DotcomBlinds' Favourite Fun Facts About Blinds

6 Brilliant Blinds Facts

As you could probably guess, over here at DotcomBlinds our team can get a bit nerdy about blinds, we know all the specs, the pros and cons and honestly, we could chatter on about our lovely blinds all day.

Over the years in our many chats and talks about blinds we’ve picked up a few funky factoids about blinds and thought that now was a good a time as any to share some of our favourites with you, so buckle up and prepare for us to geek out about blinds for the next few minutes!

We’ve Had Blinds For Over 2,000 Years

We’ll start off with our favourite fact: humans have been using blinds for thousands of years. Most cultures around the world would have had their own version of blinds to protect against the weather and secure privacy.

But the earliest blinds we would recognise today would have been Roman blinds used in (you guessed it) Ancient Rome. During the construction of the Colosseum, Rome became very dusty with construction debris blowing around the city, so ancient Romans hung up damp pieces of cloth in their windows to keep out the dust, which evolved into the Roman blinds we know and love today!

Venetian Blinds… Aren’t From Venice

With Roman blinds originating from Rome, no one would blame you for thinking Venetian blinds are from Venice, but the name Venetian blinds is actually a misnomer that ended up catching on.

Venetian blinds as we know them actually originate from ancient Persia but picked up the name as they were originally brought to Europe from Persia by Venetian merchants and traders leading people at the time to believe these blinds were made by Venetians rather than Persians.

Wood And Fabric Weren’t Always The Go-To Materials

When you think of a blind, you likely picture a blind made out of either some sort of fabric or made out of wood, while these make sense today due to their cheapness and availability, that wasn’t the case hundreds or thousands of years ago, meaning early blinds were made of materials we’d consider weird today.

In ancient Egypt, they often used makeshift blinds made out of reeds bound together; in ancient China, blinds were often made of strips of bamboo bound together; older cultures which made the earliest blinds, used wet animal hides as makeshift blinds to keep cool; and there is evidence that in ancient Italy slatted blinds were made out of Marble rather than wood and were used the same as we’d use Venetian blinds today!

Blinds May Be The Reason Why We Say A Breath Of Fresh Air

During the Industrial Revolution, as more people flocked to cities and started living in more modern homes, blinds started to be produced a lot more, these blinds in the Victorian era would have been simple, but thick and heavy blinds, which is great for keeping heat out, but would actually help pollutants pool up indoors.

This is where people believe we got the term ‘a breath of fresh air’ as people would slightly crack open their blinds to allow air circulation and some fresh air to enter the home, leading to the term we use today.

Patterned Blinds Were A Status Symbol

Sticking with facts from the Victorian era, at the time as the cost of dyes and paints to make coloured fabrics were so expensive, most people just had plain window blinds in a cheap colour to make like dark greens and blues.

But on the other hand, wealthy people at the time would use their blinds as a status symbol, showing off their wealth by having blinds made in expensive bright colours like purple and yellow and the richest of the rich would further flaunt their wealth by having window blinds with expensive and colourful patterns.

Not Enough People Use Blackout Blinds

Blackout blinds are a useful tool to combat light pollution, in modern times we have lights everywhere to keep streets safe, which in turn creates a problem for those living in urban areas as they often have bright light right outside their bedrooms, so blackout blinds can counter this and create a nice dark environment that is conducive for sleep.

Despite this being common knowledge that blackout blinds can cancel out light pollution, still, a staggering amount of Brits have their sleep negatively affected by artificial outdoor lighting causing light pollution in their home. There is a simple fix to this, but a lot of people don’t prioritise having blackout blinds in their bedrooms.

And there you have it, 6 fantastic facts about window blinds! If you have any fun facts about blinds why don’t you share them with us on social media?

Or if you have any questions about our brilliant blinds please feel free to get in touch with our team of friendly experts today.