The Best Custom Blinds to Elevate Your Home

Originally published at bhg.com

There's something truly special about custom finishes—just as a suit perfectly tailored to your body always looks better than one pulled off the rack—so why dress your home with anything less? Windows are often the focal point of a room, and blinds shouldn't detract from them. Custom blinds give you the opportunity to ensure a seamless fit while choosing colors, materials, and every other detail down to the amount of light that shines through. 

There are a variety of companies that offer a wide selection of custom window treatments. To help make the decorating process easier, we've compiled a list of the best custom blinds that provide quality products, must-have features, and affordable options. 

The Best Custom Blinds of 2021 

• Best Overall: Stoneside Blinds & Shades

• Most Accessible: Bali Blinds

• Most Customizable: Levolor Blinds

• Most Kid-Friendly: Norman Blinds

• Most Energy-Efficient: Hunter Douglas

What to Consider When Buying Blinds 

While you might get swept up in choosing the color, material, and design elements of window treatments, there are some functional things you should keep in mind during the customization process. First, consider the needs of the room where your linds will be installed. Is it a bedroom, living room, kitchen, or office? You might have different preferences, depending on the space. For example, in a home office, you might want blinds that reduce glare to help see your computer screen, while your living room might require more natural light.

In a bedroom, enhanced privacy and minimized light in the mornings are popular asks. "For bedrooms, we often do a double-layered blind or shade: a blackout one closer to the window and a more decorative or translucent one for looks," says Yaiza Armbruster, head of New York-based architecture and interior design firm Atelier Armbruster. But in a kitchen or living room, more light makes the room feel bigger and brighter.

Another significant factor to consider is energy efficiency. "More and more of our projects are smart houses," Armbruster says. "It's great when you can set the times the shades should shut or open." Setting your window treatments on an automated system can decrease heat buildup, reducing wasted energy and saving your electric bill in the process. The best custom blinds brands manufacture energy-efficient products to meet this standard.

Other aspects essential to the buying process are budget, how easy the blinds are to clean, and safety level if you have children or small pets in your home. "We avoid strings on shades as they are a hazard for small children but also don't look so cute if not properly stored away," says Armbruster.

How Can You Customize Blinds? 

Most custom blind companies allow you to select the color and material of your window treatments, which could include vinyl, aluminum, wood, faux wood, and metal, among others. Energy-efficient designs and insulation options help reduce heat loss in cool climates and keep cool air from escaping in the summer.

Sizing is another important part of the customization process to ensure a snug fit and sleek design. The type of blinds—vertical or horizontal—also makes a difference to the overall aesthetic. For example, vertical blinds work well on wider windows, whereas horizontal blinds elongate taller windows. Slat size, the type of cord and operating system, and valance and headrail designs all play a role in how your window treatments come together.

Best Overall: Stoneside Blinds & Shades 

With Stoneside Blinds & Shades, you can be sure you're getting the best service possible—98% of reviewers on Trustpilot gave the company an "excellent" rating for an average score of 4.9 out of 5 stars. Reviews across multiple sites praise Stoneside for having high-quality window treatments and stellar communication and guidance from their service teams. One Google review reads, "Stoneside fitted the blinds on every window of our home and are the best for a reason. Great quality, amazing aftercare and customer service."

The customization process begins with a free in-home consultation during which an expert highlights your design options and answers any questions. Stoneside offers wood blinds (from $181), faux wood blinds (from $174), composite wood blinds (from $191), and vertical blinds (from $178) as well as other window treatments like shades, drapes, and valances. The blinds can be completely customized to fit your window measurements with your choice of slat size, color swatches, and price group (to help you stay on budget). 

Stoneside has locations in 91 cities across the US. Make sure you've set your location before entering further into the website to see product lines in your area. Schedule a free design consultation today by calling 617-207-6187 or using the live chat feature on Stoneside's website. 

Most Accessible: Bali Blinds 

To help you find the perfect product for your home, Bali Blinds has an interactive guide that asks you about the type of window or door you're looking to cover, the amount of privacy and light you're seeking, the materials you prefer, and any other features you might be interested in, such as energy efficiency, child and pet safety, UV protection, and more. Within the various product lines, you can choose between wood, faux wood or composite, aluminum or vinyl blinds, and determine whether you want a horizontal or vertical design. 

In terms of pricing, horizontal aluminum and vinyl blinds tend to be less expensive. You can currently buy vinyl blinds on Amazon for $19 and aluminum mini blinds at The Home Depot (from $34). Bali Blinds are also available at Lowe's, JCPenney, Pottery Barn, American Blinds, and Blinds.com, making it one of the most convenient brands in the business.

