Curtains and blinds made to order and measured on site. Every window in an older house is slightly different, and made-to-measure is less about luxury than about the fact that off-the-shelf sizes rarely fit anything.

Specification comes before appearance: how much light the room needs to lose, whether it needs lining or interlining, how the heading should hang, and whether a blind, a curtain or both is the right answer. Then the fabric.

Fabric and pattern books live in the showroom, along with pole and track displays, so you can see how a fabric falls and how a heading actually looks before anything is ordered.

How curtains are specified

The heading decides the look. Pinch pleat sits formally and stacks tightly; wave hangs in an even ripple and suits a plainer, more contemporary room; eyelet is simplest and reads as casual. The same fabric in three headings makes three different windows.

The track or pole then has to be long enough for the curtains to stack clear of the glass when open, which is the single most common thing to get wrong. A curtain that covers 200mm of window at each side makes the room darker and the window smaller for no reason.

Linings do the invisible work. Standard lining protects the face fabric; blackout stops light through the cloth; interlining adds a layer between the two, which improves the drape and the insulation and is what makes a curtain look expensive from across the room.

Blinds, and using both

Roman blinds give a soft, tailored line and stack into a neat stack at the top. Rollers are the plainest and the least obtrusive. Both work on their own in a bathroom or a study.

In a bedroom the usual answer is both: a blind fitted into the reveal to handle the light at the edges, with curtains over it doing the softening and the insulation. That combination is far more effective than heavy curtains alone.

Seeing it in person

The showroom is at York House on Vicarage Lane in Bowdon, open Monday to Saturday, 9am to 5pm. An appointment helps but is not necessary. It is a retail showroom and you are welcome to walk in.

Questions we get asked

Do you measure?

Yes, on site. Every window in an older house is slightly different, and made to measure is less about luxury than about the fact that standard sizes do not fit.

Can we supply our own fabric?

Usually. Tell us what it is at the start, because not every fabric is suitable for every heading or drop.

How long from order to fitting?

It depends on the fabric and the maker, and it is quoted before you commit. Curtains are usually the longest lead time in a scheme, so they are ordered early.

Curtains and blinds we have made

Curtains, Roman blinds, wooden venetians, rollers and conservatory blinds, all made to measure and fitted by us. Awkward shapes included: apex windows, bays and conservatory roofs.

Roman blind in a textured weave, stacked clear of the glass
Window seating below a Roman blind in a light bedroom
Roman blind and pendant lighting in a compact bedroom
Blinds and curtains combined at a bedroom window
Curtains and blind at a window beside a silver leather sofa
Textured Roman blind with a faint leaf design in a teenage bedroom
Wooden venetian blinds fitted to an apex window
Roman blind in a textured fabric above a garden window
Full-height curtains in a room with an apex ceiling and exposed beams
Curtains with tie-backs either side of a bedroom window
Lined curtain with a tie-back and a sheer beneath
Curtains and sheers fitted to an apex window in a loft bedroom
Roller blinds fitted to a conservatory roof
Roman blind in a checked wool, stacked clear of the glass
Bedroom with full-height curtains and sheers across the window wall
Bay window with curtains and a pair of swivel chairs
Living room with curtains along a full wall of windows
Bedroom with gold curtains drawn across the window wall

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