We first brought home a pair of white faux wood blinds when we were decorating the nursery — a dark room seemed like the best way to encourage serious naps. For years we’d wanted the same look in our own bedroom. The small window above the bed was never covered, and although it doesn’t get direct morning sun, we knew a slatted blind would help make the room darker at night. The other window still had the original plastic roller shade that came with the house — it was likely decades old, yellowed and stained. Time for an upgrade.
One helpful thing about the old roller shade was that it tucked up underneath our white Ikea roman shade. That gave us privacy and some light blocking when it was down, and during the day it stayed hidden. Still, we wanted the small window above the bed covered for better nighttime darkness, and we decided to replace the crusty roller shade at the same time. We ordered two more pairs of custom-cut-to-fit white faux wood blinds from Home Depot (they offer free custom sizing), and they were just what we needed.
Here’s the old roller shade after we removed the roman shade to do the blind swap. It clearly showed its age and was doing little to improve the room’s look.
We removed the grimy roller shade and fitted the new custom-cut faux wood blind. Right away it felt cleaner and more finished.
The blinds arrived slightly too long for the window, and extra slats add weight and make raising and lowering more cumbersome. John followed the simple instructions included with the blinds to remove the extra slats until the fit was right.
Once the blind was shortened and rehung, we put the Ikea roman shade back up. Now we can lift the faux wood blind during the day so it’s hidden behind the roman shade, and lower it at night for privacy and improved darkness.
Adding these blinds made a noticeable difference. The bedroom is much darker in the morning and the windows look cohesive with similar treatments used throughout the house. We now have these blinds in two of the three bedrooms, and the consistent look ties the rooms together.
On the small window above the bed there’s nowhere to tuck the blind behind, but when it’s raised it’s virtually undetectable because its crisp white color blends with the window trim. We love how dark the room is now in the morning — the difference really is night and day.
That’s our latest small bedroom update. Have you made any changes to block light, dress windows, or add function to your sleeping spaces? Any window projects around the house you’re tackling right now? We’d love to hear about them.