Buying curtains in Bangor usually starts with a question about fabric and ends with a question about fit. Ready-made curtains rarely suit a bay, a wide patio door or a big window looking out over the lough. Our handmade curtains are made to measure in-house, and the same team that measures them makes and fits them. This guide covers how that works for a Bangor home: the home visit, the Bangor showroom, the choices you will make, and what happens after you order.
Why Bangor homes choose made-to-measure curtains
Ready-made curtains come in set widths and drops, so they rarely fit a window exactly, and the gaps at the sides and top are where warmth and darkness are lost. Made-to-measure curtains are built to your own pole or track, with the fullness, lining and heading chosen for the room they hang in.
A home visit, or the Bangor showroom
There are two ways to start, and you can use either or both: a free home visit for measuring and samples, or an appointment at the Bangor showroom to look through the sample books. You do not need to come to the showroom to order, because the measuring and fitting all happen at your house.
We come to you with fabric samples and measure every window you want to dress. Seeing a fabric against your own walls and in your own daylight is the surest way to choose, because colour and weight look different in a north-facing room than they do in a sunny one.
Book an appointment to browse the sample books at our showroom at 55 Dunlop Commercial Park, 8 Balloo Drive, Bangor BT19 7QY. Our fabric houses include Warwick, Ashley Wilde, ILIV, Laura Ashley, Beaumont Textiles and Hardy. See the Bangor showroom page for contact details.
Formerly Charisma Blinds in Bangor
If you knew the Charisma Blinds name locally, Apex Elite NI now serves Bangor with a wider range, and curtain making is part of it. Our page on blinds in Bangor explains the change and the full range now available in the town.
Want to see fabrics in your own front room before you decide? Book a free home visit.
Book a free home visitThe choices you will make
Once the windows are measured, a made-to-measure curtain comes down to four decisions. We talk each one through at the home visit.
Plains, weaves, velvets and prints from our fabric houses, chosen from samples in your own light rather than from a screen.
Start with the room's coloursStandard, thermal, blackout or interlined. Lining changes how warm the room feels, how dark it gets and how the curtain hangs.
Thermal for cold glassWave, pinch pleat, pencil pleat, goblet or eyelet. The heading decides how the folds fall and how far the curtains stack back.
Wave for a modern roomPoles, tracks and pelmets are fitted with the curtains, and motorised tracks are available for wide or hard-to-reach windows.
Fitted by our teamFor more detail on fullness, linings and how each heading looks in a room, read our guide to curtain linings and heading styles.
Ready-made or made to measure?
Ready-made curtains have their place. This is how they compare with curtains made for your window, point by point.
| What matters | Ready-made | Made to measure |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | Set widths and drops | Built to your pole or track and the drop you want |
| Gaps at the sides and top | Common, which lets in light and cold | Sized to close them |
| Lining | Whatever the pair comes with | Standard, thermal, blackout or interlined |
| Heading | Whatever the pair comes with | Wave, pinch pleat, pencil pleat, goblet or eyelet |
| Choosing fabric | In a shop or online | From samples in your own room |
| Measuring and fitting | Done by you | Done by our team, poles and tracks included |
A made-to-measure price depends on your windows, fabric, lining and heading, so it is worked out after measuring rather than read off a shelf.
Curtains and blinds together
Many rooms work best with both: a blind for daytime privacy and light control, and curtains for warmth and softness in the evening. Because we make blinds as well as curtains, a Roman blind or a roller blind behind a pair of curtains can be planned at the same home visit, so the two are measured and chosen together.
- Bedrooms: blackout-lined curtains, often with a blind behind them for daytime privacy.
- Living rooms and bays: a thermal or interlined curtain for warmth, in a fabric that suits the room.
- Patio and garden doors: curtains on a track wide enough to draw right back from the opening, sometimes with a sheer for daytime.
- Windows facing the water: a blind to manage glare, with curtains to close against the cold on winter evenings.
From first sample to final fit
Every set of curtains we supply is made to measure and finished by hand by our own seamstress team, rather than bought in ready-made. This is how an order runs for a Bangor home, start to finish. More on the service itself is on our handmade curtains page.
Before the home visit: a short checklist
- List the rooms and windows you want to dress, including any bay or patio door.
- Decide whether you are keeping your poles or tracks, or want new ones fitted.
- Note what each room needs most: darkness, warmth, privacy or simply colour.
- Keep a cushion, a paint card or a photo of the room handy, so fabrics can be held up against it.
- Think about blinds at the same time if any window needs daytime privacy as well.
Why choose Apex Elite for curtains in Bangor
Apex Elite Blinds is a family-run company established in 1993, with showrooms in Bangor, Lisburn and Lurgan. We make curtains, blinds and shutters, so a whole room, or a whole house, can be planned with one team from the first visit to the fitting.
Ready to talk fabrics? Book a free home visit, or call the Bangor showroom on 028 9145 7772.
