Member Blog

We are pleased to annouce that we have launched a new website Bridging Loan Hub. The site acts as an introducer for those looking for bridging finance in the UK. This is a type of short term finance used mostly by homeowners and property developers as a way of making a large purchase before other funding becomes available. 

A common example is for homeowners that have not sold their home yet but are desperate to complete on a new property or they risk losing it. A bridging loan allows them to get the money they need to complete on the property and then they can repay the loan when their house eventually sells.

Why Did We Set It Up?

Whilst our company specialists in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and getting other companies to the top of Google, we find that we are already working with lots of bridging lenders including SPF and Silverstream Finance. The brands have benefitted from receiving high quality leads through Google, so it only made sense to continue and help them achieve this. So setting up a broker website means that we can continue to pass on leads to our partner and they can continue to grow their business.

How Does It Work?

Customers apply for finance of up to £25 million that can be used to invest in a new property, development, business or invest opportunity (although property is the most common one). Using our basic application form, the customer enters their basic contact details and clicks ‘get a quote.’ The details are then passed to a professional broker that we can partnered with who will speak to the applicant and get a better idea of their requirements. Once confirmed, they will run a series of checks such as affordability, credit and property valuations and then put them in touch with the best lender based on their criteria. From the customer’s point of view, they are able to find the right lender for the product and amount they are looking to borrow. Part of the FCA’s requirements of Treating Customers Fairly means that the applicant will always be offered the lowest interest rate possible – so we can pleased to give the customer a good deal.

About The Products On Offer

Applicants can borrow between £50,000 and £25 million on a loan that is typically secured on the property or business premises in question. The funds are transferred to the customer’s bank account in one lump and the loan term is a maximim of 24 months, whereby this point, the borrower has either sold an asset to repay the loan or they refinance.

The interest rates start at 0.59% per month and the customer has the choice to repay in equal monthly instalments (like a mortgage) or they can roll up the interest and pay at the end of the loan term. 

Moving home is a common reason for using a bridging loan but it is also used by property developments to renovate a new or existing property and get access to finance without having to apply for a mortgage and be caught up in the regular property chains. Since valuations and solicitors are a key part of the application process, on average takes 3 to 4 weeks for a loan to be successfully funded.

Bridging Loan Hub is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference number 713027.

“Speaking at nor(DEV):con  is a good indicator that people know what they’re talking about”   If anyone knows the truth of that sentence, it’s Dom Davis. People in the tech industry know him for many different reasons – as CTO of TechMarionette, providing consultations through Somewhere Random, or perhaps even his YouTube gaming channels – but his speaking career was launched by nor(DEV):. “I started doing the local talks for the Norfolk Developers evening sessions, then speaking at nor(DEV):con, eventually graduating to larger and larger rooms at the conference. That eventually led to offers to speak from outside Norfolk.”   ‘Outside Norfolk’ ended up being Israel. A conference over there was looking for interesting international speakers and found Dom’s talk from nor(DEV):con on YouTube. After negotiating travel arrangements, they flew him out to give the closing keynote. “Off the back of that I got to speak at Foundercon in Berlin. So now I can say I’m an international keynote speaker!” He’s also got talks at GraphConnect and ACCU coming up later in 2017.   Dom has also been engaged as a trainer as a direct result of being at nor(DEV):con. “I was asked to provide training on Go to others, based on the fact that I am a respected member of the community – Paul Grenyer‘s opening keynote gave me glowing review! Speaking at Nor(DEV): is a good indicator that people know what they’re talking about.” Dom also bumped into the founder of one of the companies formed at the last SyncTheCity at the 2017 nor(DEV):con, who offered him consulting work. “There’s work and business to be done with all this talent and business in one place!”   Click here to read on the blog   Words by Lauren

Over the coming months, you will all have a role to play in shaping a new Economic Strategy for Norfolk and Suffolk.

New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership is working with local authorities and businesses to develop a strategy which outlines our ambitious vision for the future. It will look at how we build on our strengths to make the most of our region’s opportunities.

Consultation is key to the success of this piece of work as it is you – the local businesses – who will create jobs, innovate and drive economic growth.

Our current plan runs to 2026 and sets out ambitious targets to create:

• 95,000 more jobs by 2026 • 15,000 new businesses by 2026 • 117,000 new homes by 2026 • Increased productivity (added value per job) to equal the national average We are on track to reach many of these targets and where progress is slower than we’d anticipated, we are working together to drive the change which is needed. The new Economic Strategy will give further strength to our plans to achieve them. We will be looking at the timeframe for the new Economic Strategy and the targets will be reviewed accordingly.

