Custom Curtains, Blinds, Awnings & Shutters Ballarat
Mastodon

Blog

🪟 Should I Choose Curtains or Blinds for My Living Room?

A Complete Guide for Hobart, Ballarat & Cold‑Climate Homes

Choosing between curtains and blinds for your living room isn’t just a style decision — it affects insulation, comfort, glare control, privacy, and energy efficiency.
In colder regions like Hobart, Kingston, Huon Valley, Ballarat and the Central Highlands, the right window furnishing can dramatically reduce heat loss and improve year‑round comfort.

Below is a full comparison of curtains, blinds, honeycombs, roller blinds, and the truth about double glazing.

📊 Curtains vs Blinds: Quick Comparison Chart

Feature Curtains Blinds Honeycomb Blinds
Insulation Excellent (best with separate lining) Moderate Outstanding
Light Control Good Excellent Excellent
Glare Reduction Good Excellent Excellent
Style / Softness High Minimal Modern
Acoustic Comfort High Low Moderate
Maintenance Moderate Easy Easy
Cost Range Medium–High Low–Medium Medium–High
Best For Warmth, style, softness Minimalism, glare control Thermal performance

🛋️ Curtains for Living Rooms

Curtains remain the most popular choice for living rooms because they deliver warmth, softness, acoustic comfort and a premium finish. They also offer excellent insulation when properly installed.

🧵 Curtains With Separate Lining vs Rubber‑Backed Curtains

✔ Curtains with Separate Lining (Best Choice)

  • Superior insulation
  • Longer fabric life (lining protects the face fabric)
  • Better drape and fullness
  • Replaceable lining
  • Works beautifully with sheers + blockout combinations
  • Ideal for Hobart & Ballarat winters

✔ Rubber‑Backed Curtains

  • Budget‑friendly
  • Good blockout
  • Less durable (rubber can crack over time)
  • Not as thermally efficient
  • Limited fabric choices

🏆 Verdict:
For living rooms, separate lining wins — especially in cold climates.

❄️ Honeycomb Blinds (Cellular Blinds)

The most thermally efficient blind available.

Honeycomb blinds trap air inside their cells, creating an insulating barrier similar to double glazing.
In Tasmania and Victoria’s cold regions, they significantly reduce heat loss.

Why Honeycombs Excel

  • Up to 60% reduction in heat loss (varies by cell size and fabric)
  • Available in 10mm, 20mm, 25mm, 45mm and 62mm cells
  • Double‑cell options outperform all other blinds
  • Excellent for large living room windows
  • Available in light filtering, blockout, and motorised options
  • Perfect for raked, triangular, and shaped windows (your specialty)

Best Use Cases

  • Homes with large glazing
  • Living rooms with winter heat loss
  • Double‑height voids
  • Modern architectural homes
  • Areas where curtains aren’t practical

🧼 Roller Blinds for Living Rooms

Roller blinds are clean, modern and cost‑effective. They’re ideal when you want a minimal look or need precise glare control for TV viewing.

Strengths

  • Affordable
  • Easy to clean
  • Excellent for glare control
  • Dual rollers = day/night flexibility
  • Works well behind sheers

Limitations

  • Lower insulation compared to honeycombs or lined curtains
  • Light gaps unless using side channels
  • Not ideal for acoustics

🎯 Curtains + Blinds Together (The Best of Both Worlds)

This is the most popular living room solution in Hobart and Ballarat.

Typical setup:

  • Honeycomb or roller blind for daytime privacy + glare control
  • Sheer curtain for softness and diffusion
  • Blockout curtain with lining for insulation and night privacy

This combination delivers:

  • Maximum insulation
  • Beautiful interior finish
  • Flexible light control
  • Noise reduction
  • Energy savings

🔥 The Double‑Glazing Myth: “I Don’t Need Curtains or Blinds”

Many homeowners believe that double glazing eliminates heat loss.
It doesn’t.

Why Double Glazing Still Loses Heat

  • Glass is a poor insulator — even double glazing conducts heat.
  • Heat escapes through:
    • Conduction (through the glass)
    • Convection (air movement between panes)
    • Radiation (cold glass draws heat from the room)
  • Frames (especially aluminium) leak heat rapidly.
  • Large windows = large heat‑loss surface area.

What This Means

Even with double glazing, you still need:

  • Curtains with lining, or
  • Honeycomb blinds, or
  • Curtains + blinds together

This is especially true in:

  • Hobart (cold winters, coastal winds)
  • Huon Valley (very cold nights)
  • Ballarat (one of Australia’s coldest inland cities)

🏡 Which Should You Choose for Your Living Room?

