Blinds for the Hall in Goa

Walk round the hall and ask of each opening: does anything stand in front of it, do people walk through it, and does it need to be fully dark or just private? Openings with furniture against them and narrow windows wedged between doors are natural candidates for a blind. Large statement windows and tall pairs of doors usually look better with curtains.

Many halls end up mixed: curtains on the main wall, blinds on the side windows and the window behind the sofa. That works well as long as the colours relate — a sand zebra blind beside sand linen curtains looks planned, a grey blind beside them looks like an afterthought.

On a big road-facing window, a blind inside the frame and a curtain outside it is a strong combination. The blind handles daytime privacy and glare; the curtain is drawn in the evening and softens the room. It also means the curtain can be an unlined, lighter fabric because the blind is doing the hard work.

Check the depth before ordering. A blind fitted inside the reveal needs enough room for its headrail and for any window handles to turn; if the reveal is shallow, the blind goes on the wall above the frame instead, and the curtain track moves forward to clear it.

In flats the hall almost always opens onto a balcony through a wide sliding door. A vertical blind or a ripple-fold curtain are the two good answers; horizontal blinds across a door that people use all day get knocked and tangled. If the door also needs a mosquito net, plan the blind and the net together so the blind does not foul the net frame when it is drawn.

With children and guests in the hall, loose looped cords are best avoided; ask for tensioned chains, wand control or cordless operation. On a high window above the main door or a clerestory window, a motorised blind on a remote saves keeping a ladder in the room.