Summer light is unforgiving. It picks out every faded fabric, every warped slat and every blind you meant to replace three years ago. It also floods south-facing rooms with glare from mid-morning until early evening, which is why our Whittlesey showroom gets busier in June and July than at almost any other point in the year.
What people ask for has shifted. Five years ago nearly every conversation started with grey. Now it starts with warmth, texture and light control that holds up in a proper heatwave.
Here’s what’s genuinely in style, why each look has taken hold, and how to tell which one suits your rooms rather than someone else’s photos.
What blinds are in style this summer?
Wood and faux wood Venetians, light-filtering roller blinds, linen-textured Roman blinds and motorised blinds are the standout styles this summer. Warm neutrals, sage green and soft butter yellow have replaced cool greys. Homeowners are choosing wider slats, softer fabrics and quieter colours that handle strong sunlight without darkening the room.
| Trend | Why it’s popular this summer |
| Wood and faux wood Venetians | Warm tone, adjustable glare control, suits almost any decor |
| Light-filtering roller blinds | Keeps rooms bright while cutting the harsh edge off sunlight |
| Linen-look Roman blinds | Softness and texture in rooms that felt too hard-edged in grey |
| Motorised blinds | Conservatories, roof lights and tall windows without the wrestling |
| Warm neutral palettes | Sand, stone and taupe make rooms feel airy rather than clinical |
What’s influencing blind trends this summer?
Three things are driving most of it.
Heat is now a buying criterion
UK summers have got hotter, and homes built to hold warmth in are struggling to shed it. People who once picked a blind purely on looks now ask how much sun it stops before it reaches the glass.
The grey era has ended
Cool greys and stark whites ran interiors for the best part of a decade, and homeowners have tired of them. The replacement palette is sand, stone, caramel and muted green, and blinds bring that in without repainting.
Texture is doing the work pattern used to. Linen weaves and real wood grain give a room depth without committing you to a print you’ll dislike by 2029. More people are improving the home they have rather than moving, and they want choices that outlast a season.
The most stylish blinds for summer
Wood and faux wood Venetian blinds
The strongest look of the summer, and the one we fit most. Wider slats at 50mm and 63mm have overtaken narrow ones because they read as furniture rather than window dressing, and the gaps let more light through when open.
Living rooms, bedrooms, home offices and hallways all suit them, in modern, period and country-style homes alike. In a bathroom or a steamy kitchen, choose faux wood Venetian blinds over real timber, which can warp with sustained moisture.
One thing installers know that catalogues don’t mention. Tilt the slats upwards rather than downwards on a bright day and the light bounces off the ceiling, so the room stays bright, but the glare disappears from the TV and the desk.
Roller blinds
Roller blinds have quietly become the most useful summer blind in the range, because of fabric rather than form. Light-filtering and solar-reflective fabrics cut heat and glare while keeping the room usable in daylight, which is exactly what a kitchen or home office needs in July.
They suit tight spaces, clean easily, and sit neatly behind curtains when you want both. Blackout versions belong in bedrooms and nurseries, particularly for anyone struggling with 4.30 am sunrises in June.
The compromise is privacy. A light-filtering fabric that lets you see out also lets silhouettes show at night, so a bedroom or front-facing bathroom usually needs a blackout or dim-out roller blind instead.
Roman blinds
Roman blinds are where the linen trend has landed hardest. A textured natural fabric in oatmeal, stone or soft sage gives a window the softness of a curtain without the bulk, and the folds catch summer light in a way flat fabrics don’t. They belong in living rooms, bedrooms and dining rooms, less so in kitchens where cooking residue collects in the folds.
Worth knowing before you commit. A Roman blind stacks a few inches of fabric at the top of the window when raised, so in a shallow recess it will always cover part of the glass. Fitting above the recess solves it. Blackout lining is worth specifying in bedrooms, and it protects the face fabric from fading.
Motorised blinds
Motorised blinds stopped being a luxury item around the point conservatory roof blinds became common. If a window sits above a staircase, behind a sofa or in a roof, a motor is the difference between using the blind daily and never touching it.
The summer argument is heat timing. Set automated blinds to close before the sun hits the glass in the early afternoon, and the room never gets the chance to overheat, which beats closing them once it already feels hot. They also suit anyone with limited mobility, and they pair with rollers and Venetians rather than replacing them.
Vertical blinds
Vertical blinds carry a dated reputation from years of grey office louvres, which is unfair to what’s available now. Wider 127mm louvres in textured or linen-look fabrics look far softer, and warm neutral shades remove the office association entirely.