So what are we doing? At the moment, work is under way to develop the evidence base which will be used to look at future potential growth. Over the next few weeks, that evidence will be analysed and any gaps will be identified. The draft evidence report will be ready by the end of May. Once that report is ready, we will start consulting with businesses to get your views on the future scenarios which the data presents.

We will keep you updated, but if you would like to know more, you can read the full FAQs on our website.

Exciting times – you’ve got a business, you feel ready to start taking on some export opportunities. You’re ready to grow, so it’s probably time for some translation. Well, before you do – please, just think this through carefully.

You’ve got a lot to think about at this point. You probably won’t know your whole budget, or how to pick a translation provider, or even how to manage the whole thing. You can save a lot of hardship, time and money by getting things right at this crucial stage – and here’s how:

1 – Are you biting off more than you can chew?

Are you planning on targeting 12 countries, and adding a whole load of languages to your website? Great if you’ve got really strong skills in the business and a nice big budget, but for most, this isn’t a good idea. Start with what you can realistically focus on. You need to be able to realistically see this through and do a good job.

2 – What are your goals?

If you’re in e-commerce then you want sales, I assume. But, what else are you after? Likes? Do you want people to sign up to an online course? Or download a book? Share this information with your translation provider – because they’ll make their own assumptions if not, and you may miss out on useful insight.

3 – What are your assumptions right now?

The likelihood is that you’re basing your plans on a hypothesis – or an assumption. Presumably you are working in the belief that adding a certain language to your website will result in more sales. Or that there are people in a certain country interested in buying your products. We’re not saying that’s wrong, it’s likely to be correct – but you should recognise it as a hypothesis, it’s not really a fact until you’ve tested it or seen seem really evidence. That can be as easy as just asking the question, but with something as important as this, it’s really valuable to acknowledge and identify that hypothesis at this early stage.

4 – Start small, but think big.

Think about testing that idea BEFORE you go ahead and translate everything. Use analytics to see the results of small changes. What would be the effect of adding just a landing page to your website in another language? Or, what if you were to pick just your 50 most successful products and translate the keywords and descriptions for them? It might not get you over the line, but you would start to understand the effects this might have on the user journey through the site. Are people reading more and staying longer? Is your page or products getting found more through search? If so, great – it’s working. If not, think about why before you move on.

5 – Resist the urge to start with the marketing copy.

Most people would think to begin by translating their creative copy and persuasive material. That, after all, is where your most obvious ROI is going to come from, right? But it’s the wrong approach. Horse before the cart and all that!

Start with your core vocabulary. Get an excel spreadsheet and write down the first 100 words that come to your mind to summarise your business. I don’t mean a sentence or a paragraph. Single words that describe what you do. Here’s an example for a software training company.

So, you’re picking out the words that sum you up, and that represent the right words to use for your key services or products. In some cases it may be clear that you’re using one word and intentionally avoiding alternatives. Like, face to face training vs. one to one training. In that case, it would be well worth adding another column as a DO NOT USE list.

Translate those. And check them. Yourself. Not just the translation company. Then put them into Google, or use the google keyword analysis tool and see if people are actually searching for that term. If not, it’s probably the wrong term. The translation company should be happy to do that bit for you, but you might want to check it yourself.

Get that list perfect, make sure it’s the right words. They should say exactly what you do, and be the terms people in your target market are actually using. And keep that list – it belongs to you, not the translation company and it will inform any future copywriting, SEO, web development and marketing you carry out. It’s going to become one of your most valuable assets as you grow.

Make sure your translation company uses those terms. That’s easily done by using a CAT (Computer Assisted Translation) tool. Don’t work with any translator or translation company who doesn’t.

6 – Think about the future.

You should be ready to start on your first big translation order, but proceed with caution. Right now, if you’re talking to translation companies about translating your website and a load of other materials, they’re going to be nice and excited. They all will. But once that bulk of work is over, what will your needs look like? Most likely, you’ll want to actually get into conversations and interactions with consumers and real people, in the country you’re targeting? That means emails, short letters, maybe even tweets and social media updates… how are those companies going to help you there? Don’t just concentrate on the big bulk of work. Ask them very clearly, “How will you help me if I have a short email of 30 words that I need translated the same day?” – if it’s a minimum fee of £30 and a rush fee for anything less than 24 hours, you’re better off knowing in advance.

