5 Super Interesting Facts You Didn’t Know About Blinds!
You probably adjust and admire your blinds numerous times every day, but how often have you wondered what led to blinds becoming the treatment of choice for your windows? Probably not that often. We take our blinds for granted now, but they have a deep and fascinating history that you probably aren’t aware of.
Here at Humberside Sunblinds, we’ve collected some interesting facts about blinds that you likely didn’t know before, so the next time you’re casting an eye over the dressings around the living room window you just might have a newfound appreciation for them.
When in Rome
Window blinds have a rich history, and the different styles of blinds have particularly interesting roots. As the name suggests, Roman blinds were created in ancient Rome and were introduced out of necessity to serve a specific purpose.
For windows open to the streets of Rome, a large amount of dust would be kicked up from the streets and through the openings directly into homes, especially during times of construction. The coliseum itself would have produced a massive amount of the stuff on its own! To combat this influx, Roman citizens hung damp cloth over their windows to block out the dust.
The cloth ended up working in more ways than one; not only did it keep out dust and sand from the interior of many a Roman property, but it also helped protect the occupants from the sun, keeping the inside cool during searing midday heat. You can never say too much about Roman ingenuity.
‘Venetian’ blinds?
While Roman blinds took their name from city they were created in, venetian blinds took a different route.
Venetian blinds were actually from Persia, but took their name when they were brought into Europe by Venetian traders. The blinds became very popular throughout Europe, used by the wealthier shops, houses and churches. This was portrayed by many a European artist in their work, which only widened their appeal.
Early blinds were made from plants
Blinds weren’t just made in one place then adopted by everyone else around the world, different countries and societies had their own way of making and using blinds long before they became popular or at all widespread.
Some of the earliest forms of window blinds used plants as their material. Ancient Egyptians tied reeds together and hung them in openings to provide absolute privacy, while in China, bamboo was the material of choice.
Venetian blinds learn tilt control
As we’ve shown, blinds have been used for various reasons throughout history, covering the windows and doors of many an ancient, powerful civilisation. While Venetian blinds are relatively young compared to some other kinds, it still took a couple of hundred years for someone to create a way to control the slats.
Controlling how much heat or light enters a room at any given time seems like a vital feature, but we had to wait for American inventor John Hampson to come along until we could enjoy it. Hampson came up with the first device of this kind in 1841 New Orleans and created a feature that we use and take for granted to this day.
In fact, the ability to control the amount of light with ease like this led to venetian blinds becoming adopted in the film noir genre as a means of creating a unique atmosphere through lighting.
Blinds today
Today, we have a huge amount of choice when it comes to blinds. We might not have to keep copious amounts of dust from infiltrating the home, and we may have moved on from tying reeds together, but the history of blinds has seen much innovation that the core principles around them haven’t really changed that much.
The main difference now is how easy it is to find, pick and install any type of blind you want.
Humberside Sunblinds have a wide variety of blinds available, all of the highest quality. Whether they’re ready made or made to measure, our blinds will suit any room in your home and are expertly installed by our professional team. To arrange a free home visit or to discuss the types of blinds available to you, don’t hesitate to get in touch today.