The company works hard to make you feel good about your custom blinds choices, too. To help create a vision of your investment, you can upload photos of your windows using Bali's visualization tool to see how each window treatment will look in your home. Every custom blinds purchase comes with a limited lifetime warranty to ensure customer satisfaction. 

Most Customizable: Levolor Blinds 

With its energy efficiency, innovation, and high-quality products, Levolor Blinds provides premium designs with an extensive customization inventory. It offers six blind product lines for different budgets and design preferences: real wood, faux wood, vertical, soft vertical, Mark 1 metal, and Riviera metal blinds. 

At the higher end, Levolor's soft vertical blinds start at $309 and drape like curtains. They come with custom sizing, light control, valance options, and are certified as best for kids. Real wood blinds start at $106 and feature customizations such as type of blind controls (corded or cordless), slat size, level of privacy and shading, and various mounting options. If you want the look of wood but a more durable alternative, faux wood blinds start at $96 (you can find them on Amazon for cheaper) and they won't crack, fade, or warp over time. The most extensive Levolor collection is the vertical blinds, which are ideal for larger windows, offer three vane types, and start at $68. Made from recycled aluminum, Mark 1 metal blinds are an environmentally friendly cordless option and priced at $65 and up. On the more affordable side are Riviera metal blinds, which start at $38 and have a SheerView design that filters light to reduce glare. 

You can buy Levolor blinds from major retailers such as Amazon, Lowe's, The Home Depot, Wayfair, and JCPenney or blinds manufacturers like Blinds.com and American Blinds. 

Most Kid-Friendly: Norman Blinds 

As an industry leader for the past four decades, Norman takes the extra step when it comes to materials, service, and impact. The company is eco-conscious—it directly farms the wood used in its blinds—and emphasizes the importance of safety through its production of Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA)-certified "Best for Kids" products. To help you consider how the window treatments will work in your space, Norman products are categorized by room, window shape, and features. The company offers up to 60 different colors and materials, allowing you to play with texture and bold colors in your decorating scheme. 

The SmartPrivacy faux wood blinds use advanced technology to ensure privacy and reduce light. They also have instant-locking capabilities to hold the blinds in their position. The SmartPrivacy Normandy wood blindsprovide similar features but also include an eco-friendly finish, elevated grain patterns, and quarter-sawn slats. If you prefer a vertical design, the Synchrony vertical blinds are a great choice. These flame-resistant blinds come with a cordless wand for an easy open and close, plus they offer increased UV protection. One of the most affordable options, CityLights aluminum blinds are waterproof and have a decorative headrail, enhanced privacy slats, and technology that repels dust to make the cleaning process easier. There is also a lifetime warranty available to protect against material defects or workmanship issues. 

Pricing depends on the product type and size. "For example, in Manhattan, the size of the window may be larger than one in the suburbs, which would change the base price," says Frank Demattia, franchise owner at Budget Blinds of Manhattan. To see what buying options are available in your area, simply fill out your zip code on Norman's "Where to Buy" page and schedule a consultation. 

Most Energy-Efficient: Hunter Douglas 

One of the most important interior design considerations continues to be energy efficiency. According to the Department of Energy, heat gain and loss through windows is responsible for 25-30% of residential heating and cooling use. Hunter Douglas Blinds supplies energy-efficient window coverings that provide insulation in the winter, control heat entry in the summer, and highlight natural light to reduce the need for energy-draining artificial light. It was the first company to receive an Attachments Energy Rating Council certification for interior window coverings. 

Hunter Douglas offers two main types of blinds: vertical and horizontal. There are four vertical product lines that each provide different benefits. Skyline gliding window panels are ideal for large windows with sweeping views, and the Cadence soft vertical blinds are sleek with a drapery look. The Somner vertical blinds offer noise control and light reduction while the Vertical Solutions blinds bring sophisticated design elements, like sound absorption, to those on a budget.

Horizontal Hunter Douglas blinds come in wood and metal materials. The Parkland wood blinds are made with a rich, sustainable wood sourced from "responsibly managed forests." Another unique element to Parkland blinds is that they can be ordered to fit a wide range of specialty shapes. The EverWood faux wood blinds offer the same elegant look of the Parkland wood, but they're more durable and guaranteed not to fade, yellow, or warp over time. Modern Precious Metals aluminum blinds are the most enduring type of blind due to their material. Unlike traditional aluminum blinds, these can be ordered with a special feature called MagnaView, which doubles the view space and amount of incoming light.  

In regards to pricing, window size, materials, color, and operating system all factor into the cost. But if you're looking for a quote, you can reach out to a local Hunter Douglas expert for a consultation.