Venetian blinds that steer the ridge light, not just block it
Horizontal slats that tilt to steer light — the most adjustable interior treatment there is: full view, filtered glow, or full privacy, at any blind height, in either aluminium or timber.
A roller is open or closed by degrees; a venetian steers light by direction — tilt up for glare-free daylight, tilt down for privacy from a neighbour’s upper storey, close flat for dark. On a ridge where the sun tracks hard across wide glass through the day, that hour-by-hour control is the whole argument.
Aluminium venetians
Slats come in 25mm (crisp, the most popular) or 50mm (bolder, fewer lines). They’re the moisture champions of the range — bathrooms, kitchens and laundries, where fabric fails — and the colour range runs deep, including wood-look finishes if you want the warmth without the upkeep.
Timber & bamboo venetians
50mm basswood or bamboo slats bring a warm, architectural material to studies, main bedrooms and anywhere “real material” matters more than moisture resistance. Keep them out of steamy rooms; quality lacquer handles normal humidity fine. Very wide windows sometimes need splitting or ladder-tape support since timber is heavier than aluminium.
The adjustability argument
Faerie Glen’s upper and estate pockets face the sun swinging across a wide arc through the day — morning light from one side, hard afternoon glare from the ridge-facing elevation. A venetian tilts to answer both without a second blind: glare-free daylight in the morning, privacy and heat control by four o’clock, dark for a nap in between.
Fit and finish
Motorised tilt is available on premium lines and is worth it on anything above comfortable reach — stairwells, double-volume glazing, wide picture windows. Standard wand-tilt control keeps cords away from small hands entirely.
What the slat is made of moves the price
Guide figures per square metre, installed. Aluminium in 25mm or 50mm works out at R1,000 to R1,500 per square metre on a wand and cord, or R2,500 to R3,600 driven by a motor. Timber slats are heavier to build and heavier to lift, so allow R1,600 to R2,600 per square metre hand-operated and R3,000 to R4,500 motorised.
A narrow bathroom or scullery opening still carries a minimum charge, since the headrail, the tapes and the fitting are much the same job at any width. Past roughly two metres of width we would rather split an opening or motorise it than hang a blind fighting its own weight, and that is a decision for the free measure.
Let’s measure your windows properly.
A free measure at the house, a quote written window by window, and an honest view on whether aluminium or timber suits your rooms.