Behind the Advice: Why You Can Trust the Barlow Blinds Knowledge Centre
Anyone can publish advice about blinds online.
The harder question is whether you should trust it.
Every article in the Barlow Blinds Knowledge Centre is written or personally reviewed by people who spend everyday measuring, manufacturing, installing and advising homeowners about blinds.
Our advice combines more than 135 years of practical experience, independent research, British industry guidance and thousands of real customer conversations.
Most importantly, we write to help people make better decisions not simply to sell more blinds.
Why This Page Exists
People visit our website every day asking questions like:
"Which blinds are best for a bedroom?"
"Will shutters make my room darker?"
"How much should blinds cost?"
"Are blackout blinds really blackout?"
Those are sensible questions.
But there's another question people rarely ask.
"Why should I trust your answer?"
They should.
The internet has never made information easier to find or harder to judge.
Some articles are written by manufacturers promoting their own products.
Others are written by marketing agencies that have never measured a window, fitted a blind or spoken to a customer choosing between two options.
We know this from experience because we have had our website copywriters write our articles. It was quicker and easier to let them do it, but quick and easy is never normally the best solution and that became obvious very quickly.
So now I find time every week to answer questions and share good and bad experiences from that week’s home visits.
With AI making it easier than ever to generate articles in seconds, knowing where advice comes from matters more than ever.
That's why I wanted to explain where ours comes from.
I'm Phil Coleman
I'm Managing Director of Barlow Blinds.
I've spent more than 35 years working in the blinds industry and represent the fifth generation of my family to help run Barlow Blinds, a Leicester business that's been making and installing blinds since 1887.
During that time I've measured, manufactured, repaired and installed thousands of blinds in homes, schools, hospitals, offices and commercial buildings.
I've worked on tiny cottage windows.
Victorian bays.
Modern bi-fold doors.
Schools that needed child-safe systems.
Hospitals where hygiene mattered more than appearance.
Luxury homes where every detail had to be perfect.
After thousands of installations, one thing has become obvious.
No two homes are ever the same.
The best blind isn't the most expensive one.
It isn't the newest one.
It isn't even the product we happen to sell the most.
It's simply the one that's right for the person, the room and the way they live.
Everything we publish starts from that belief.
Experience Matters But Experience Isn't Enough
Thirty-five years teaches you a great deal.
But experience alone isn't enough.
Products improve.
Building regulations change.
British Standards evolve.
Child safety guidance develops.
Research into energy efficiency, overheating and thermal comfort continues to move forward.
The advice that was correct ten years ago isn't always the advice that's correct today.
That's why every article combines practical experience with current evidence.
Whenever appropriate, we reference guidance from organisations including:
- The British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA)
- British Standards
- University research, including the University of Salford Energy House and Loughborough University
- Government guidance
- Leading UK manufacturers
- Independent testing and published research
Experience helps us understand the problem.
Evidence helps us support the answer.
Both matter.
Helping Shape the Industry
One of the privileges of working in this industry for so many years is being able to contribute beyond our own business.
Today I serve on the Management Committee of the British Blind and Shutter Association.
I also chair the BBSA Website Working Group and sit on the Promotions Working Group.
Earlier in my career I helped develop the UK's first NVQ qualification for blind and shutter installers.
I'm also an ES-SO Approved Smart Shading Advisor.
These roles mean I'm involved with new products, technical developments, standards and best practice long before many of them become widely known.
That knowledge doesn't stay in committee meetings.
It feeds directly into the advice we publish.
Every Article Starts With a Real Question
People sometimes assume we sit down and brainstorm keywords.
The truth is much simpler.
Nearly every article begins because somebody asked us something or something I’ve seen.
A customer.
A homeowner on social media.
Someone during a home survey.
A question over the phone.
If one person asks it, there's a good chance hundreds of other homeowners are wondering exactly the same thing.
Those questions become our editorial calendar.
Not Google's.
Our customers'.
Sometimes the Right Advice Is Not to Buy
This may sound unusual for a company that sells blinds.
But there are times when the right answer isn't our most expensive product.
Sometimes wooden blinds aren't suitable.
Sometimes shutters aren't the best option.
Sometimes a much cheaper blind will perform just as well.
We'll say so.
Because our goal has never been to sell the most blinds.
It's to help people choose the right ones.
My grandad, Alan Coleman, put it better than anyone.
"It is not our job to find customers for our blinds. It is our job to find the right blinds for our customers."
That philosophy has guided our family for generations.
It still guides every article we publish today.
Why We Publish Prices
One of the biggest frustrations homeowners tell us about is not knowing what blinds should actually cost.
That's why we've chosen to publish pricing guides.
We explain what affects prices.
We explain why quotes vary.
We explain when paying more genuinely adds value—and when it doesn't.
Some people who read those guides will never become customers.
That's absolutely fine.
If someone makes a better decision because of something we've written, we've achieved exactly what we hoped to achieve.
We're Still Learning
One of the reasons I still enjoy this industry after all these years is because there's always something new to learn.
New fabrics.
Smarter motorisation.
Better energy research.
Changing customer expectations.
Whenever evidence changes, our advice changes too.
And if we ever get something wrong, we'll correct it.
I'd rather update an article than leave inaccurate advice online.
Accuracy matters more than pride.
Why We Created the Knowledge Centre
We didn't create the Knowledge Centre because Google rewards websites with lots of articles.
We created it because homeowners deserve honest, practical advice from people who genuinely understand the products they're writing about.
Whether you eventually buy from Barlow Blinds, another local company or decide blinds aren't the right solution at all, we hope our articles help you make a better-informed decision.
If they do, we've done our job.
Our Promise
Every article in the Barlow Blinds Knowledge Centre is written or personally reviewed by me before publication.
If guidance changes, we'll update it.
If research improves, we'll revise it.
If we make a mistake, we'll correct it.
Because earning trust isn't something you do once.
It's something you have to keep earning, article after article, customer after customer.
About Phil Coleman
Phil Coleman
Managing Director, Barlow Blinds
- More than 35 years in the blinds industry
- Fifth-generation family business
- BBSA Management Committee Member
- Chair, BBSA Website Working Group
- BBSA Promotions Working Group Member
- Contributor to the UK's first NVQ for Blind & Shutter Installers
- ES-SO Approved Smart Shading Advisor
- Featured in Openings magazine
- Contributor to multiple BBSA award-winning projects
