RV Budget Blinds and Window Treatments

Let’s discuss the 3 varieties of RV window treatments we installed in our RV renovation. With the options for DIY, budget friendly, and splurge blinds – there is no need to hate your RV windows for another second!

*This post is sponsored by my favorite place to buy window treatments – Blindsgalore.com.

**This post contains affiliate links to products I use and love.

While sharing our RV renovation, TIDBITS ON WHEELS, I’ve heard this same comment a handful of times – “if it wasn’t for the windows, I would have no idea this was an RV”.

Yes, that is so true!  The RV windows are a dead giveaway no matter what updates you do.  However, this doesn’t mean you can’t improve them and try to trick the eye, so to speak.  The key is in the window treatments.

Today I want to talk to you about:

• 3 different budget friendly and beautiful window treatments we did in our RV renovation
• Some tips for selecting options
• How to hang them for success.

WATCH THIS POST ON VIDEO

I am thrilled as can be to be collaborating with Blindsgalore.com to help you pick out window treatments.  

Yes, I’m showing you what we put in our RV, but I promise you will love their products in your home as well. I’ve had several of their window treatments in our homes and adored the look of the faux jute roller blinds in our master bedroom, as well as the textured woven shades I had in my office.  

I won’t shop for blinds anywhere else. Their service, quality and selection is my absolute favorite.

Now, even though our current home on wheels is tiny, I thought it would be fun to mix in a variety of window treatments, which allows each tiny space to have a personality of its own.  There really is no reason to have the same blinds throughout the whole house (unless you prefer that), but don’t ever be afraid to mix things up from room to room.

Now, when it comes to RV specific manufactured purchases for window treatments – I would honestly steer clear.  You’ll pay way more for them, and from what I’ve seen – even the new ones still look like Grandma house blinds . . . and I mean that in the sweetest way possible.

3 Varieties of Window Treatments in our RV

Let me show you the 3 varieties of window treatments we used in our RV – TIDBITS ON WHEELS.

Handmade Linen Curtains

First, and the most budget friendly option, is some handmade curtains.  I simply sewed 2 layers of pure linen fabric together with a casing for the bunk area of the RV.  

I opted for this for a few reasons.

1 – The windows were so very tiny. It really didn’t make sense to buy blinds for such small windows.  

2 – The bunk area windows hardly had enough wall room to even hang a roller blind of any sort, and the size of a small curtain rod was about all the wall space we had available.

3 – It looks way cute!  Linen to coordinate with their beds, and my kids can easily open and close them when needed. You could definitely make curtains for all the windows in your RV, and save a lot of money. However, if you want to upgrade and clean up the look of the windows, I would recommend the following options.

Roller Blinds

A budget friendly and a significantly better design upgrade option for RV windows is roller blinds or roller shades.  

There are so many varieties of roller blinds to choose from. In fact, I picked a different color and style for both the living room area and the kitchen area, just to coordinate better with what design I had around each space.  

Blindsgalore.com makes it fool proof to pick the selection you want. You can get samples for all their blinds so you know you are making a choice you can live with.

I particularly love the texture in these blinds from the Blindsgalore Envision Roller Shades selections. In the kitchen I choose the color “Papyrus Linen Sterling”, which is a nice blue gray textured blind. I really love how it looks.

I wanted to keep things light in the living room area, so I opted for the color “Polynesian Sands, white sand”.  Again, they have this lovely natural woven texture to them, that significantly upgrades the space.

Natural Shades

The Natural Shades I picked were definitely the splurge option I have here, but I’m glad I can show you how much texture and coziness they add to a space.  

This master bedroom area just begged for some natural textures, and the window treatments did the trick.

The shades I selected are from the Bali line, color Grass Faroe Oyster.  I’m so in love with these shades, I’m thinking they are going to be an integral part of designing our new home.

Selecting Window Treatment Options

Luckily, you have a lot of options when it comes to customizing your blinds – but that can be overwhelming too.  Let me walk you through some of the choices and decisions we made.

Inside Mount vs. Outside Mount

The mount for your blinds is determined usually by your window.  If you have a window framed in, I think an inside mount is absolutely beautiful.  Since these RV windows are flush with the wall, an outside mount was really our only option.

Lift

How you raise and lower your blinds is personal, but I love a cordless option when at all possible.  I adore the clean look of a cordless, and how easy they are to raise and lower.

The only regret I have for these blinds in the living room is that I didn’t select a type that had the cordless option.  I thought I wouldn’t mind having the cords, but I would have much preferred no cord. So keep that in mind, that not all varieties have the option to go cordless.  Something to definitely consider. Blindsgalore also has SmartBlind options now, and having automated blind lift is something I dream about!

Valance

You’ll be able to select if you want a valance on your blinds, and what type.  I love to add a valance, because I think it really finishes off the look. You can buy cheap roller blinds just about anywhere, but the difference is you won’t always have a nice valance option.  It makes me crazy to see the rolling top and hardware that sits behind the valance, so I always make sure I have one, for inside or outside mounts.

Liner

You can buy blinds with no liners, light filtering, light blocking, privacy and more.  I believe I put light filtering in the roller blinds, because I wanted a little light to come through.  But our master has a privacy liner, which helps keep this room nice and cozy when needed.

Then of course there are other things to consider like cord color, hardware type, etc.  These come down to personal preference.

How to Hang your RV Blinds for Design Success

You’ve probably heard this before, but if you want to make a window seem bigger than it is, hang your window treatments higher and wider.  This is definitely true and very impactful for RV’s as well.

We raised the mount up quite a bit from the window, and even lined them up in the living area, where the windows were actually not lined up.  It made a huge difference in making it look seamless.

I love to have my blinds hang down a bit from the top, so that even when they are exposing all the window, you get to enjoy the texture and look of the blinds.  By hanging the blinds well above the top of the window, I can leave a few inches of the blind down, making the window look bigger than it is and hiding a bit of the curved top in the RV window.  It looks particularly great in the master where the shades pleat down and expose the lovely texture in all its glory.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about the blinds in our RV.  I loved sharing and hope you came away with some inspiration and ideas.  Be sure to keep Blindsgalore.com in mind when you go to purchase blinds for your home or tiny home.  Call them, email them, and definitely take advantage of their helpful and knowledgeable staff. I’ve never had a bad experience.  You can order up all the samples you wish, to make sure you make the right decision for this investment in your home.

Thank you so much for watching, reading and visiting today!  Let me know if you have any questions about blinds, and I’d love to hear what you love to use in your home.

I hope you’ll follow me along for more inspiration for do-it-yourself living, because I love sharing!

MY SELECTION OF BLINDS FOR THE RV

IN THE KITCHEN: Envision Roller Shades Textured: Papyrus Linen – Sterling

IN THE LIVING ROOM: Envision Roller Shades Textured: Polynesian Sands – White Sand

IN THE BEDROOM: Bali Natural Shades: Grass, Faroe Oyster

Discover more about our RV adventures in the following posts:

• TIDBITS ON WHEELS big reveal
• RV Renovation Pre Decor Tour
• RV Art | Home is where you park it FREE printable
• RV Renovation Process | Walls
• Our Next Crazy DIY Adventure
• 20 Inspiring RV Makeovers
• RV Renovation | Kitchen Details
• Easy DIY Cabinet Shelf Risers
• The Best RV Bunk Bedding
• RV Master Bedroom Essentials
• Tiny Home and RV Bathroom Organization