Hi Sarah DIY can be a great option to stay within your budget and find an agreeable solution to your current dilemma. Window furnishings are generally one of the last jobs required after going through the process of building your house, which means the budget is always tight at this point after all the other 'extra expenses' Therefore you are now potentially starting to look at compromising on the quality that you originally wanted to finish your off your house. Window furnishing can have a fairly visual impact, as well as influencing how the room 'feels', on both the inside and outside of you rooms and home. In the first instance we need to define the difference between a DIY 'Ready Made / Ready to Hang Product' which is what you would purchase from somewhere such as Spotlight vs DIY "Custom Made" products. The difference in quality is significant, however the price points don't have to be. At iseekblinds, we offer genuine custom made blinds, made in Australia. If you visit our website, you can get an instant price online - It would be interesting to see the difference between what you have been quoted and what we can offer. We can turn Roller Blinds around within 3 weeks or sooner if requested and deliver nationally. Everything you need to know regarding measure and installation is on our website and we teach and guide you through the process to ensure you get it right. Please see some of our reviews to hear how our other customers have been surprised at just how easy the installation process has been and are over the moon in regards to the product quality they received. Get Your DIY On! I say. And please don't hesitate to contact me if I can be of any further assistance Cheers, Sally

I have a similar family room, with big windows and a sliding door and we have block out Roman blinds on them. They sit at the top of the windows most of the time as we don't have any privacy issues with being looked in at by the neighbours. We really only put them down at night in the winter. Ours have a creamy coloured background with taupy wavy lines on them. Very neutral. I never could have imagined that's what I wanted til I saw the fabric. Good luck I'll see if I can find a photo to post.

Curtains are coming back in at the local display homes and look very luxurious. Plantation shutters look stylish in the right house but I agree with the comments about the potential to look dated if not a good match for the overall house style. Rollers remind me of schooldays when the teacher set up the projector to show a film while the students struggled to get the blinds to stay down to darken the room, but modern rollers are a simple window covering which can be a good thing if all you want is something that opens and shuts in the background while other features of the room stand out. For something you'll really be happy with you need to be weighing up personal taste, house style, window style, functionality, maintenance, room usage, window orientation, etc. You can choose the trendiest look but if it's a nuisance to live with because it doesn't provide the required light/dark level or privacy or is noisy in the breeze or whatever, it is not the right choice for the purpose.

Care to share a photo of your space so far so we have a better idea of your colour scheme to invite more suggestions? :)