Buying Guide

Blinds

Aqua Narrowboat Furnishing specialises in blinds for narrowboats, boats, caravans and cabins. All of these spaces have a number of things in common: space is compact and walls are never straight! We are experts in designing for these unique spaces and therefore have developed a range of prints that enhance space, with designed features that enable blinds to sit flush.

What is a Straight Edge Roman Blind?

A roman blind is composed of a single rectangular piece of flat fabric, which will form a series of horizontal folds when drawn up.

This classic blind style is suited to both traditional and contemporary tastes and suits a wide range of fabric styles. Roman blinds are a great choice when you are looking to save space whilst remaining stylish.

Aqua Narrowboats Furnishings have added roman blind design features that will enhance your compact space. We use small and colourful prints, which will add depth to your small space and allow you to choose key colours for cushions and other accessories. We also add press studs at the bottom of blinds enabling the blind to sit flush with the wall and look good too; we reduce the fold to 30cm so when the blind is drawn up the horizontal folds are compact, allowing as much light into your window as possible and making the space seem bigger; we recommend a shorter draw cable with a safety hook for a smarter look. We also offer a fitting service in some regions across the Midlands, giving you peace of mind that your interior design project will look stunning. Click here to browse our shop.

Please read these instructions carefully for measuring your blinds, and caring for them:

Measuring for Blinds

Blinds will be made to fit outside a window recess
Always use a metal tape measure as cloth or plastic may stretch
Double check all measurements
Measurements must be in centimetres

Measuring Outside a Window Recess

Width: measure the top of the recess and add a minimum of 7cm each side (14cm in total) so the blind overlaps the window
Drop: measure from the required position above the window down to the desired length
Our blinds are designed to fit boats, where the wall is at an angle which means the blind protrudes. To enable the blind to be flush with the wall we add press studs above the bottom bar and at either side, so it fixes to the wall. When measuring please take into account where you would like the studs to fall i.e. just under the window, or on the gunnel. Allow 4cm for the top bar (above the window) and 5cm for the bottom bar (below the window), therefore the studs are placed approx. 6cm from the bottom of the blind.

Lining Options

You may choose between Thermal and Blackout lining.

Cable Options

You may choose between white plastic cable or chrome, and you may choose if you want this on the right hand side or left hand side.

Press Stud Option

You may choose to have press studs added to your blinds, these are placed approx. 6cm from the bottom of the blind, one on either side, please think carefully where you want these to fall in order to press stud you blinds to the wall and enable them to be as flush as possible.

Design – Fabric / Alignment

Fabric blinds are always cut on the same design at the top; if you order multiple blinds of equal size in the same fabric the position of the design will be the same throughout. If you order blinds of different sizes the design will differ at the bottom but will match at the top.

However, we cannot match the design of the fabric on the edges of adjacent blinds. This is due to part of the design being lost in the blind facings, and as the blinds are made with the centre of the fabric design in the middle of the blind, blinds with different widths will have different parts of the design at the edges.

If you would like several blinds it is best to place the order for all blinds at the same time as the fabric used will be from the same batch. There is a slight variation in batches and ordering at different times could mean that a different batch of fabric is used and a slight variation may occur.

Movement

Fabric may shrink or relax due to variations in atmospheric conditions such as humidity and temperature over time. It is important to control the environment surrounding the blinds to prevent movement. We recommend your blinds do not hang too close to radiators or areas of excessive moisture from condensation or excessive heat and dryness. Condensation can also result in the blind discolouring and eventually the fabric deteriorating because of this.

Hanging

Full instructions on how to hang you blind will be included with your delivery or you can download instructions here.

Care

The care advice for each fabric will be different; this information is available by clicking on the fabric of your choice. Details include fabric composition, washing advice etc.