Look for a company with a multilingual consumer support solution or with a speciality for handling work fast, without resorting to machine translation and at good prices – ideally without a massive retainer.

On Wednesday 22nd March 2017, the third annual report of Tech Nation was published. The report is the most comprehensive analysis of the UK’s digital economy, concluded from over 2,700 survey responses, 220+ community partners and 61 founder case studies.   Naked Element was invited to attend the Tech Nation 2017 launch event at the Royal Institution in London, proudly representing the Norwich Tech Community, along with Neil Garner from Thyngs.   Neil was mentioned in the Tech Nation Norwich Cluster report for his innovative organisation “Thyngs”, enabling anyone to make everyday objects easily interactive through their smartphones. Paul was mentioned as founder of Naked Element and Norfolk Developers group for their annual conference, which included a “Schools day”, helping students to engage with the Norfolk Developers and to promote Digital Tech skills.   Most discussions at the event were based around the government and the sector working together, and what the strategy is for the future to continue the growth of the UK’s digital economy, as it’s clear that digital is a critical contribution in 2017.   So why is the government backing the Tech sector?  

• In the past 5 years we have seen a 22% increase in the Digital Tech industries turnover, currently at £170 billion
• Tech investment in the UK is two and a half times more than any other European country
• The average salary of those in the digital industry is £51k, being 44% higher than the national average. Tech workers are helping to boost the wider UK economy
• through higher productivity levels per worker.
• All businesses will be digital in the future, this means many businesses will be based on and run by Technology

  Karen Bradley, Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport (“The Ministers for Tech”) went on to discuss the strategy set in place to address the key areas of support our industry is expected to receive.  

• We continue to face a deficit of women in the Tech industry as the ratio of men to women is currently 3:1. This is a key issue and the government are keen to try and address this.
• Making sure that we have home grown talent. New measures to ensure this include:
• Adults who lack core digital skills will not have to pay for training
• Coding is being introduced from Key Stage 1
• Attracting the best and the brightest – this year we received x5 more applicants for Tech jobs in the UK. Although we are seeing growth, with a new Tech company starting up every 60 minutes, we must continue to attract this talent.
• Having finance support at every stage of growth
• Digital connectivity
• Access to the space we need. Tech companies are growing at an alarming rate and ensuring we have enough space for them can be challenging
• Undertaking reviews of tax in R&D to allow more money to be spent on it
• Next generation full fibre – 1 million is being invested in 5G, having the connectivity they need whilst they’re travelling, at work and anywhere
• Introducing a new forum in which Tech city are looking forward to playing an active role in. Karen Bradley, will potentially chair this forum to review strategies, set priorities and meet every quarter.

  Digital is utility and no one should be left behind. With the backing that we have from government, we can hope to move forward as an industry, continuing to innovate and excel as a digital nation.   Lastly, I just want to say congratulations to the Norwich Tech community and to our contributions of £1.65 million to the report. We’ve got some of the most innovative digital companies and I really think this is just the start for us. Also congratulations to the whole of the Tech nation on another superb report. It’s a shining example that the government are committed to boosting this industry, and gives us great reason to be upbeat about the future. We have the momentum, and we have the innovation to ensure that the UK remains a global leader. As we approach a very exciting era, we need to draw on the best talent and ensure the world knows global Britain is open for business.

Have you ever pondered which type of blind to choose, or what a certain design of fabric would look like in a blind?

Take a look at the images associated with this article. We’ve picked three fabric designs and show you what that fabric looks like in each type of blind – Vertical, Roller and Panel.

The pictures show

• Vertical blinds made from Louvolite’s Como Ocra design fabric alternating with Carnival Navy:
• Como Ocra fabric in made to measure Roller Blinds:
• Como Ocra design fabric, again alternating with Carnival Navy, but this time in made to measure panel blinds:

​The type of blind makes quite a difference, doesn’t it?

Add in the huge choice of fabric designs, and that’s quite a decision for you to make.

This is where our experience comes in. We have been making blinds for over 35 years, so we have seen all different styles, in a huge range of fabric, in a variety of settings – both home and office.

