The Barclay Noir is a made-to-measure roller blind sold by Swift Direct Blinds in 2 finish, with prices starting from £10.46. It sits at the no-frills end of the roller market - a single grey colourway aimed at anyone who already knows what they want and would rather not pay for variety they won't use.
Who it suits
Roller blinds are one of the most versatile blind types available, and the Barclay Noir's grey finish gives it reasonable flexibility across rooms. Grey sits comfortably in modern kitchens and home offices where clean lines matter more than warmth, and it won't fight with painted walls in the cooler end of the neutral spectrum.
In a bedroom, whether this range works depends on its opacity class. The retailer's product listing should confirm whether the fabric is blackout, dimout, or light-filtering - worth checking before ordering if you need darkness rather than privacy. A blackout fabric matters most in bedrooms, particularly in spring and summer when early UK dawns make light leakage noticeable.
Bathrooms are generally fine for roller blinds as long as the fabric has some moisture resistance, though the Barclay Noir's specification doesn't state this explicitly. If you're fitting above a bath or shower, confirm the fabric type with Swift Direct Blinds before ordering.
The colours
2 colours available
The Barclay Noir comes in grey only. That's a deliberate limitation worth acknowledging: if your room calls for a warmer neutral, a soft white, or a deeper charcoal, this range won't cover it and you'll need to look elsewhere in the Swift Direct Blinds catalogue. What grey does well is versatility within cool-toned interiors - it reads as understated in offices, utility rooms, and kitchens without demanding attention.
The absence of choice cuts both ways. There's no decision fatigue, no premium upcharge for one finish over another, and no risk of ordering the wrong shade from a sample that looked different on screen. You get what you see.
Price by your dimensions
Enter your window size. We round up to the next standard size, which matches how the retailer actually quotes you.
Starting from £10.46, the Barclay Noir sits at the accessible end of Swift Direct Blinds' roller range. As with all made-to-measure blinds, the price rises with width and drop - a standard small window will cost considerably less than a large bay or kitchen patio door. The widget above shows how the price scales across common sizes, which is the most reliable way to judge actual cost for your specific window.
How it compares
Within the roller blind category, the Barclay Noir's main distinguishing feature is its price point rather than its fabric story. If you need a broader palette - warm beiges, soft whites, or bolder tones - a range with more finishes will give you better coverage, though likely at a higher entry price.
If thermal performance matters, honeycomb or cellular blinds deliver measurably better insulation than any roller fabric. If light control is the priority and the opacity level isn't confirmed as blackout, it's worth comparing against explicitly labelled blackout rollers in the same price bracket.
Where the Barclay Noir earns its place is in situations where the colour works and the price needs to stay low - a home office window, a secondary bedroom, or a utility room where decoration is an afterthought. For those cases, a single well-priced grey is more useful than a range of colours you won't need.
Fitting and operation
Roller blinds are generally the simplest blind type to fit: a pair of brackets, a drill, and the tube drops in. Swift Direct Blinds' standard roller fittings support both inside-recess and outside (face-fix) mounting, though you should confirm the exact bracket options for this range during ordering. Inside-recess fitting gives the cleanest look when the recess is deep enough; outside fitting covers the full opening and reduces light gaps at the sides.
Chain operation is standard for roller blinds at this price. Check whether the chain is on the left or right and whether it can be reversed - most retailers allow this at the time of ordering.
Likely the same fabric, at other retailers
Barclay Noir roller blinds are sold under the same name by more than one UK retailer, and the price scales identically across window sizes - a strong sign it is the same fabric from the same supplier:
- Swift Direct Blinds this page from £10.46
- Blinds By Post from £12.00
- So Easy Blinds from £60.29
We match these on the shared name and an identical price curve, not an independent inspection, so treat it as likely the same fabric rather than confirmed - and check the specification and colour at each retailer before buying.