Vertical blinds

Verticals get overlooked because people remember the grey office versions. The current fabrics are a different thing entirely — linen-look weaves, textured neutrals, sunscreen meshes in vane form. What has not changed is the engineering, and the engineering is why they still win on certain windows.

What they are good at

• Very wide glass. A four or five metre window is trivial for a vertical and awkward for almost everything else.
• Doorways. The vanes draw right off the opening to one side, so a sliding door stays a usable door.
• Tilt control. Like a venetian on its side — angle the vanes to cut low morning or late afternoon sun that comes in sideways, which no roller blind can do.
• Cost per square metre. On big openings they are usually the most affordable made-to-measure option we offer.

Practical notes

• 89mm and 127mm vane widths — the wider vane reads calmer across a big opening.
• Weighted hems and a bottom chain keep the vanes hanging straight and stop them swinging in a draught.
• Stack them left, right or split to the centre, depending on where the door actually opens.
• Sunscreen vane fabrics give you glare control with the view kept, in the same way a sunscreen roller does.
• A wand-operated headrail avoids a hanging chain entirely where there are children in the house.

When we would talk you out of them

If the window is a feature and you want the treatment to disappear, panel blinds or a concealed roller will do that better. And in a room that gets a strong cross-breeze with the door open, vanes will move — the chain helps, but it does not make them still. We would rather say that up front than fit them and hear about it later.

What these cost

Guides, per square metre installed: R1,000 to R1,600 on a hand chain-and-cord control, R2,500 to R3,800 motorised. Vane width, fabric weight and track length are what move a particular opening inside those bands.

Verticals earn their keep on wide sliding doors, and a wide opening is where a per-square-metre figure works in your favour, since the track and the labour spread across more area. The reverse holds too, so a narrow window attracts a minimum instead. Your number for each opening comes out of the free measure and goes into writing before anything is ordered.