Timber & Aluminium Venetian Blinds

Why a venetian suits an Irene sash window

A roller is open or closed by degrees; a venetian steers light direction — tilt up for glare-free daylight, tilt down for privacy, close flat for dark. That adjustability is exactly what a deep-set sash or fanlight window rewards, where the light through a single pane can swing from soft morning glow to a hard afternoon shaft in a couple of hours.

Timber venetians — the heritage-home natural

50mm basswood slats bring real material warmth to a study, a formal lounge, or any room where the original window joinery deserves something more considered than plastic. They suit sash windows and character cottages particularly well, and hold their own next to exposed brick, yellowwood floors or a farmhouse ceiling. Keep them out of high-steam rooms — a quality lacquer handles normal humidity, but a bathroom wants aluminium instead. On a very wide heritage window, we'll usually split the span or add ladder-tape support, since timber slats are heavier than aluminium.

Aluminium venetians — the moisture champion

25mm slats (crisp, the most popular choice) or 50mm (bolder, fewer lines) in a wide colour range, including woodlook finishes that echo the timber option without the maintenance. This is the one for kitchens, bathrooms and laundries — anywhere fabric fails and steam is a daily reality. Budget-friendly, and the practical pick for a new-build estate kitchen with a big window over the sink.

The double-storey privacy trick

On a street-facing window or a stand overlooked from a neighbouring double storey, tilt the slats down rather than closing the blind flat — you keep daylight in the room while cutting the sightline from above. It's a small adjustment most people never think to make, and it's one of the first things we show you at the free measure.

A ballpark before the measure

Venetians are quoted by the square metre of blind, fitted, and the material moves the number more than anything else. Aluminium in 25 or 50 mm: from about R1,000 up to R1,500 the square metre on a wand, or about R2,500 up to R3,600 with the tilt on a motor. Basswood and bamboo: from about R1,600 up to R2,600 by hand, about R3,000 up to R4,500 motorised.

A narrow window will not price at a neat fraction of a wide one, so anything small carries a minimum. Take the bands as a way to set a budget; the numbers that count are written against your own openings after the free measure.

Fitting venetians across Irene and next door

Timber slats for heritage sash windows, aluminium for kitchens and bathrooms — we fit both across Cornwall Hill's double-volume glazing, Southdowns Estate's open-plan kitchens, Raslouw's mixed old-and-new stock and Eldoraigne's established family homes.