homes of the era had kitchens that screamed ‘out dated’, ours soldiered on. I wish the original owners had a similar approach to our bathrooms. The ensuite is a really shocker - dark emerald green tiles with a lovely gold trim, heavy cream cupboards and light creamy peach floors. Blugggh. Selections, eh! Way back then, they probably did that lady’s head in as well.

At least we have Houzzer help!

Love those dark blinds, how fabulous of you Dm Stan.

Dm Stan, even though privacy is not an issue, I just get freaked out at bare glass at night when I can't see out. I have to have it covered, but that is just me. My kitchen window here was a scream, it barely came down to eye level so all I could see was the sill and sky. Had a new window put in that came almost to the bench top and the difference to the room is amazing. I put a double roller blind on it, mesh and thermal and I am amazed at the difference the thermal blind makes on cold nights. Don't underestimate how much cold can be transmitted through glass. The mesh is handy of a morning when the sun streams in and is blinding. Both blinds roll up to nothing, have no problems with them getting in the way at all and so far no splatter or anything to clean.

Love your ensuite - I'd prefer the emerald green to the dirty apricot tiles with brown edging, cream and gold trim I had here. I can't believe how much gold trim was once used in homes and it all crazes and crackles for extra effect.

Thanks, Julie. I love fiddling around with that sort of stuff. Ever need anything - sing out, people.

Heheheh. I can almost picture you on tippy toes, peeking out the window, olldroo! And ta for the advice about a blind not getting in the way.

You’re right, there will be heat loss/heat transfer, but in that regard our biggest prob is the 5+m of uncovered windows further down. If they got full sun, we’d have covered them by now. They’re shaded by a pergola. You can still feel the cold coming in though, and lots of heat in summer. We’ve done the calcs and know the heat loss. And what it does to the power bill, don’t worry about that! As Jodes is no doubt finding, every idea costs money so the pressure mounts to choose the right product/right finish. That’s where I am at the mo. Perhaps I should go window treatment shopping with Jodes - get it over and done with!

As promised a photo of our kitchen window. Privacy isn’t an issue for us either, window is double glazed so will we lose much heat??

Should I worry with covering or not? The window slides to the right so as we can serve out through it if we wish so I don’t want anything that will get in the way. I’m tempted not to worry about anything.

Are you my long lost sister? We’ve even got the same ovens, and that’s the fridge colour I’ll get when the old one packs it in!

Your double glazed windows are much more energy efficient than single glazed. They can reduce heat loss or heat gain by about 30% (some claim even more) compared to single glazed. Unless your physically noticing heat exchange, I wouldn’t worry about covering them.

Hey, sis, surprise, surprise. Ours is a servery too!

Hi Jodes
Gorgeous kitchen, I wouldn’t cover your window, looks fabulous.

DM Stan! Your kitchen is gorgeous!! We have very similar tastes lol

I think I’ll leave it uncovered and see how it goes.

Oh and the fridge is awesome. I love it! So do the kids!

Oh, I’m still getting used to the microwave oven. Will take me a while to work out all the functions. Do you have an electrician in the family?? My hubby is an electrician, all the strip lighting was his idea. I’m glad he did it. We haven’t done the kickers lighting yet, I’ll tell him to get onto it. Yours is great!

I would choose the same colour as your walls, that way they won’t stand out like the charcoal colour does.

Ta heaps, Jodes. 2 years post reno and we’re still lovin‘ it - it’s so practical and easy to clean. I’d have yours any day too

btw. You’re lucky to have a sparkie on tap. We don’t. Our cabinet maker threw in the strip lighting. I thought it was a nice but unnecessary extra; something I wouldn’t have asked for. But like you, I’m so glad it’s there - no working in your shadow. It’s brilliant. An absolute must in any future kitchen reno now.

The MW is good but a bit impatient - it beeps too much! We had a 20yr old Sharp carousel, so the new one was a bit of a tech leap. It‘s pretty easy to get used to. We use the combo function a lot, and the rice program does a great job. Wish it cleaned itself tho!

Since seeing your fridge, I’ve been on alert every time ours makes a weird noise, hoping this is it - bang - ceased motor. New fridge!

Keep us updated about your window coverings. It’s a lovely looking home. You and your hubby have done really well. :-)

I suggest white Luxaflex blinds that concertina up by lifting with your hand to disappear at the top of your window. Georg!

I too have a similar style to you, I painted all my walls in Whisper white and all the blinds and shutters are also all done in Whisper white.
This just allows for you too add all the colours you like elsewhere.
I do have dark frames and it works really well.