SOM Blinds Window Furnishing Design Consultation
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Discover how to obtain a custom curtain and blinds quote in Melbourne
Step 1: Undertake your custom window furnishing design consultation
Why we recommend design consultations specifically for window furnishings
We recommend having a window furnishing design consultation during the design phase of your renovation or building project to help you choose the best window furnishing options for your home. Avoid confusion by setting a clear goal for your window treatments from the start of your build.
You can then plan the fun aspects, such as fabric and colour choices, later on with a clear understanding of what you want for your new home or renovation.
In the same way that you engaged your architect to create a unique design for you, we help you make sure you have expertly planned your window furnishings inside and outside your home. Giving the same level of consideration to your window furnishings ensures they look amazing, while also helping make your home beautiful to live in.
We are often asked to book this consultation in collaboration with your architect. We love working with architects and builders during the design phase of your project so they can then incorporate all the details and fixings required for your proposed window furnishings into the working drawings and specifications for your home. This avoids costly revisions and changes during the build process.
Window furnishings help you manage light, privacy and energy efficiency, making a significant impact on the comfort and aesthetics of your home.
It’s common for us to receive calls six weeks before move-in day from people looking for window treatments. At that stage, it’s not too late to get standard blinds and sheers, but if you are hoping for anything more specific than that, your options may now be limited or compromised. This is especially so if you are considering features like hard-wired motorisation, recessed pelmets, concealed curtain tracks or decorative tracks holding heavy drapery, external blinds, outdoor awnings or automation to control your blinds and curtains.
What happens during your window furnishing design consultation
First of all, we learn more about you and your design preferences. Then we review your plans with you, discussing how the rooms will be used and how they might be furnished.
We discuss the pros and cons of various options and what we believe will work best in your space.
A design consultation lasts 60-90 minutes in our Burwood showroom, allowing us ample time to consider your project carefully. We don’t offer cookie-cutter solutions to our clients. The SOM Blinds team is here to provide you with a custom-designed premium window furnishing proposal specifically for you and your home. Our team is available to work with you from design through to the delivery and installation of your blinds and curtains.
You’ll meet with one of our experienced senior window furnishing designers who will carefully review your architectural plans. We’ll then provide a detailed window furnishing schedule detailing the products we would recommend for each window based on the document provided by your architect or designer that outlines the windows in your home. We’ll also give you an overall budget estimate to help inform your planning.
We know it’s the fun part, but we leave specific fabric and colour choices until a little later in your build. This means we can help you select colours and fabrics that will work best with the other finishes and furnishings you’ve selected.
We always recommend taking samples on site to see how they look in real life. The orientation of a room and the direction the light comes from can impact colour, which is sometimes hard to judge based on plans alone.
What you will receive from us
You’ll come away with a customised window furnishings design proposal outlining our recommendations for ideal window treatments in each room based on our discussions. This is a preliminary design proposal, similar to the one you received from your architect.
The detailed proposal is broken down into individual rooms and windows. You’ll also receive an overall budget estimate based on the window dimensions shown on your plans and the level of fabric quality you indicate, for example, whether you choose blends or linens for sheers, or if you want premium or luxury fabric for blinds. Nothing is set in stone, so changes can be made at any time. Our design consultation is the first step in the custom window furnishings solution for your home.
What’s included in your window furnishing design consultation?
- One-on-one consultation with a senior window furnishing designer in our showroom in Burwood (typically 60-90 minutes)
- Review of your architectural plans and elevations
- Custom window furnishing schedule outlining our recommendations for each room
- Overall budget estimate for window furnishing scope
Step 2: Get your custom window furnishing specification guide
In this phase, we create a custom window furnishing specification guide which you can share with your architect, builder and electrician. This guide includes detailed specifications based on the selections you made during your initial consultation, such as pelmet dimensions, recessed track sizes, wiring requirements and fixing details. This information ensures your design team can plan and execute the requirements for your window furnishings with clarity, minimising delays and costly revisions. We can also include technical details for external products that require additional engineering to be incorporated into your working drawings.
