Home › Advice › New Build Homes
New Build Advice
New build homes often arrive with lots of bare windows, overlooked rooms, bright bedrooms, open-plan spaces and large glazed doors. Choosing the right window dressings early helps with privacy, comfort and light control, and makes the home feel finished from the start.
Why It Matters
A new build is a blank canvas, which is part of the appeal and part of the challenge. The windows are usually larger and more modern than in older homes, the rooms can be more open-plan, and gardens are often overlooked by neighbouring plots while planting is still young. From the day you move in, bare windows mean no privacy and little control over light or heat.
Getting the window dressings right early makes the home feel settled far sooner. It is worth thinking about privacy in front-facing rooms, blackout in bedrooms and nurseries, glare and heat through large glazed doors, and how open-plan spaces flow from one area to the next. Choosing before or soon after you move in also avoids living with bare glass while you decide.
Developers rarely include window dressings in the package, so it usually falls to you at the same time as flooring, furniture and everything else. A little planning, room by room, takes the pressure off and helps the budget go further.
Room By Room
There is rarely one answer for the whole house. The best choice depends on how each room is used, how much light and privacy it needs, and the style you are going for.
Blackout roller blinds, Roman blinds and curtains with a suitable lining all help with darker mornings and better sleep. BlocOut blinds are worth considering where you want to reduce light gaps further, especially in main bedrooms.
Practical, wipe-clean choices work best. Faux-wood Venetian blinds handle moisture and steam well, and shutters can suit some kitchens and bathrooms where a tidy, fitted look is wanted in a more humid space.
This is where style and comfort matter most. Shutters, curtains, Roman blinds, rollers or Venetians can all work depending on privacy, light and the look you prefer. Many living rooms combine two, such as shutters with curtains.
Large glazed openings need careful thought. BlindScreen offers privacy, blackout and flyscreen options and suitable shading for big glazed areas, without the bulk of ordinary blinds on doors that are opened often.
Safe, practical and easy-to-use options come first, with blackout where needed for daytime naps and early mornings. We talk through child-friendly choices during the visit so the room is both calm and practical.
Solar or light-filtering fabrics reduce glare on screens without blocking the view, and shutters give precise control over light through the day. Useful in the bright, large windows that new builds often have.
The Main Options
Most new build homes use a mix across the house. Here is how each option tends to work, with honest advice on where it earns its place.
Made-to-measure blinds are often the practical first choice, giving privacy and light control quickly. Roller blinds, Venetian blinds, Perfect Fit blinds where suitable for uPVC windows, Roman blinds and blackout blinds all have their place, and a whole-house blind package is a sensible starting point.
More about blinds →Curtains add softness, warmth and a more finished look, which new builds can lack at first. With the right poles or tracks they suit lounges, bedrooms and feature rooms, and wave curtains give a clean, contemporary fold that works well with modern windows.
More about curtains →Shutters are popular in new build homes because they suit modern windows, help with privacy and create a clean, fitted finish. They work especially well in front-facing rooms, bay windows and bedrooms, and add a quality feel that lasts.
More about shutters →Worth Knowing
If you would like shutters fitted soon after moving in, UK-made shutters are usually available in around 3 to 4 weeks, subject to final checks and supplier confirmation. This often suits new build timescales, where you may want a clean look in place quickly. Imported shutters may take longer, but they can still be the right choice depending on your priorities for finish, specification or budget. Ria will talk you through both options at the visit.
New build homes frequently include bifold doors, wide patio doors or large glazed areas. BlindScreen is designed for exactly these openings. It can help with privacy, insects, blackout and shading across larger glazed areas, sitting neatly within the frame and working independently of the doors. It is a tidy solution for the kitchen diners, garden rooms and family spaces where doors are opened often but comfort and privacy still matter.
A Better Way to Choose
A showroom experience, without the showroom visit. We bring fabric books, blind samples, shutter finishes and BlindScreen options to your home, so you can see what works in your own rooms and your own light. Ria will talk you through the choices, measure properly and give clear advice without pressure.
When Ria arrives in Luther, the fully electric Ria’s Interiors van, she brings the showroom with her. Seeing real samples against your walls, your floor and your light makes the decision far easier than guessing from a website, and it helps avoid expensive mistakes once everything is made and fitted.
Where We Help
Ria’s Interiors helps new build homeowners across Peterborough, Royston, Cambridge, Huntingdon, St Neots, Bourne, Spalding, Grantham, Wisbech, Kettering, Wellingborough and surrounding areas. Royston in particular has been a strong area for new build window dressings. Wherever you are, the service is the same: samples brought to your home, honest advice and careful fitting.
FAQ
It depends on the room. Roller blinds and faux-wood Venetians are popular and practical for kitchens and everyday spaces, blackout roller or Perfect Fit options suit bedrooms and nurseries, and Roman blinds add a softer feel in living rooms. The best approach is to choose room by room rather than fitting the same blind everywhere, which is exactly what we help with during the home visit.
Most new build homes use a mix. Blinds are a practical first choice for privacy and light control, curtains add warmth and a finished feel in lounges and bedrooms, and shutters give a clean fitted look with good privacy in front-facing rooms and bay windows. We give honest advice on where each one works best and where a simpler option would do the job for less.
Often, yes. Where the developer allows access, we can sometimes arrange measuring before completion so your window dressings are ready to fit soon after you move in. If access is not possible beforehand, we measure once the home is built and safely accessible and plan the timings around your move-in date.
Yes. Shutters suit the clean lines of modern new build windows and work especially well in front-facing rooms, bedrooms and bay windows where privacy and a tidy finish matter. UK-made shutters are usually available in around 3 to 4 weeks, subject to final checks and supplier confirmation, while imported shutters may take longer but can still suit some projects depending on your priorities.
Yes. When Ria visits in Luther, the fully electric Ria’s Interiors van, she brings fabric books, blind samples, shutter finishes and BlindScreen options so you can see what works in your own rooms and your own light. It is a showroom experience, without the showroom visit, with honest advice and no pressure.
Book a free home consultation before guessing at products online. Ria comes to you with everything to see and decide, gives honest advice and lets you take your time.
Book a Free Home Consultation
Book Your Free Consultation
We come to you with samples, measuring and honest advice at no charge. Selected evening and weekend appointments are available.
Call 01733 462280, email ria@riasinteriors.co.uk, or use our contact form to book a free home consultation or ask a question.
Book a Free Home ConsultationKlarna Pay in 3 may be available through our secure payment link, subject to approval and terms. Ask us for details.
We use essential cookies to make this site work. We'd also like to use optional cookies to help us improve the site and understand how it is used. You can accept, reject, or manage your preferences at any time.
Manage your cookie preferences below:
Essential cookies enable basic functions and are necessary for the proper function of the website.
These cookies are needed for adding comments on this website.
Manage your cookie preferences below.