They remain the most practical answer for patio doors, bi-folds and wide bays, because you can angle them against low evening sun without losing the view or blocking access. If you have a garden door in constant use through summer, vertical blinds are the sensible choice regardless of fashion.
Trending colours this summer
Warm neutrals are doing most of the work. Sand, stone, taupe and warm white have replaced the cooler shades of the last decade, and they suit blinds well because a large expanse of fabric or slat looks calmer in a soft tone than a saturated one.
| Colour | Why it’s trending | Works best on |
| Warm white | Brightens north-facing rooms without the coldness of brilliant white | Rollers, Romans |
| Sand and stone | Reads as neutral but adds warmth, hides dust well | Verticals, rollers |
| Taupe | Bridges wood tones and greys already in the room | Romans, verticals |
| Sage green | Now behaves like a neutral rather than a colour | Romans, roller blinds |
| Butter yellow | Adds light and warmth to darker rooms | Romans, small windows |
| Soft blue | Calm without feeling cold, good with natural wood | Bedrooms, bathrooms |
A note on butter yellow, since it’s everywhere. It’s lovely in a small dose, but it has peaked as a headline shade and warmer ochres are already following it. Use it on a Roman blind in one room rather than across the house, and it will still feel considered in five years. Sage has aged better, and now sits closer to a permanent neutral than a trend.
If you want colour, put it where it’s cheapest to change. A patterned Roman in a bedroom is an easy swap. Six matching vertical blinds in a bold shade is not.
Which summer blind trend works best in each room?
| Room | Best choice | Why |
| Living room | Wood or faux wood Venetian | Glare control on the TV without blacking out the room |
| Bedroom | Blackout roller or lined Roman | Handles early sunrises and holds warmth in winter |
| Kitchen | Light-filtering roller | Wipes clean, resists steam, keeps worktops bright |
| Bathroom | Faux wood Venetian or PVC roller | Moisture-safe with proper privacy |
| Conservatory | Motorised roller or pleated roof blinds | Cuts solar gain before the room overheats |
| Home office | Roller behind a Venetian, or wide-slat Venetian | Screen glare control through a full working day |
The exception is layout. A bay window, a door you use constantly, or a recess less than 70mm deep will override any of the above, which is why measuring properly matters more than following a rule.
How to choose blinds that stay stylish beyond summer
Fit outlasts fashion. A made-to-measure blind that sits flush in the recess with no light leak down the sides will still look right in ten years, while an off-the-shelf blind with a two-centimetre gap looks wrong on day one.
Keep the large surfaces quiet and the small ones interesting. Neutral slats and fabrics on your biggest windows, colour and pattern on one or two smaller ones. That way a change of taste costs you one blind, not eleven.
Buy on function first in the rooms you use most. Light control, privacy and heat management are what you notice daily. Colour is what you notice for a fortnight.
Think about winter while you’re buying in summer. A lined Roman or a thermal-backed roller that keeps heat out in July also keeps it in come November, which is a better return than a blind earning its place for three months.
Not sure which one is right for your windows?
Bring a photo of the window to the showroom at The Old Chapel in Coates, Whittlesey. Tell us which way it faces, what the room is used for, and who uses it. We’ll tell you which of these styles works in it, which one doesn’t, and where the trend We’ll tell you where the trend works in your house and where it won’t.
If it’s easier, book a home visit on 0800 028 2942 or 01733 840258. We measure every window, bring slat and fabric samples so you can see them in your own light rather than under showroom lighting, and leave you with a written quote. There’s no charge for the visit and no obligation to order.
FAQs
1. What blind colour is most popular right now?
Warm neutrals, particularly sand, stone and taupe. Sage green is close behind and now functions as a neutral in most schemes.
2. Are vertical blinds still fashionable?
Yes, in wider louvres and textured neutral fabrics. The dated look comes from narrow grey office-style louvres, not from vertical blinds themselves.
3. Are Roman blinds practical for kitchens?
Less so than rollers. The fabric folds collect cooking residue, so a wipeable roller usually makes more sense near a hob.
4. Which blinds keep a room coolest in summer?
Solar-reflective roller fabrics and closed Venetian slats block the most heat, especially when closed before the sun reaches the glass rather than after. BBSA research on London flats found rooms with internal blinds closed peaked at 32°C where unshaded rooms reached a felt 47.5°C.
5. Do wooden blinds fade in direct sunlight?
Real wood can lighten slightly over years of strong sun. Faux wood holds its colour better and is the safer choice on a south-facing window.
6. How long should blinds last?
A well-made, properly fitted blind should give you ten years or more. Cheap PVC verticals and thin aluminium Venetians are usually the first to go, often within three to four years on a sunny window.