Here are a few more comparisons for you:

• Roller blind with Louvolite Tropicana Apple Mojito fabric
• Panel blinds with Tropicana Apple Mojito and Carnival Kiwi Chive fabric
• Closed Vertical blinds with Tropicana Apple Mohito fabric and Carnival Kiwi fabric
• Vertical blinds with Tropicana Apple Mojito and Carnival Kiwi and Chive

And for blinds with a block colour:

• Carnival Breton Blue Panel blinds closed
• Partially open Panel blinds with Carnival Breton Blue fabric
• Panel blinds with Carnival Breton Blue fabric complemented with Zepher Quarts and Carnival Taupe fabric
• Roller blind with Carnival Breton Blue fabric from Louvolite
• Vertical blinds with Carnival Breton Blue fabric

If you like to do your own research, have a read of our guide to buying blinds or have a browse of the various options for made to measure blinds.

If you would like some help, book an appointment.

We visit you to take measurements, show you samples and chat about what would work best for you.

This article originally appeared on the Norwich Sunblinds website

Today marks the launch of Tech Nation 2017 from Tech City UK. Tech Nation 2017 shows that the UK digital tech sector is one of the country’s economic success stories, growing twice as fast as the wider economy and creating highly skilled workers and well-paid jobs.   The sector remains at the epicentre of the European tech scene but the new report also reveals some important new data that underlines how significant the sector is to generating economic growth nationwide:   • The UK’s digital tech industry turned over an estimated £170 billion in 2015, and is growing at twice the rate of the rest of the economy and is key to boosting the UK’s wider economy with a contribution of £97 billion in 2015 • The digital tech industry generated a further 85,000 jobs over the past year from 1.56 million in 2014 to 1.64 million in 2015, creating jobs at double the rate of the rest of the economy. • Similarly, since 2012 there has been a 13% increase in the advertised salaries of digital tech posts, compared with only a 4% rise in those of non-digital jobs. • Tech investment in the UK reached £6.8bn in 2016, more than two times higher than any other European country and significantly more than its closest rival, France, which secured £2.4bn. • Tech Nation 2017 shows that the average advertised salary for digital-tech jobs has now reached £50,663 a year, compared with £35,155 for the average non-digital salary, making it 44% higher than than the national average.   With more than 2,700 survey respondents from digital businesses across the country also contributing insights, the latest iteration of Tech Nation showcases the continued growth and evolution of the UK at the forefront of global innovation.With over 1000 data points, 220 community partners, 61 tech startup case studies and 30 UK tech clusters, this iteration of Tech Nation marks the most comprehensive study to date on the UK’s tech ecosystem.   Whilst we have these fabulous statistics from the UK’s wider economy, here in Norwich we share some similarly impressive figures. For more information on the digital economy within Norwich click the link below.   https://technation.techcityuk.com/cluster/norwich/

In the current political climate of austerity and cuts, the social care sector is under pressure. People are struggling or ‘Just about managing’ and support for those who need it is reactive rather than preventative – it doesn’t seem to appear until the worst has happened. At the other end of the scale, in the private business sector, there is the growing trend of encouraging employees to donate some of their working week to good causes. It increases morale, adds to employee skills and looks good for the company as a whole. One person saw the lack of funds in one place and the desire to help in another, and put the two together.   Rebecca White, founder of Your Own Place, is an experienced teacher and trainer, with time spent in Children’s Services, homelessness outreach, working with street gangs and running programs in prisons. She witnessed young people, often leaving care or being released from prison, failing at maintaining their first tenancy and become at risk of homelessness, or falling back into crime. The majority of these young people were at risk of losing their first tenancy simply through lack of day-to-day life skills. Things like managing a household budget, choosing the cheapest energy provider, being able to understand council letters and organising important documents. Not having these skills can make independent living difficult and ultimately lead to problems with paying rent and keeping a roof over their head.   Your Own Place was founded as a social enterprise to provide these skills and support through mentoring. Rebecca says “businesses can buy in as an HR service, and Your Own Place will train their staff to become our Volunteer Tenancy Mentors. We provide two days of training, DBS checks and interviews, at the end of which each volunteer will be matched with a young person in need of support. Volunteer Tenancy Mentoring is a great development opportunity for any businesses staff and the staff are able to continue their professional development and expand their own skills.”   Mentors usually give one hour a week or fortnight to their volunteer roles and provide a variety of support. “The key things we support young people with are employment skills, digital skills and money skills” says Rebecca. From just having someone to talk to over a coffee to invaluable budgeting guidance and computer skills, mentoring of this kind could make the difference between a young person having a solid start in their independence or living on the streets. “We’re trying to prevent the ‘revolving door’ – the cycle of someone moving into and out of supported living without ever managing on their own – and to actually be able to be successfully independent”. Currently based in Norfolk, Your Own Place has plans to expand into Suffolk and hopefully nationwide.   Local businesses who want to give something back, as well as give their staff a great development opportunity, need to invest time as well as money if they really want to make an impact. Social enterprise needs backing and support to really work. If your staff would benefit from expanding their skills and your business would like to give something back, contact Rebecca White at [email protected] or call 07530 028446   Link to mentoring page https://www.yourownplace.org.uk/our-services/volunteer-tenancy-mentoring/

