When it comes to Panel Blinds, one can be creative and choose from the variety of styles available today. One can either go with a plain fabric panel or even add a dash of character with the Sewless or Plantation styles.

1. Classic Panel Blinds: Classic Style is the basic type of panel blinds. Plain panels of fabrics are attached to the track. These are widely available in the market and deemed to be the cheapest type as compared to the other two styles due to the ease of manufacturing.

When choosing the fabric for a Classic Style Panel Blinds one can opt to go for a patterned fabric to lend the room a bit of a designer appeal.

2. Sewless Panel Blinds: Sewless Panel Blinds are manufactured using an aluminium extrusion at the back of each panel into which the fabric is tucked. This creates a fine tuck in front of the panel at even sections. There are no holes made into the fabric to do this, hence the name Sewless Style. The regular intervals create an elegant look and give a certain design quotient to the otherwise plain panels.

As Panel Blinds are generally opted to cover a large area, it can sometimes look bland and boring. To overcome this, a sewless style is apt.

3. Plantation Panel Blinds: Plantation Panel Blinds are manufactured using timber battens attached at regular intervals at the front and back of the panels. The colour of the timber battens can be chosen to co-ordinate with the fabric selected.

The battens give a stylish finish to an otherwise plain panel of fabric. The wood used for battens is generally timber. A style tip is to match the colour of the battens with the existing wooden furniture to tie the whole look together. The battens have a round profile at the front and a flat profile at the back of the panel. This way, the blinds will look fantastic even from the outside.

Next, we will look at the type of materials available and their associated features.

As Panel Blinds are used to cover a wide span of area, it is crucial to choose the right type of fabric. Consider points such as:

• Amount of light required in the room
• Amount of sun that hits the window
• Privacy requirements
• View outside the room

After deciding on the above points it will be easier to choose the fabric which will work best:

1. Blockout Panel Blinds: If blocking out light completely is the primary purpose to install the blinds, these blinds will work best. They are excellent insulators and great for reducing the amount of sound that enters a room. The fabric is generally blockout on its own or has a back coating.

2. Translucent Panel Blinds: Translucent Panel Blinds will filter the light entering a room without blocking it completely. Vision on either side of the blinds is not available. Ideal for dark rooms which require privacy.

3. Sheer View Panel Blinds: These blinds will allow one to see through them during the day time without allowing someone from the outside to look inside. With Sheer View Panel Blinds one can enjoy uninterrupted views of the outside without compromising on the privacy. This phenomenon reverses at night time when there is more light inside as compared to the outside. Consider having blockout curtains if privacy at night is an issue.

Panel Blinds are made up of series of flat fabric panels mounted on a unique tracking system. The fabric panels glide over each other when the blinds are opened. The stacking and the layout can be chosen keeping in mind the obstructions in the path of the operation and the layout of the existing door and/or window.

The blinds can be opened or closed with a wand which controls the first (lead) panel which in turn controls all the panels in sequence. As the name suggests, the panel glides can be simply glided open or close.

Panels are attached to the track with an industrial standard Velcro and generally have a width of 450mm to 900mm. The panels overlap on each other slightly when in closed position to give added privacy.

Since the early 1990s at least 15 young Australian children have tragically died as a result of unfortunate strangulation incidents involving blinds cords and chains.

Australian Child Safety law requires all blinds retailers to supply child safety devices with all kinds of blinds which have loose cords and chains hanging. It is one’s own responsibility to make sure that the child safety cleat is installed and any loose cords/chains are wrapped. Warning Stickers supplied with the blinds should never be removed.

Panel Blinds are considered to be one of the safest type of blinds when it comes to child safety due to no loose cords hanging from the blinds.