Choose Curtains If You Want:

  • Warmth and insulation
  • A soft, elegant finish
  • Better acoustics
  • A designer look
  • Maximum night privacy

Choose Honeycomb Blinds If You Want:

  • The best thermal performance
  • A modern, architectural look
  • Solutions for shaped or large windows
  • Motorisation
  • Energy savings

Choose Roller Blinds If You Want:

  • A clean, minimal look
  • Easy cleaning
  • Budget‑friendly options
  • Good glare control

Choose Curtains + Blinds If You Want:

  • The best overall performance
  • Flexibility day and night
  • Style + insulation
  • A premium living room finish

🔥 Heat Retention Performance: Recess Fit vs Face Fit vs Pelmet

Window furnishings don’t just control light — they dramatically influence heat retention, especially in cold‑climate regions like Ballarat, Hobart, and the Huon Valley. The way a blind or curtain is installed determines how much warm air escapes and how effectively the system reduces convection currents around the glass.

Below is a clear breakdown of how each installation method performs thermally.

🧊 Recess‑Fit Blinds (Inside Mount) — Moderate Heat Retention

A recess‑fit blind sits inside the window frame, close to the glass. This creates a small, controlled air pocket between the blind and the window.

Why it helps

  • The blind traps a layer of air, slowing heat loss through conduction.
  • Honeycomb blinds perform best because their internal cells add additional insulation layers.
  • Roller blinds provide a basic barrier but still allow convection around the edges.

Thermal performance

  • Honeycomb recess‑fit: ★★★★☆
  • Roller blind recess‑fit: ★★☆☆☆
  • Venetian recess‑fit: ★☆☆☆☆

Heat retention gain

  • 10–25% improvement depending on blind type and window size.

Best for:
Modern homes with square frames, double glazing, and customers wanting a clean look with moderate insulation.

🧊 Face‑Fit Blinds (Outside Mount) — Better Heat Retention

A face‑fit blind overlaps the architrave or wall, covering the entire window opening. This reduces the amount of warm air that can escape around the edges.

Why it helps

  • The blind acts like a soft seal, reducing side and top gaps.
  • Warm air rising inside the room hits the blind, not the glass.
  • Works well with blockout fabrics that reduce radiant heat loss.

Thermal performance

  • Face‑fit roller blind: ★★★☆☆
  • Face‑fit honeycomb: ★★★★☆

Heat retention gain

  • 20–35% improvement, especially with blockout fabrics.

Best for:
Older homes, uneven frames, and customers wanting better insulation without adding curtains.

🧊 Face‑Fit Curtains (Standard Track) — Good Heat Retention

Curtains mounted on the face of the wall create a large insulating air cavity between the fabric and the window.

Why it helps

  • The curtain traps a deep pocket of warm air, slowing convection.
  • Lined curtains significantly reduce radiant heat loss.
  • Floor‑to‑ceiling curtains prevent cold air pooling at the floor.

Thermal performance

  • Face‑fit lined curtain: ★★★★☆
  • Face‑fit sheer only: ★☆☆☆☆

Heat retention gain

  • 25–40% improvement, depending on lining and fullness.

Best for:
Living rooms, open‑plan spaces, and customers wanting softness + insulation.

🧊 Curtains with a Pelmet — The Highest Heat Retention Available

A pelmet seals the top of the curtain, preventing warm air from escaping over the top — the biggest source of heat loss in standard curtain installations.

Why it is the best

  • Stops warm air rising behind the curtain (prevents convection loop).
  • Creates a sealed thermal chamber between curtain and window.
  • Works with both blockout and thermal linings.
  • Performs exceptionally well in cold climates like Ballarat and Hobart.

Thermal performance

  • Curtain + pelmet: ★★★★★ (best possible)
  • Curtain + pelmet + blockout lining: ★★★★★+ (elite performance)

Heat retention gain

  • 35–60% improvement, depending on curtain drop and lining.

Best for:
Bedrooms, heritage homes, cold‑climate living rooms, and any customer prioritising energy efficiency.

📊 Thermal Performance Summary Table

Installation Type Heat Retention Notes
Recess‑fit blind ★★☆☆☆ to ★★★★☆ Good for honeycombs, moderate for rollers
Face‑fit blind ★★★☆☆ to ★★★★☆ Better edge sealing, good for blockout
Face‑fit curtain ★★★★☆ Strong insulation, large air cavity
Curtain with pelmet ★★★★★ Best thermal performance available

📍 Serving Hobart, Huon Valley, Kingston, Ballarat & Daylesford

Taylor & Stirling has been supplying premium window furnishings since 1946.
We specialise in:

  • Thermal window solutions
  • Large‑format blinds
  • Shaped window systems
  • Motorisation
  • Curtains with separate linings
  • Honeycomb blinds
  • Roller blinds
  • Outdoor shading

📞Contact Taylor & Stirling

Hobart & Southern Tasmania

Showroom: 11 Wilmot Rd, Huonville TAS 7109
Phone: (03) 6231 4120
Email: info@taylorandstirling.com.au

Ballarat & Western Victoria

Showroom: 22 Sturt St, Ballarat VIC 3350
Phone: (03) 5331 4441
Email: info@taylorandstirling.com.au