A question I asked myself extensively since it was revealed. The Nintendo Switch is the newest handheld console released by Nintendo and retailing at around £250. £250 might sound like a lot, plus you have to buy games on top of this, but it’s actually surprisingly good value for money once you get down to it.   I won’t go into the technical details about the Switch in this post, I’ll leave that for the technical reviewers. Instead, I’ll talk about the first few hours of using it.   The Switch comes half charged out of the box, which was a really nice surprise. It let me get right into my game of choice (being Zelda: Breath of the Wild) and just enjoy sitting back and relaxing on the sofa. The first thing I noticed about the Switch was the build quality. Outstanding, rivaled only by the intensely satisfying ‘Click’ sound that plays out of the Switch’s speakers when you attach the two controllers on either side.   Clicking onto Zelda and playing for hours was a breeze. The UI for the console was simple, sleek and effective and the graphic quality for the game looked amazing for a handheld console. I have yet to test this on a full-sized TV screen but expect it will look just as stunning, as Nintendo tasked Nvidia with creating a unique graphics card exclusive to the Switch (citation needed?).   For a PC gamer, the controls were confusing at the best of times but after a short while of getting used to it, I was fighting off monsters and riding on horseback to my heart’s content for hours on end. I was enjoying my Switch, resting on its small yet sturdy stand, and sitting back with a cup of tea for hours on end until the battery died. Fear not, however. The Switch lasts for about 3 hours when fully charged whilst playing Zelda, which isn’t half bad considering.   To my surprise, when I charged the Switch up again and turned it on, expecting to lose progress, I was right where I left off. Sitting on my horse under an apple tree. The Switch will go into sleep mode before completely running out of power, allowing you to charge it up without you losing valuable progress on your games (unless you’re playing multiplayer, in which case you lose). A much-welcomed addition to its list of desirable features.   The Switch is supposed to have state of the art vibration technology in the controller, but I couldn’t notice much difference from a regular controller if I’m honest. I’m sure there is one, I was just too into the game to notice it.   So I ask again. The Nintendo Switch. Is it worth it?   Well, really that’s for you to decide. From my experience, however, I’ve had a blast playing Zelda and will continue to do so for hours to come. The nature of handheld consoles is the ability to take them anywhere, so that’s exactly what I plan to do.   Blog by Lewis   Junior Software Developer

On the 31st January, Naked Element had a meeting with a potential client in Great Yarmouth. The meeting was booked in for mid-morning and we didn’t want to lose any working time travelling there and back… so we decided to make a day of it and see what it’s like to do some hot desking by the Coast. After some googling, we booked into Fastolff House on Regent Street, for £20 per person for the whole day, an extremely good price. To our surprise we had a considerable size room, with a projector and screen, access to computers if needed and speedy internet. Toilet and kitchen facilities were nearby, with a good choice of refreshments. Manager Michael was extremely helpful too. Oh, and of course we would turn up an hour before the Centre opened and had to call to be let in.. Paul Grenyer and his early starts. I’m pleased to say we enjoyed our day out of the office, and will again return to Fastolff House, Great Yarmouth Business Centre if we are in the area again. Words by Rain

We are delighted to announce that we have launched FleetsInsurance.com with our partners Be Wiser. The new project comes after working with the Be Wiser Insurance company in Hampshire for over two years, focusing on their Search Engine Optimisation. We have succeeded to get their sister company Call Wiser higher up Google for several terms relating to car, bike and van insurance and have now set up Fleets Insurance as a joint venture.

How the site works

The new website acts as a lead broker for fleet insurance products and sends all the enquiries to the Be Wiser headquarters which is equipped with over 800 staff. Be Wiser see fleet insurance as a real growth market for them with potentially high returns. The insurance product is based on companies and individuals looking to cover multiple vehicles under one policy and is common for a fleet of couriers, minicabs and vans. The site is regulated by the FCA as a broker and therefore all new enquiries are put in front of 30 leading insurers in the UK to find the best level of cover and quotation. Additional bonuses of the product include free legal cover with every new policy and the chance to add any drivers to the cover.

