Valances
Standard Returns for Outside Mount
On a blind ordered for outside mount, the manufacturer’s default is to attach pieces of valance material to the sides of the valance with mitered joints. These are called ‘returns’. Returns will cover the brackets which would otherwise be visible from the sides.
Custom Returns for Inside Mount
On an inside mount, returns are optional and must be specified when placing the order. The vendor must do this – the customer should never be expected to specify them.
The measurements for the blind should include the depth of the window jamb. The person who keys the order in should subtract the window depth from the standard outside mount return length (manufacturer’s spec) giving a stub return, typically a minimum of ½”. Of course, this step is largely ignored with box store and DIY online orders since it requires a bit of experience to know the procedure.
Conclusion
It would really bother me when I went to a home and saw an expensive custom wood blind with no returns, ugly brackets on display. You can understand this with a DIY job – it’s hard to check all the boxes your first time out! – but this was especially troubling if the blinds were installed by a high-end source.
Providing the correctly tailored returns was one more way to separate myself from the crowd and generate ‘return’ business!