Right Blind, Left Blind

When we first moved in we were pretty grossed out by the window dressings. The kitchen window had those old fashioned, lacy, scalloped half drop curtains that would have been here as an original item. It, as well as the sheer lacy curtains on the lounge and bedroom windows were brittle, yellow and a bit stinky. Over this, the lounge had yellowed calico curtains that filled the whole height of the window to floor and were also in a gross state.
It took about 5 minutes to dismantle the hooks and take down all the window dressings. We were left with the original aluminium venetian blinds. They didn't work too well and were in a poor state. They were an alabaster colour (which from researching new blinds I have discovered it is an off white, yellow colour.)

Before images as above, and after images below...



It was difficult deciding on what was the best option for blinds.
We looked into:
Roller Blinds - A bit too "officey" and cant let in a bit of light, its all or nothing.
Roman Blinds - Issues with the material gathering when fully open and a big drop of fabric when the blinds are fully open.
Wood (wood like) Venetians - Look great and are actually not too expensive but are pretty heavy and can droop in the center of the window if the window is quite wide, (like in our lounge).
25mm aluminium - These are slimmer than the ones we went with and are probably the cheapest option. The ready made ones are really flimsy and can dimple very easily. Plus you cant choose what side you want the cords on which is annoying.

We went for 50mm Aluminum Venetians. I spent a lot of time looking at 25mm blinds as they were half the cost of the 50mm, but the look of the 50mm was fitting for the building, and our unit.They are thicker and stronger and because they are wider, it means there are less slats so when they are fully open there is not much of a drop in the blind at the top of the window.
I got a quote from a blinds place down the road, they wanted $1600(!) and their service was bad.
I contacted Kresta because they had a sale on. They offered custom made 50mm slats but made by a different company. I tracked down that company and cut out Kresta, saving me about $500.
They are called "blinds on the net". We needed to self measure and install and order online. Delivery was free and the instructions online were pretty clear. They sent samples in the mail free of charge too so you could see that materials they were using. They're pretty good. The top covers are a bit bare, and the mechanism isn't perfect but overall I'm happy and would recommend them.


^ splitting the blinds in the bedroom because one side has a door which is used more frequently. This keeps the blinds lighter and easier to manage. Bottom image: New blinds, old kitchen.