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DOWNLOAD NOW Motorised Blinds & Curtains – How to Achieve Amazing Results
Motorised Blinds for an Award-Winning Architectural Home
harkaway home Featuring Concealed Motorised Blinds and Custom Curtains
Motorised blinds Melbourne
ben callery architects - parkside renovation
motorised blinds | sheer curtains
SUBURB
Northcote, Melbourne, VIC
BUILD TYPE
Modern addition and renovation of Californian Bungalow
BRIEF
The window furnishing for this amazing home only 8km from Melbourne’s CBD was to keep letting the outside in!
SOLUTIONS
The team at Ben Callery love to integrate window furnishings into their overall design, especially on the outside. Combining external venetians with internal motorised blinds and sheer curtains, the solutions chosen for this project maintain the connection the owners wanted to have with the landscape, at the same time managing light, heat and privacy.
This award-winning home in Harkaway on the outskirts of Melbourne demonstrates how motorised blinds and custom curtains can be tastefully concealed in recessed pelmets. When carefully planned they can become an integral part of an architectural home’s overall design. Working alongside Grollo Homes and interior designer Ben Yusop, SOM Blinds designed and installed a complete window furnishing solution that balanced aesthetics, functionality and automation in this beautiful custom designed home.
When working on a premium home like Harkaway Manor Grollo Homes and their design team worked with our experienced technicians well before any talk of fabrics and colours to make sure their window furnishings were a considered part of the overall design plan rather than an addition after construction.
So many clients miss out on have the ability to automate their window furnishings by not considering them as part of the overall design. Clients who get the best outcomes meet with us during the design phase of their new home or renovation to discuss their options and what structural and electrical needs the window furnishings they would like might need, things like supporting structures for fixing outdoor awnings or heavy long curtains like the custom designed theatre curtains used on this project.
Harkaway Manor was deservedly recognised at the 2025 HIA Victoria Housing and Kitchen & Bathroom Awards, receiving HIA Home of the Year, for Victoria along with awards for Custom Built Home, Bathroom of the Year and Outdoor Kitchen.
Projects like this demonstrate why involving your window furnishing specialist early in the design process leads to outstanding solutions.
A Complete Window Furnishing Solution
Every product on the Harkaway project was custom made specifically for this home and carefully integrated during construction.
The project included:
- Recessed motorised roller blinds
- Custom recessed pelmets for blinds and curtains
- Premium sheer curtains
- Motorised curtain systems
- Bespoke home theatre curtains using custom made fabric
- Plantation Shutters
- Honeycomb Blinds
- Automation integration
Rather than selecting products individually, each space was considered as part of the home’s overall architectural vision.
Recessed Motorised Blind Pelmets Designed to be part of the Architecture
One of the defining features throughout the home is what you can’t see. The use of carefully designed and constructed recessed pelmets successfully conceals the many motorised roller blinds used throughout the home when not in use for privacy and sun control.
Purpose-built recessed pelmets were incorporated during construction allowing the motorised blinds to disappear from view completely when raised. The result is a clean, minimalist finish that allows the architecture and surrounding landscape to remain the focus.
Large expanses of glazing can be controlled at the touch of a button, providing effortless privacy, glare control and solar protection while maintaining the home’s refined aesthetic.
With early and considered planning, all wiring, fixings and recesses could be incorporated during construction rather than added as an afterthought.
Custom Sheer Curtains Add Warmth Without Compromising the Design
Throughout the living areas, bedrooms and bathrooms, custom-made sheer curtains soften the interior while preserving the classical architectural feel of the home.
Beyond their appearance, the sheers improve privacy, reduce glare, assist with acoustics and contribute to the home’s thermal comfort. Curtains help with acoustics reducing echo where there are a lot of hard surfaces.
Each curtain was individually designed to suit its opening, ensuring consistent fullness, precise stacking and a finish appropriate for a home of this calibre.
Bespoke Home Theatre Curtains
One of the most distinctive spaces in the home is the dedicated home theatre.
Rather than selecting a standard fabric, the curtains were manufactured using stunning custom-designed fabric that incorporates imagery and references unique to the family.
The result is a highly personal feature that transforms the theatre into more than just an entertainment room, it becomes a space that reflects the people who live there.
It’s a reminder that custom window furnishings can contribute to the personality of a home just as much as its functionality.
Why Planning Window Furnishings Early Matters
Many of the details that make this project so successful were only possible because the window furnishings were carefully and properly considered during the design and construction process, this is something that is often missed resulting in compromises.
Early collaboration allowed:
- recessed ceiling pelmets to be incorporated into the ceilings during construction
- beautifully concealed wiring for motorisation in all the right places
- curtain stacking spaces were able to be planned correctly maximising views
- fixing points to be positioned before plastering – especially important when hanging heavy velvet curtains like those used in the home theatre.
- seamless integration with the home’s architecture
These details may not be immediately obvious once the home is complete, but they significantly improve both the appearance and long-term performance of custom window furnishings for any home. Sometimes it’s the details you can’t see that make a big difference!
Working with Builders and Architects
Projects of this standard rely on close collaboration between homeowners, builders, architects, interior designers and specialist trades such as our experienced technicians.
At SOM Blinds, we regularly work alongside project teams on prestige projects to ensure window furnishings are fully integrated into the design rather than becoming a late-stage decision.
Our involvement often begins during the planning phase, allowing us to advise on recessed pelmets, motorisation, electrical requirements, curtain clearances and product selection well before installation.
This proactive approach helps avoid compromises during construction while delivering a cleaner, more considered outcome.
PRODUCTS USED IN THIS PROJECT
Architect
Builder
Photographer
RECOGNITION
Exceptional homes deserve window furnishings that are planned with the same attention to detail as every other architectural element.
Whether you’re building a new home, renovating or working with an architect or builder, involving your window furnishing specialist early can make a significant difference to both the appearance and functionality of the finished result.
SOM Blinds works with homeowners, architects, interior designers and prestige builders throughout Melbourne to design, manufacture and install premium motorised blinds, custom curtains, shutters and external shading solutions that are tailored to each project.
If you’d like to discuss window furnishing options for your new home or renovation or perhaps you’d like to update your existing blinds and curtains to better suit your home and lifestyle call us on 03 98081807 to make a time to chat with one of our design team.