Posted: 8 Aug 2018
Every now and then we get customers who want to increase the amount of shading in a room; while at the same time not totally blocking their view of the outside. Especially if they have an impressive view of their garden or the countryside that they want to keep. So how to do you keep level of view outside while still shading your room? As soon as you introduce any level of transparency to a blind you also are reducing the amount of heat and glare to your room. Therefore, you have to try and find a happy medium between performance and transparency. Many of our customers opt for our bespoke semi transparent blinds.
pure™ Pinoleum Blinds
The pinoleum wood-weave that we use in our pure™ Pinoleum Blinds does allow for some degree of transparency. In order to create the dappled shading effect some light is let directly through the weave. This also means it’s possible to partially see through the blind as well. This is a popular choice for those looking for a traditional looking blind that can also be partially seen though. However, the optional solar lining will make these blinds totally opaque.
Semi Transparent Roller Blinds
Some of our premium roller blind fabrics also have semi-transparent options; creating an increase in shading and privacy while still giving you a view outside.
Venetian and Vertical Blinds
Finally, venetian and vertical blinds are always popular with those who don’t want to completely remove their view. However, their major downside is that when they are arranged to be see-through they are also directly letting in heat and light with no shading, meaning that in order to be able to see out you have to sacrifice most of the benefits of the blinds.
In a lot of these cases the amount of transparency you actually get will vary depending on several factors, such as the exact fabric you pick and the amount of light directly landing on the blind. Because of this, we recommend that you arrange a visit from a member of our sales team, who will be able to show you samples of the different blind types and allow you to see for yourself how well they work in your specific circumstances.
Ultimately there’s no one ideal way to compromise between performance and transparency. In a lot of cases, the best answer may be to choose a blind that is high in performance – such as the pure™ Pleated or Duette® blinds – but are also neat enough to be almost invisible when fully retracted.
