Across our site you’ll find tons of references to window recesses, but what is a window recess? Put simply, it is the small distance from the window to the inside wall. Simple, right?

But here’s the tricky part: when choosing blinds, which recess should you choose?

We have three main choices for you to consider:

  • Inside the recess
  • Outside the recess
  • Window mounted

To find out more, carry on reading below, or skip ahead to your preferred choice for more details.

Blinds Inside the Window Recess

The most popular choice are window blinds that mount inside the recess. They keep your walls looking fabulous with the brackets neatly tucked away.

Installation is easy but you will need to nip down to your local hardware store to buy some screws, wall plugs and the right size drill bit. You will need a 4mm screw head with roughly 50mm – 60mm thread length. You can use longer threads lengths, if necessary, but try avoiding anything shorter.

We cover how to install all our different blinds in our helpful installation guides.

Blinds Outside the Window Recess

We’ve shown you what blinds look inside the recess – you can probably guess what they look like outside the recess. Instead of sitting between the walls of the window, the blinds sit directly on the interior wall.

But what’s the difference; why bother?

Installing blinds inside the recess requires us to make a small deduction from the sides. We do this to prevent the blinds rubbing against the wall. But what if your window frame doesn’t include a large strip around the edge of the glass? Suddenly, there is light shining through the gap!

If that’s the case, you’re not going to get a full blackout. If your blinds are for a bedroom or nursery, inside the recess might not be the best choice. There are tons of solutions, but an easy one is to mount them outside the recess and avoid the rubbing and the gap.

See how the wooden blinds pictured below cover the entire window? No more gaps; no more glow.

Window Mounted Blinds

If your home is a new build, or you’ve had new windows fitted; you might not want to drill into the wall. We get that. So, why not mount the blinds directly to the window frame?

Enter our range of no drill blinds that come in two mounting options:

To install these blinds, you will slide brackets between the glass and the rubber beading around the window. These brackets then house the frame for the blinds. No light gaps, no problem!

But when should you choose frame mounted blinds instead of free hanging?

If you have tilt and turn windows, such as the one below, then frame mounting is the way to go. It allows you to open and close your window without the blinds in the way.

Another scenario is when you own bi-fold doors. Window mounted blinds are great because you open the doors without moving the blinds. Just be sure you choose the right frame depth. If the frame is too deep, the door won’t close. But don’t be scared. We cover all of these and more in our how to measure guides that are easy to follow step-by-step.

Love All Your Options

That's it from us!

We hope this article helped clarify what is a window recess, and which choice is right for you. There’s plenty more to consider when choosing your blinds – but hopefully this article simplified it.

If you did find this article helpful, then please consider sharing it and spreading the knowledge.