Patio door blinds ideas: stylish ways to dress your patio doors

Looking for stylish and practical patio door blinds ideas for every room in the house? Read on for your ultimate guide to finishing off patio doors.

Lara Sargent

Lara loves writing about every aspect of the home – from the latest colour trends to emerging designs. She has a lot of experience writing about home trends and interior advice for leading titles such as The Telegraph, Metro, and Homes & Gardens.

From automatic roller blinds to full length sheers, there are a wide range of patio door blinds ideas to inspire you.

We've put together this guide to show you some of our top blinds for patio doors ideas that offer the perfect blend of style and privacy.

We adore patio doors for letting in natural light and seamlessly connecting the inside to the garden. Patio doors are also visually striking for every interior style and help create a sense of space.

Patio door blinds ideas... getting started

Whether you have sliding, bifold or French doors, looking at the different types of patio door blinds ideas can help you add the perfect finishing touch to a room.

You need to work out how much privacy you need from your blinds. Also, the size of your patio doors will have a bearing on what sort of blinds work best.

Look at which blinds are good at reducing heat loss – a big factor for reducing energy bills during the colder, winter months.

We recommend getting in touch with a local curtains and blinds expert who can help with measuring up, fitting and style.

Pop your postcode in the search bar below and discover local suppliers and fitters in your area.

Questions to ask yourself about blinds for patio doors

Before you start choosing blinds or looking at other door coverings ideas, run through the following questions.

1. Are my patio doors overlooked?

2. How much privacy do the blinds need to offer?

3. How big are your patio doors? And how do they open?

4. How much light and heat control do your blinds need to provide?

5. Are your patio doors used on a daily basis?

6. How easy are the blinds to keep clean and maintain?

7. Do your patio doors form part of a conservatory or orangery? If so, do you need matching blinds throughout?

8. Do modern patio door blinds fit in with your home's sleek contemporary look, or would a softer look (such as fabric Roman blinds) work better for your home?

Blinds for patio doors ideas

Time to upgrade your patio doors with new blinds and window treatments that are both practical and packed with style.

Be inspired by our patio door cover ideas...

1. Hang discreet roller blinds in a garden room

Roller blinds are one of our favourite patio doors blinds ideas. They're a versatile, discreet and budget-friendly way to dress patio doors. Hardworking and stylish, roller blinds come in a range of neutrals, block colours and prints to suit every decor.

This neat window treatment is a good option if you want an unhindered view to the garden. When rolled up, blinds are barely noticeable so work well for patio doors and windows in a garden room extension or orangery. Roller blinds also come in various widths to suit even very large patio doors if necessary.

Consider vertical blinds if your sun room receives too much glare as the louvres can gently filter the light for a more comfortable atmosphere.

Choose blackout roller blinds for a space that might double up as an ad hoc guest bedroom. Or sheer roller blinds that can filter light in but still offer a good level of privacy.

2. Simplify with horizontal blinds for patio doors

Horizontal Venetian blinds are a modern window treatment for dressing patio doors. Simple and fuss-free, this type of blind will let you control how much light and privacy your room receives - perfect if you have unwanted glare and uncomfortable temperatures.

Blinds are lightweight and come in a range of materials including wood, composite and metal. Venetian blinds are a flexible option too, with a wide range of sizes to suit very big sliding doors or neat French doors.

Create a contemporary or classic look by choosing wide or skinny slats. Keep blinds looking squeaky clean by regular dusting and a quick wipe with a damp cloth.

3. Choose illusion blinds for patio doors to filter light

Patio doors are naturally positioned in rooms that seamlessly join to sunny spots outside. But on days when temperatures soar, you need to choose blinds that can filter light and heat to make your space more enjoyable all year round.

Illusion blinds or 'day and night' roller blinds are made up of two fabric layers - one sheer, one opaque. They cleverly slide over each other to give you the benefit of filtering light and blocking out the sun's rays.

The dual fabrics create an aesthetically pleasing striped design, allowing daylight into a room and a view to the outside. For complete privacy and to block out strong sunlight, the two materials can come together by a simple twisting mechanism – super handy and very effective.

4. Smart dark kitchen blind ideas

Swap plain white Venetian blinds for a slick black alternative. These smart patio door blinds in charcoal frame the windows and create a modern industrial mood in this kitchen.

While dark coloured blinds won't show up dirty marks as much as white, the charcoal slats will make dust fairly visible.

Find out how to clean and look after blinds in our helpful blog.

5. Upgrade to automatic roller blinds

If you have large, sliding patio doors you might need a few blinds that can be individually opened and closed according to the weather and time of day.

Electric roller blinds are a brilliant solution that can make life so much easier. Choose between a remote control or wall switch and say goodbye to reaching and stretching to open and close blinds manually. This can be quite time-consuming in larger homes.

Look out for smart blinds too so you can control your patio door blinds from anywhere at any time, via a phone app or voice technology.

Read our super useful guide and find out how much it costs to install electric blinds.

6. Go for classic vertical blinds

Choose neat and unobtrusive vertical blinds for a classic design choice to finish off patio doors.

Slats can be adjusted so you can protect your privacy and control how much light enters a room.

White is a timeless option that will suit every style of decor - a key consideration if you are planning to upgrade or decorate your space in the future.

However, there are so many different designs on offer these designs - from pastel coloured polyester to marble print PVC.

PVC vertical blinds are a good option for the kitchen as they are easy to keep clean.

7. Double up with blinds and curtains

Soften a modern neutral kitchen by dressing patio doors with fabric Roman blinds and pastel drapes.

The muted grey Roman blinds look high on style but can be easy on the bank balance if you choose a reasonable fabric. In fact, if you're a competent sewer, you could have a bash at making your own Roman blinds with our useful instructions.

By finishing with curtains in a contrasting pastel pink, even if the drapes don't fully close, will add a noticeable touch of style to an otherwise plain decor.

8. Pare it back in single space living

Small, single-space living requires great design tips and tricks to max out the appearance of more light and more room.

If you are fortunate enough to have patio doors leading to a balcony, you can't go wrong with a classic, Venetian blind that is simple to open in one easy mechanism.

Try a custom-colour blind that blends in with the colour of your walls for a streamlined look.

9. Pick natural blinds

Blinds made from natural materials such as jute and hessian, are a great option for a period-style conservatory or sun room. They are hardwearing and will let the light filter through even when pulled down.

Upstyle with matching conservatory roof blinds that can can help add shade in hotter weather and insulation in colder weather.

6 patio door curtains ideas

If you are leaning towards having curtains rather than blinds, then we have plenty of ideas to dress patio doors with drapes.

Shield with sheers: Hang budget-friendly sheers to introduce an element of privacy while allowing sunlight to filter through. A good idea when standard sized curtains just aren't big enough for large, sliding patio doors.

French doors curtain ideas... Draw curtains back: If you have French doors and glazed, fixed panels, ensure you get unimpeded access to the garden by hanging curtains that draw right back to the edges of the walls.

Go for a vintage style: Beautiful white curtains add a softer element to this minimalist kitchen and lead seamlessly to the period balcony outside.

Line your curtains: Make sure bedroom patio doors have drapes that are fitted with a good quality, blackout lining - for privacy and a good night's sleep!

Stick to neutrals: In an eclectic style conservatory, keep to simple neutral curtains that open and close on invisible, smooth gliding runners.

Add bold colour: Reclaim a design opportunity taken up by large panes of glass by hanging curtains in a bright hue, such as these teal ones.

Did you find what you were looking for in this idea piece for Patio door blinds ideas? We hope so! Let us know in the comments or tag us in your renovation on Instagram.

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