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In our expert guide, we answer your questions and talk you through all the options to help you choose the best blinds for your patio doors, whatever your taste, lifestyle, or budget.
Sliding patio doors are a fantastic feature for any home, letting in lots of lovely light and providing a connection with nature and the outside world. However, it can be tricky to know how to dress them, keep your privacy, and reduce heat loss through them. In this video, we talk you through our top 5 solutions and share some inspiring interiors!
Take a lookIf you’re in and out all the time it’s important to keep the door clear. So it's a good idea to choose something that easily pushes to over to one side, like a single curtain, or vertical blinds that stack out of the way.
Verticals are great for light control too. They gently diffuse the natural light to help maintain a comfortable temperature plus they provide privacy, which is essential if your room is overlooked. Vertical blinds and curtains can be made to fit almost any width, so are great for full-width doors in glass extensions.
In most homes sliding glass doors and patio doors are found in the busiest spaces, especially kitchen-diners. These areas demand a hard-working blind that’s great to look at but practical too.
Traditional Roller blinds are a great choice for these spaces. Versatile and budget-friendly, our range includes blackout and moisture-resistant fabrics, as well as sheer styles for daytime privacy. Roller blinds even have the option of motorised controls for easy operation.
Your living room is your space to relax. Here, you’ll need to think about the rest of your décor, as well as the practicalities of being able to easily use your sliding door. Curtains are a wonderful option, especially if your doors are prone to draughts. They'll help lock in the heat, so you feel cosy through the cooler months of the year. In fact, when you choose a performance lining for your curtains like blackout or thermal, you'll reduce heat loss through your doors by 14%.
When the summer months come back around, throw your curtains open to enjoy the views outdoors, and close them for privacy in the evening. Layering your curtains with voiles looks lovely and it’s practical too, gently filtering the sunlight coming into your room while giving you privacy in the daytime.
When it comes to managing light levels, especially across wide expanses of glass, Day & Night Roller blinds are hard to beat. These innovative blinds cleverly combine sheer and opaque panels in a single blind to either gently filter light, or block it out and create a cosy feel.
Of course, you can also open these blinds right away from the window just like a standard Roller blind when you want to let lots of light in.
Sliding doors can be big, and if that’s the case you’ll need more than one blind so you've got the flexibility to adjust their position as the sun moves
Having multiple blinds at your doors can mean a bit more work to open and close them, but our electric blinds are a handy solution. You can control at once using a simple remote or wall switch, and our smart hub lets you control your blinds from anywhere with an app, Alexa or Google Assistant.
If your patio or sliding doors provide regular access to and from your house, then you need blinds that work seamlessly with your doors. Perfect Fit blinds are a clever, no-drill solution for uPVC doors. They work by clipping a special Perfect Fit frame within your uPVC panels.
Your choice of Roller, Pleated, or metal Venetian blind is fitted into the Perfect Fit frame and your blinds become an integral part of your door. There are no operating cords or chains, so Perfect Fit blinds are inherently child safe and great for creating a really sleek look.
Vertical blinds are a really practical choice for patio or sliding doors. They gently diffuse light to help maintain a comfortable temperature and provide privacy, which is essential if your room is overlooked.
Vertical blinds can be made to fit almost any width, so are great for full-width doors in glass extensions.
While patio and sliding doors are great for bringing in lots of light, strong summer sun and chilly days can lead to extremes of temperature.
Specialist ThermaShadeTM Pleated blinds have a solar reflective coating that helps to regulate the temperature all year round – keeping you toasty when it’s cool and chilled during the hot summer months.
How you measure your patio doors for blinds depends very much on the type of blind you choose, the overall width of your doors, where you want to position your blind in relation to the door, and, to some extent, personal choice. Because there’s so much to think about, it’s great to have an expert on hand who can talk you through all the options and make a recommendation based on your exact specifications. Arrange an appointment with your local Hillarys advisor to find the best solution for you and your home!
Questions? Call our Irish based call centre
1800 882 917Architect and TV presenter George Clarke knows a thing or two about window dressings. Discover his tips and advice for how to style large expanses of glass in your home.
Have a look at more creative ideas and practical advice for dressing your doors
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