If you prefer, we can liaise directly with your home design and construction team. Our expert technicians are available to meet on-site or in your architect or builder’s office to discuss your project in detail.
The window furnishing specification guide and site meetings are priced at 10% of your blind and curtain budget estimate which is fully redeemable against your final order.
What’s included in your window furnishing specification guide?
Electrical wiring advice
Electrical wiring advice, including the wiring your electrician needs to install, based on the type of motors and automation planned. We will also specify the best location for wiring to be accessed, minimising any visible cables after installation. This eliminates the need for unsightly wall plugs or power points above your windows.
Pelmet guide
Fixings required
It is essential to carefully plan the fixings required for external products, such as folding arm awnings, external skylight blinds and external Venetians. We will advise where we need timber fixings, which are also especially important for oversized blinds and heavy drapery.
Site visits
Site visits during construction are included as required to review fixings, pelmets and wiring with the construction team. This also allows us to negotiate the best time to install products that may be tricky to access with your builder. For instance, installing second storey external blinds or skylight blinds while a scaffold is still in place to access the roof, or installing external products before landscaping is completed to minimise damage to new plantings. Working together with your construction team will always save you both time and money when it comes to installation.
The investment you make in getting your window furnishing specification guide is fully redeemable if you choose to continue working with the team at SOM Blinds for the supply and installation of your window treatments.
Step 3: Window furnishing final design proposal
The third step is the fun part where you get to make your final fabric and colour selections.
After you have finalised your choices we will prepare a fixed price quote for you in plenty of time to start the production of your chosen window treatments so they are ready for you just prior to your move-in date. Pricing may vary from our initial budget estimate depending on the fabrics chosen and any additions or changes to your initial selections.
What if you haven’t decided or can’t decide on your colour scheme yet? There is no pressure to make internal fabric or colour selections until production commences, typically 10-12 weeks before your move-in date.
To proceed with your order, we will meet with you again, most likely on-site, ahead of your expected completion date. This timing will vary depending on the SOM Blinds products you have chosen and on other factors like the time of year. Christmas installations book out well in advance and some suppliers have shutdowns at different times of the year. Shipping products from overseas may increase lead times for certain products.
We will then review and confirm all your selections with you, and check the measurements of your windows to provide you with a final cost estimate.
Fabric and colour selections can also be made or reviewed during a consultation at our showroom in Burwood with one of our in-house fabric specialists. It’s best to do this before our site visit so we can bring your preferred samples with us to help you make the final colour decisions.
This allows you plenty of time to refine the overall colour palette and floor finishes throughout your home before confirming fabric and colour choices for your window furnishings. Our budget estimate provides you with ample flexibility when making your final selections.
Frequently asked questions about planning your window furnishings
1. When should I start planning window furnishings in a new build?
2. What’s included in the SOM Blinds window furnishing design specification service?
3. Do I need to choose fabrics and colours at this stage?
No. We focus on structural and electrical planning first. Fabric and colour selections can be made later in your build once you’ve finalised wall colours, flooring and finishes.
You’re welcome to browse our blog for tips and ideas, or visit our window furnishing project gallery for more inspiration.
4. Is the curtains and window blinds consultation fee refundable?
5. Can my builder or electrician use the specification guide?
Absolutely. The guide is designed specifically to help your build team install pelmets and prepare wiring for motorisation correctly and efficiently. Homeowners often regret not having a wiring guide for automated blinds ready for their electrician in the initial wiring stage when they discover it’s too difficult to run wires to a window after plastering and cladding have been completed.
6. Do you work with architects or interior designers?
7. Can I book this service if I’m only renovating one or two rooms?
Book your design consultation with the experts in Melbourne
If you’re looking for a custom curtain and blinds quote, Melbourne’s leading experts are here to help! It’s never too early to consider your window furnishings when building or renovating your home. Let our experienced team make sure you’ve considered all the important aspects before getting started, helping to save you valuable time and money in the long run. We’ll work with you to ensure your internal and external window furnishings not only look great but also work perfectly, every day for years to come. Call us on 03 9808 1807 or send us an online enquiry to schedule a professional window furnishing design consultation.