Dressing Bifold Doors – why curtains are a practical and elegant solution

We get many enquires in our showrooms on dressing bifold doors. Customers often request roller blinds, as there is a perception that roller blinds on bifold doors can keep everything looking very clean and minimal.

At Prêt à Vivre however, we tend to advise against roller blinds as a treatment for dressing bifold doors as roller blinds can easily come off balance when the doors are left open and they can flap in the breeze or draught. And there are door handles, which can also cause a problem. It is often the case with bi fold doors that you cannot get a blind wide enough to go on the normal diameter tubes. So you can be left with a very big roller blind box at the top of the recess (if you have the room, that is).

Our message is that there are other contemporary and elegant solutions for dressing bifold doors, one of the most practical being curtains. In this one particular case (pictured below), we advised on very clean, minimal curtains hung on a Wave heading. This means that the curtains are free flowing e.g. not anchored at either end, so they can be pulled to either side, which is a most practical trait where bifold doors are concerned.

The fabric is Linen Chintz Oatmeal with inset border in Platinum to add the detail of colour. Linen Chintz is lovely crisp cotton linen mix fabric. The curtains are sateen lined with the purpose of keeping them light.

The customer is thrilled with the result as it has softened the overall decor in the room, making it much cosier for the five months of shorter days and colder weather we get in this country. But without compromising on the beautiful light you get from these big doors, allowing you to enjoy your garden from the “inside”. In addition, the curtains prevent any resonance from all the hard surfaces such as floors and walls.