Window Blinds

My home office where I spend most of my time, is lovely with large windows and views of our lovely, mature garden. Except it's east facing and the powerful Lancashire sun means I cannot see my computer screen and end up closing all the curtains and sitting in the dark.

So I would like to buy some blinds but only if they will stop the glare/reflections on my screen so I get the all the natural light in this room but can see my screen and continue my shitposting.

1) There are things called "sunscreen" blinds which look like they should do what I want but the websites tend to talk about them in terms of privacy. i.e. stopping people seeing me in my shorts and singlet doing my P90X at 5am.

2) They come on 1%, 3% and 5% and a variety of colours. I assume colours don't matter but what opacity do I want? Or do I need something thicker if I want to solve my problem. I don't want blackout as I might as well just continue to close the curtains.

3) I am happy with roller blinds that fit outside the frame and don't need the ones that fit on each pane of glass inside the window frame (there are four panes in my window).

4) There are lots of places that sell blinds Can anyone recommend somewhere?

Thanks in advance.

Matthew

PS finally I get to post a proper PFM thread where I ask a banal question looking for some practical advice relying on the fact that PFM is full of middle aged blokes with too much time on their hands and endless hobbies and there is always somebody who knows everything about any issue

 

we installed these last year: https://www.blindsdirect.co.uk/product/arena-cadence-white-roller-blind they cut glare rather than remove it entirely.

Get motorised and you can adjust them from your seat and no ugly cords/chains/cat toys. Each charge on ours lasts about 6 months. We bought 2 x 120cm wide x 165cm, plus a multi channel remote plus a charge and it was about £300. The company were swift and helpful - we are thinking of using them for replacing our very old bedroom roller blind

 

How about a Venetian blind you will be able to adjust it to block the sun but still let light in.


Pete

 

Why not contemplate a sunshade or pergola outside? Retain the view but just move the suns’ glare.

 

in our experience you get very bright and dark contrasting shadows. They are hard to keep clean. The strings break eventually.

 

Have you tried using anti-glare screens for the Laptop / monitor(s) Matthew, I had the same issue a few years ago and buying one from Amazon solved it for me.

 

And it’s often the same person…

 

I agree with Gin. I think they would be too fiddly and unreliable.

 

I am very fussy about monitors and the ones I have have very specific coatings which don't (obviously!) solve the problems. I would be loathe to put anything on an expensive monitor even though colour accuracy is not the issue it was for me when I did lots more photography.

 

Can't help you with exactly what you need but having bought lots of blinds online for rentals etc. in the last 5/6 years I can recommend Blinds2Go over a lot of other online services. Excellent customer service, good prices and very helpful with enquires, maybe drop them a line.

 

I've done this a lot over the years and I use someone whose a specialist to do the installation. He says that the place to order them from are 247blinds and blinds 2go, and they have been very good to deal with. My own feeling is that you won't need much opacity to just block out the glare, but I'd give them a ring and discuss it.


In my own house I use roller blinds. They don't collect too much dust and, best of all, you can get them completely out of the way when you don't want them by rolling them up. To be honest, I took down some roller blinds which had been up continuously for 22 years just a couple of months ago -- and amazingly, they seemed pretty clean (They probably weren't -- but you couldn't see it!) They're back doing stalwart service now the decorating has been done.


As far as material is concerned, you can get samples free. It's worth doing IMO.

 

Blinds to go are excellent if you can fit them yourself

 

Hilary’s are excellent, they come , they measure , they fit. Usually a sales promotion on or offer code, big range of styles.

I quite like Venetian, they let let in but it’s nicely damped.

 

Why not go old school and get some net curtains

 

NO

 

But then you miss out on becoming a curtain twitcher - go on, you know you want to

 

Can you be blind twitcher?

 

Where do you sit / how is the room set-up , vs the window?
Room & window sizes..?
Tasklight needed, or not..?
Colour of walls?

 

Room is east facing with a large window. I sit at 90 degrees to it facing south on a wall with no windows. Behind me is a wall with french doors (already have opaque blinds) and above is a pitch roof with velux windows (also with blinds). i.e. it's sort of like a conservatory with lots of light, although I mostly have all the blinds shut in the morning so I can see my screen. Which is why i want a non-blackout blind for the main window -- it's such a lovely space to sit in when the sun is out it seems such a shame to have to close the bloody curtains!

This bit of the room is about 12ft square but the whole room is more like 12x26 as there is an open square arch between here and the dining room. Walls are a pale yellow which is reflective enough that the light from the small window in the dining room bounces off the wall behind me! Although that's such a small window I leave the curtains shut full time unless we are using the dining room.

I have a fancy task light and a bunch of Hue lights behind the desk to give me bias lighting for the monitor.


Shitposting Central

 

Right.
Its a glare problem (there's a formal definition for such things.)
When I have two spare neurons back online.. will think.