The Como is a made-to-measure blackout panel blind sold by So Easy Blinds, designed for wide openings - patio doors, large windows, and room dividers - where a standard roller or venetian would not span the space. It comes in 18 named fabric colourways and starts from £109.18. The retailer describes the fabric as blackout, and the range's depth of colour options is one of its stronger points in a blind category that tends to offer limited choice.
Who it suits
Panel blinds are for wide or oversized openings: wide patio doors, full-width glazing, and bi-fold door surrounds are their natural territory. Each panel - typically 60-90cm wide - slides independently along a track, so the blind stacks to one side or both when open, leaving the opening clear. That makes them a practical choice for frequently used patio doors where a single large blind would obstruct traffic.
The Como's retailer-described blackout fabric makes it relevant for rooms where light control matters - a snug or living space with a large west-facing window, for example, where afternoon sun is a problem. It is worth noting that blackout fabric controls light through the material itself, but edge-leak around a panel blind's sides and track can still admit some light; if complete darkness is essential, combine with additional side coverage.
Panel blinds are not suited to standard single windows. The track system and panel width mean they look incongruous on a 900mm kitchen window. Where they genuinely work is in rooms designed around wide glazing.
The colours
18 colours available
The 18 colourways use evocative single-word names rather than descriptive colour terms - Balance, Bare, Bliss, Curious, Deep, Drama, Harbour, Harmony, Impact, Kiss, Nomad, Nurture, Rise, Sense, Skies, Sorbet, Space, Tranquil. The category tags for this range include blue, which suggests the palette skews toward cooler tones, though the full spread of tones across all 18 colours is not described by name alone. Some names suggest deeper, richer tones (Deep, Drama, Impact) while others imply lighter or more airy finishes (Skies, Bliss, Tranquil). No variant carries a premium surcharge; all start from the same from-price.
Given the naming convention, it is worth viewing fabric samples before ordering - names like Sorbet or Nomad do not communicate a specific colour reliably, and panel blinds are large enough that a mismatch between expectation and reality is significant.
Price by your dimensions
Made to measure from £109.18. Check So Easy Blinds for the price at your exact window size.
The from-price reflects the higher cost of panel blind systems relative to standard rollers - the track mechanism and multiple panels make these more complex to manufacture than a single-panel roller. Pricing will scale with the overall width of the opening and the number of panels required to cover it. For a wide patio door, the final cost may be substantially above the from-price; confirm the full specification with the retailer before ordering.
How it compares
Panel blinds occupy a narrow but useful niche. If your opening is genuinely wide - patio doors, sliding doors, or a bi-fold arrangement - the alternatives are limited. Vertical blinds cover similar openings and have been the traditional choice for offices and conservatories; they offer individual vane rotation for light control but lack the flat, modern appearance of a panel blind. Roller blinds can be made very wide but become unwieldy and are harder to operate smoothly above around 2.5 metres. The Como's blackout fabric gives it a useful light-control advantage over many vertical blind ranges, which are often in translucent or dimout fabrics.
Against other panel blind ranges, the Como's 18-colour selection is reasonably broad. If you need a specific tone that the evocative single-word names do not clarify, request a fabric sample - panel blinds are a considered purchase and the fabric needs to look right in your room before you commit.