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ohfamous
Joined: 10 Jul 2004
Location: Off the beaten path
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 Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:34 pm Post subject: where to get vertical blinds? |
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| anyone know where to get some standard PLASTIC opaque vertical blinds? the sun is baking my apartment like crazy. i've seen normal fabric blinds (wchich i have), but i need something that will block out all light and plunge my place into total darkness. |
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tzechuk
Joined: 20 Dec 2004
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| Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 11:19 pm Post subject: |
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Do you want Venetian blinds?
Where do you live? |
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Richard Krainium
Joined: 12 Jan 2006
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| Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 2:43 am Post subject: |
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And this is in the travel forum?  |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 3:50 am Post subject: Re: where to get vertical blinds? |
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(yeah, what is this doing in "Travel"?)
| ohfamous wrote: |
| anyone know where to get some standard PLASTIC opaque vertical blinds? the sun is baking my apartment like crazy. i've seen normal fabric blinds (wchich i have), but i need something that will block out all light and plunge my place into total darkness. |
Okay, two ways you can go.
First are opaque vertical blinds ("BUH-TEE-KAL" to Koreans). The opaque ones I've seen are of a material that appears to be stiff cloth fibre, but is actually synthetic. These will block nearly all outside light. However, some small amount of light will inevitably spill in at the bottom, the top and the sides. Not too much, and as you're not building a photography darkroom, it shouldn't be a problem. Sunlight leaking in around the edges has nothing to do with the material, but with the basic structure & installation of vertical blind systems.
There are several makers of vertical blinds in Korea, and any interior/remodelling shop near you should have catalogues of the biggest names. About 90% of what's out there are the translucent variety, so look carefully through those sample catalogues for the opaque ones. LG Chemical makes a line of light-blocking veriticals that includes a smart-looking burgundy one and an olive-green one, and I've installed them both. I just looked for but couldn't find my photos of the burgundy verticals I installed. I can tell you they are sharp indeed. You won't see these in many Korean homes, as the locals go for the translucent (& cheaper) verticals and usually in the softer, more somber shades like sky blue, dull lime green, drab beige, and one I'd call "jaundice yellow". You see them a lot in officetels, and they remind me of plastic shower curtains. Here's someone installing them in an officetel.
Very institutional-looking to me. (and the suit & shoes are quite the match, too)
The other route is to install roll blinds. The ones I've seen come in white, black & battleship grey. I don't recommend them, not because they don't do a superior job of blocking exterior light (they do that well), but they're just not practical for 95% of homes settings because you can't adjust the amount of sunlight as you can with vertical or venetian blinds. It's either open or closed, and half-way up isn't very attractive. I've only ever used roll blinds in home theatres where there's a unique need or desire for complete, inky-black darkness. |
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ohfamous
Joined: 10 Jul 2004
Location: Off the beaten path
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| Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 4:43 am Post subject: |
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| sorry about mis-posting in travel. but thanks for the advice. i definitely want the opaque vertical blinds - no roll-ups for me! i guess i have to find one of these interior design shops. is there an area in seoul with these shops? like yongsan has electronics, ahyeon has furniture and wedding stuff... |
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JongnoGuru
Joined: 25 May 2004
Location: peeing on your doorstep
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| Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 5:06 am Post subject: |
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| Yeah, Ulchi-ro has lots of places, but really so will anywhere in Seoul. If you're just doing one or two windows (or perhaps the floor-to-ceiling veranda window/sliding doors of your living room), then it's not worth an expedition to downtown. There's got to be one nearer your home or else somebody you can ask. The shops' signs even say 'Interior' (인테리어) and they really are just everywhere. |
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