Vertical Blinds Made to Measure in Cornwall and Devon
Aquarius Range
An extensive collection of vertical blind fabrics spanning plains, jacquards, prints and blackouts.
Louvolite Range
Premium vertical blind fabrics from one of the UK's leading blind fabric manufacturers.
choosing a vertical blind
A vertical blind is a row of fabric or PVC louvres hanging from a track. It draws sideways like a curtain, and the louvres turn on their own axis to angle the light. Nothing handles a wide window or a sliding patio door quite as well, because it opens the same way the door slides. We carry the Louvolite and Aquarius ranges, with dim-out, blackout, flame-retardant and wipe-clean PVC louvres.
Why they suit patio doors and wide windows
A roller or roman blind has to go right up before you can use a door. A vertical draws off to one side, or splits in the middle, so you can open the sliding pane and leave the louvres over the fixed glass angled as they were. The louvres rotate through about 180 degrees, throwing daylight onto the ceiling while stopping anyone seeing in. On a west-facing room looking out to sea, where evening sun comes in flat off the water, a few degrees of turn takes the glare off without losing the view.
89mm or 127mm louvres
Many collections come in two widths. The 89mm louvre gives finer lines and is the usual pick for a standard patio door. The 127mm louvre looks bolder, and because there are fewer of them the stack is smaller when drawn back. That stack still covers a strip of glass, so we'll suggest which way the blind should draw to park it over a frame rather than the view. Not every fabric comes in both; Louvolite's Argent, for one, is 89mm only.
Fabric, blackout and PVC
Louvolite's vertical fabrics run from translucents that soften the sun, through dim-outs, to blackouts such as Argent. In the Aquarius range the FR collections are flame retardant, the ASC collections are coated for moist rooms, and there are rigid PVC ranges including Castor, Harlem and Vega that wipe clean and shrug off steam, which suits bathrooms, kitchens and utility rooms. Even a blackout vertical lets a line of light through where the louvres meet, so for a bedroom that must be dark, a blackout roller is usually the better tool.
Weights, chains and child safety
Each louvre has a weight in its foot, and a fine chain usually links the bottoms so they stay evenly spaced in a draught. The blind is traversed and tilted with a cord and chain, and under EN 13120 any looped cord or chain must be held by a safety device. Every blind we fit meets EN 13120 and BBSA Make It Safe. Motorised options are available on the Louvolite range, which removes the loops altogether.
common questions
Are vertical blinds old-fashioned?
The shiny office versions people picture, perhaps. Today's fabrics include linen-look weaves, prints and textured jacquards, and a vertical in a good fabric looks nothing like a 1990s office. They are still the most practical blind for a sliding door.
Can you fit vertical blinds in a bay window?
Yes. Each face of the bay usually gets its own blind, drawing to the corners or the centre as suits the room. The 89mm louvre often closes more neatly on the narrower faces. We measure each face at the survey, since bays in older houses are rarely symmetrical.
How do you clean vertical blinds?
PVC louvres wipe down with a damp cloth. Fabric louvres are best dusted with a soft brush, or a vacuum on low with the louvres closed. Some Louvolite fabrics are machine washable once the louvres are unclipped and the weights taken out, so ask when you choose.
Why do vertical blinds rattle when the door is open?
Usually because the bottom chain has come off or was never fitted. It links the weights at the foot of each louvre so the blind moves as one in a draught. With it in place, a vertical stays quiet even with the patio door open on a breezy day.