Why North Dartmouth homes keep coming back to blinds
Custom blinds earn their place in the houses around our North Dartmouth showroom because the windows here are so mixed. A Padanaram colonial or shingled cape may have narrow original sash on the front and a wide replacement unit on the back. The ranches built off Faunce Corner Road and Slocum Road in the 1960s and 1970s tend to have long picture windows and sliders. Out toward Russells Mills, the older farmhouses have deep-set sash with thick casings that leave room for a blind inside the frame.
A blind handles all of those with one simple idea: slats that tilt. You can let in daylight and keep the view, close them for privacy, or pull the whole blind up out of the way. In the water-facing rooms of South Dartmouth, where the afternoon sun comes hard off Apponagansett Bay, that tilt is what lets you cut the glare without sitting in the dark.
The blinds we fit, and how custom blinds differ
Every blind on this page is made to the measurements we take at your windows, which is what custom blinds really means: no trimming a stock size, no gaps down the sides. The choice starts with the material, because the material decides which rooms a blind suits.
Wood blinds
Real wood slats in stains and paints, with the warmth that suits a colonial dining room or a den with a fireplace.
Alternative wood blinds
EverWood looks like painted or stained wood but is made for steam and sun, so it suits bathrooms, kitchens and laundry rooms.
Metal blinds
Slim aluminum slats that take daily use, fit tight frames and clean up quickly. A good match for busy rooms and offices.
Vertical blinds
Vanes that hang from a track and draw to the side, the practical answer for a slider onto a deck or patio.
Gliding panels
Skyline uses wide fabric panels on a track for very wide glass, and can even divide a room.
Fabric blinds
Aria swaps hard slats for soft fabric vanes, so daylight comes through as an even glow.
Matching the blind to the room
The easiest way to narrow it down is to think about what each room puts the blind through.
Rooms with steam or splashes. A bathroom over a tub or a kitchen window above the sink sees moisture every day. Real wood can move in that kind of air, so we usually point you toward EverWood or metal for those spots.
Rooms you want to feel warm. Living rooms, studies and dining rooms in the older Padanaram houses often suit real wood, where the grain and a matching cornice sit well with painted trim and wood floors.
Sliders and wide glass. A deck slider in a ranch off Slocum Road is used all day, so it needs something that draws sideways. Vertical blinds or Skyline panels both stack clear of the door.
Rooms that face the bay. Strong low sun calls for close control more than heavy fabric. Horizontal slats tilted upward bounce light onto the ceiling and keep it off the television and the sofa.
Bedrooms. Here the question is how dark the room should get. Wider slats and good side coverage close up more tightly, and we can talk through pairing a blind with drapery if you want the room properly dim.
How a consultation for custom blinds works
You can start at the showroom, or we can bring the showroom to you: our vans carry samples, so you see the real slats and colors against your own walls and light. Here is how it usually goes.
- You request a consultation online or with the call button, and we arrange a time that suits you.
- We visit, look at each window and talk about how the room is used: privacy, glare, children and pets, and how you like to open things.
- You handle the samples in place. Holding a wood slat against your trim tells you more than any photo.
- We measure each window ourselves, inside the frame or outside it, depending on the depth of the casing.
- You get a free estimate for the blinds you have chosen, with nothing to commit to on the day.
- When you go ahead, a certified Hunter Douglas installer fits the blinds, checks that every one tilts, lifts and lines up, and shows you how they work.
Request a Consultation
Visit a showroom or let us bring the showroom to you, with samples, an expert and a free estimate.
Lift and tilt: how you work the blinds
How a blind operates matters as much as how it looks. Depending on the line, you can choose a cord, a wand, or a cordless lift that you raise and lower by hand from the bottom rail, which keeps loose cords away from children and pets. Some lines also work with PowerView motorization, so blinds can tilt and lift from a remote, an app or a schedule. That helps most on tall windows, on blinds behind furniture and in rooms where the sun moves round during the day. Ask which options apply to the line you like and we will show you at the consultation.
Small details are part of what makes custom blinds worth it. Decorative tapes cover the route holes and add a band of color on wood styles. Cut-outs let a blind clear a window crank or a door handle. Valances and cornices hide the headrail and finish the top of the window.
Why buy from a Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer
Blinds & Designs is a Hunter Douglas Gallery dealer, and every blind we sell is fitted through certified Hunter Douglas installation. For you, that means one local business handles the whole job: helping you choose, measuring, ordering and fitting.
- In-home consultations, with vans that carry samples to your house.
- Free estimates on the blinds you choose.
- Interior design consultations when you want help pulling a room together.
- Repairs on blinds and shades you already own.
- Window covering automation with PowerView.
You can browse every line in the Hunter Douglas catalog, then bring your favorites to us to see them in person. If you are weighing blinds against shades, our guide to choosing shades or blinds walks through the differences.
Where we fit blinds
From the North Dartmouth showroom we work across the South Coast and well beyond it, with showrooms in Franklin and Sagamore and shop-at-home visits throughout our territory. Each town has its own page about blinds for its houses, including Dartmouth, New Bedford, Fairhaven, Westport, Fall River, Mattapoisett and Marion. For the rest of the Hunter Douglas range, start at our Hunter Douglas dealer page.
Blinds questions
Which blind suits a bathroom?
EverWood alternative wood or metal. Both handle steam better than real wood, and EverWood still gives you the look of a painted or stained slat.
Can blinds fit inside my older window frames?
Often, yes. The deep casings on many older Dartmouth farmhouses leave room to mount a blind inside the frame. We measure the depth at the consultation and tell you whether an inside or outside mount will look and work better.
What should go on a sliding glass door?
Vertical blinds or Skyline gliding panels, because both draw to the side and stack clear of the door. A horizontal blind on a busy slider gets in the way.
Can blinds be motorized?
Some lines work with PowerView, which lets you tilt and lift from a remote, an app or a schedule. We will tell you which lines offer it when you have picked a style.
Do you charge for an estimate?
No. Estimates are free. We measure, show you the options and give you a written estimate with no obligation.
Do you repair blinds you did not sell?
We are glad to look at blinds and shades you already own. See our blind and shade repair page for what to expect.
Start with a consultation
The quickest way to settle on the right blind is to see the samples at your own windows. Request a consultation and we will bring them to you, or stop by the North Dartmouth showroom to handle the slats and finishes first.