Hillarys Blinds

Hillarys is a company in the UK that manufactures and sells blinds, awnings, window shutters and more. They are also one of the leading producers of conservatory blinds (that's a sunroom, for us Americans). In this article, I'm going to tell you a bit about Hillarys as a company, and what products you can have them make and purchase from them.

The first thing we need to cover is the spelling. HILLARYS blinds. It's not Hillary's blinds, not Hilarys blinds, not Hillerys blinds, and certainly not Hillaries blinds. Hillarys. Learn it, love it, use it.

Conservatory blinds, blinds that go on the top windows in a sunroom, are one of the products that Hillarys is best known for. Conservatories often have funny and irregularly shaped windows (and lots of them!) so finding blinds to fit them can be a difficult process. Hillarys offers expert advice on measuring and fitting, and even includes those services for free with the installation.

Conservatory blinds are usually made from pleated fabric and include a special backing to help keep heat from passing through, which is an important feature necessary for temperature control. The point of conservatories, after all, is to sit in the sun and provide warmth, but the constant sun can become too much in the summer. Good quality conservatory blinds will regulate the amount of heat coming in in the summer and the amount escaping in the winter, providing you with a comfortable and constant temperature.

In order to regulate the heat in this way, Hillarys conservatory blinds are graded on three sun/heat blocking factors: transmission, the amount of heat and light allowed to pass through the blind, reflectance, the amount of heat and light reflected away from the blind, and absorption, the amount of heat and light absorbed by the blind material. The extent to which you need light and heat controlled - which will depend on the amount of sunlight your conservatory gets, the climate where you live and other factors - will determine the makeup and grade of the blinds that you need.

To go along with the conservatory blinds, pleated blinds are the option of choice for the lower windows in a conservatory. They are also made from fabric - Hillarys offers over 120 different choices - and have a sun resistant backing similar to the conservatory blinds. The pleats in the blinds are 20 mm each, and Hillarys uses patented technology to ensure that the pleats stay uniform so that your blinds will continue to look as good as they do when they are installed.

Venetian blinds are one of the more popular commercial and home blind options. Available to be made from metal (great for people looking for cheap blinds) and wood, they can be picked and configured to fit neatly into the decor of any room. If you like the look of the metal blinds, Hillarys offers over 90 different colors, a variety of finishes, and 4 different slat widths. For wood blinds, they offer 8 different wood tones, 2 painted colors, 3 slat widths, and 2 operating mechanisms.

Hillarys also offers "Aluwood" venetian blinds, which offer a wood-like finish with the practicality and durability of aluminum.

Another popular choice from Hillarys are their roller blinds. These blinds are made from cloth and roll up to the top when you pull them up. Hillarys offers over 200 fabrics to choose from, including several faux suede and leather fabrics.

Similar to the roller blinds, roman blinds are also made of fabric and gather at the top when you pull them up. However, roman blinds fold at specific lengths, rather than rolling into a tube, giving a nicely distinguished feel to the area. In addition to the 140 fabrics to choose from, Hillarys also offers four different styles of roman blinds to choose from: fully lined, the standard choice, unlined, a lightweight version great for low budget needs, cascade, with an additional cloth lining to provide a more glamorous look, and blackout, which lets very little light through (great for bedrooms!).

Hillarys also offers two different operating mechanisms with their roman blinds. The standard system has a cord for you to raise and lower the blind with manually, while the deluxe version offers a looped chain for easier use.

Woodweave blinds are very similar to the roman blinds, in that they raise up in folds and gather at the top, but they are made from natural fibers, such as bamboo, sea grass, poplar wood and jute, a plant fiber similar to cotton. The woodweave blinds naturally allow a comfortable amount of light through, so they are best suited for living areas where the ambience they create will be most enjoyed.

Vertical blinds are unique in the blind world in that they gather at the side of the window, rather than at the top. These blinds can be made of fabric or a synthetic material, and are ideal for irregularly shaped windows (such as bay or bow windows) as the headrail can be shaped to fit the window easily. The control mechanism can be installed at either end, and Hillarys offers two slat widths to choose from.

In addition to their home blinds, Hillarys also offers commercial blinds in most of the styles discussed above. They can match the look and feel of your office - professional and businesslike for a law firm, or creative and outgoing for an artist's studio - and help enhance the decor. Hillarys also makes awnings and shutters for when you want to decorate your windows with something other than blinds. Whatever you're looking for, Hillarys is almost sure to have it!

For information on more home and garden topics, check out the links to my other Hubs below.

• A guide to conservatory blinds
• Buying an electric blanket
• Coleman generators guide
  
• Decorating with wood shutters