Our Story

Curtain & Blind Co. is the creation of Victoria Billings. With over thirty years experience in the Interior Design world, Victoria as worked in every aspect of the business; from cutting out fabrics on the workroom table, to managing large scale commercial projects.

Victoria’s Story

Soft furnishings have literally been in my blood since I was in primary school. Many school holidays were spent “helping” my mother when she worked for Constance Harfield in Birmingham; one of the true giants of the business in the 1980’s.

When I left school I briefly started training in secretarial work, but quickly realised that my heart lay in fabrics and soft furnishings. So naturally I joined my mother in her business in Lichfield. For over 15 years we worked together and grew the business opening a second very successful shop in the Cotswolds.

Working alongside my mother I learnt a great deal about colour schemes, mood boards and the technical nature of the business. But more importantly, I learnt from her experience and the range of types of work that we did. Everything from penthouse apartments, luxury yachts, hotels and pubs. And of course people’s homes.

When my mother retired in the early 2000s I decided to continue in the business, but under my own name. I wanted to develop the contract side of the business. This means the actual process of making soft furnishings at scale. So, starting with a handful of local interior designers I employed a small team of seamstresses and concentrated on building a process and system that would work efficiently.

By 2008 the volume of business had grown to the point where I needed more space. So I moved into my first workroom premises. This means that the service I’m able to offer includes a full fitting service and a complete coordination service for designers; meaning that their fabric is delivered directly to me, our fitters confirm their measurements and then fit the finished product. A stressfree service for busy interior designers.

A Complete Service from Curtain & Blind Co.

10 years on I have a workforce of fully experienced seamstresses’, a full-time upholsterer/pelmet maker and fitter on site.  My 30 years of experience in the trade has given me the knowledge and experience in all aspects of the soft furnishing industry to enable me to support other businesses.  I spend a lot of my time now advising other trades on the best way to solve problems with windows, curtain treatments etc. I love sharing my experience with other people and take the same joy that they do when their client is delighted with the finished job.  

As well as continuing to offer a full make-up service to Interior Designers and Private clients, Curtain & Blind Co. has for a long time also specialised in commercial work for hotels, pubs nursing homes.

Working either directly with the owners or through contract suppliers we can complete work with the minimum fuss. For a business in the hospitality industry being closed for refurbishment costs money twice. Getting it right the first time has never been more important.

The finished product is often only as good as the fitter! I believe that it is important to employ a full-time fitter, and have done so for many years. The team we bring together is widely respected and often called upon to take on difficult jobs, or solve problems. No two windows are the same even if they appear so! There can be issues with fixings, recesses running out, floors being uneven – no one wants to see wonky curtains!  Knowing how to get round these problems takes experience.

The team that I have brought together has spent a lot of time researching a wide range of high quality reasonably priced soft furnishings products and fittings. I have spent years establishing a select group of suppliers that I know and trust, and who I have built up a reputation with.

I have sourced the best quality products at the best prices from a small number of suppliers & manufacturers. These products are chosen for their quality, price and reliability.

Poles Tracks & More

Pulling together over 30 years of experience in commercial and domestic soft furnishings I have developed manufacturing processes and systems that I know work. This, coupled with sourcing fixtures, fittings, poles and tracks that not only look great in any situation but also are reliable. They will look as good years after been fitted as they do on day one.

All this means that I can offer products and services to trade and the general public that have been developed over many years. You can buy from us on this website confident in the knowledge that we’re bringing together the benefit of years of experience, and importantly our buying power to bring you great prices on proven products.