This new venture is part of our commitment to offering additional services to our clients. We considered that if we were already optimising the Call Wiser site and the results have been very position, so why not continue to get more high quality leads through Google? Hence, we have set up the new website and will be initially using Pay-per-click advertising to test the user experience and then continue our good SEO work to increase the rankings on Google for keywords relating to fleet insurance.

Blinds and curtains shouldn’t be considered as a boring necessity for a lounge just to keep in the warmth or shut out the light. With a little imagination, they have the potential to make a stunning impact on your room’s decorative scheme.

The experienced team at Norwich Sunblinds has been helping people do this for years and can offer you great advice and expertise on the numerous ways that made to measure blinds, curtains or shutters can create a real WOW factor in your Living Room.

Let’s start with Blinds

Blinds have come a long way since the days of the simple roller blind or the plain metal Venetian blind. Roller blinds and Venetian blinds are still very much part of what we offer, as are Roman blinds, Panel Blinds, Perfect Fit and Vision blinds, but you will be amazed at the breadth of variety available and the stunning effects that can be achieved with the variations in styles, materials and special finishes, as you can see here.  Louvolite, for example, offer a fabric treatment that can help alleviate hayfever by catching the pollen in the blind fabric before it gets into your home.

The choice offered for other styles of blind is also impressive and includes just about every style, shade, pattern and texture you can imagine, from the subtle to the ornate to traditional and contemporary, ensuring blinds are suitable for any house whether it’s ultra modern or an old period property.

What style of blind best suits your living room?

Having considered the fabric, you then have to decide on the style of blind. All our blinds can be made in materials that either complement your decorative scheme or add dramatic contrast and impact.

If you’re not sure whether Romans or Rollers, Venetians or Verticals suit your room, come and have a look at the examples we have in the showroom and chat with our knowledgeable staff.

Panel blinds are a relatively new idea. They’re clever and stylish and often used for larger windows, patio doors and dividing rooms, cleverly stacking behind one and other when not is use. You can design them in materials and colours to suit your tastes and even contrast the different panels to add further design style to your living room.

Perfect Fit blinds and Vision/ Visage blinds are revolutionary.

Perfect fit blinds fit perfectly (as the name suggests) into a frame that moves with your door or window when you open or close them.

Vision blinds alternate mesh and fabric panels (including metallic finishes, natural wood, woven effects and contemporary tones) allowing complete control of light and privacy. You can continue to enjoy your view through the mesh panel while the sheer fabric blocks out the light.

Visage blinds achieve a similar result but are made with layers of fabric connected by a horizontal vane. Both give you more control and more options as to how much light is let into your room than you have with normal blinds.

You can also motorise your blinds; this is not the ultimate in laziness as it brings real benefits. As well as being stylish, it makes them child safe (no cords), speedy: shuts up to 14 blinds in one go and gives you security – you programme them to close and make it look like you are at home, and it will show your children or grandchildren that you can do technology too!

Curtains

Make sure your curtains are part of your overall design plan when you embark on the decoration of your lounge. It is worth coming into the shop or arranging a home consultation, to have a look through the extensive fabric sample books. They will add inspiration to your design plans, or they may even be the inspiration for the design.

Norwich Sunblinds holds sample books of great interior design fabric suppliers such as iLiv, Prestigious, Clarke & Clarke, and Voyage, which are perfect for Roman blinds and curtains. 

Curtain poles enhance the sophistication of the finished look of your room. We have a wide variety to choose from when ordering your made to measure curtains, from shabby chic distressed wood to polished silver and a delightful range of unusual finials for the finishing touches too.

You may also wish to consider having two sets of curtains for your lounge, something rich, warm and sumptuous for the cold winter months to make you feel cosy, and something light and summery for Spring and Summer. Without changing any furniture, you can give your room a totally different feel, depending on the time of year.

Another option is to combine both blinds and curtains at your windows, which again is an opportunity to be creative with your combinations to enhance the interior design. Or you might like the idea of having shutters and curtains.

Shutters

Shutters can bring a continental feel to a room and certainly add a focal point to a design scheme. They also reduce noise levels, are insulating and low maintenance.  Shutters will look wonderful on their own or with curtains too, creating a very grand feel to your living room.

Let Norwich Sunblinds help you create stunning window dressings for your lounge.

Norwich Sunblinds has been providing excellent customer service for over 30 years. We make our blinds and curtains in-house and provide a free measuring service, an installation service and expert advice on colours, textures and styles.

this article originally appeared on the Norwich Sunblinds website