Venetian Blinds in Aluminium and Beyond

A Venetian needs depth in two ways. The headrail has to fit, and the slats have to rotate without striking the glass, the window handle or a tiled sill. A slat turning through its tilt sweeps a little more than its own width, so a wide slat in a shallow reveal will catch on the handle every time it moves. We measure the depth at the handle as well as at the frame, and choose the slat width to suit the space rather than forcing it.

The second figure is the stack. When raised, all the slats gather under the headrail and take up height at the top of the window. On a short window that stack can cover a fair part of the glass. Narrow slats stack smallest; wide slats stack tallest. Where the view matters, we can mount the blind above the recess on the wall face so the stack sits over the wall instead of the glass.

Coated aluminium slats are tough. Near the sea, the weaker points are the hidden ones: the steel channel of the headrail if its coating is scratched, the gear of the tilt mechanism, the cord lock and the screws holding the brackets. Salt settles on these parts, attracts moisture and starts to rust, and the first sign is often an orange streak on the top slat or a tilt that grows stiff.

For any window within sight of the sea we specify a headrail with sealed components, stainless or coated brackets and screws, and non-metallic cord locks and wand fittings. Where the blind is near a window that leaks in the monsoon, we also keep the bottom rail clear of the sill so it does not sit in water.

The afternoon sun on a west-facing Goan wall is low, bright and hot. Venetians are good at the glare part of the problem: slats tilted against the sun block the direct beam while light still enters, reflected and diffused. A pale slat reflects more of the sun back toward the glass than a dark one, so the slat itself stays cooler and the room gains less heat from it.

What a Venetian cannot do is stop the heat that has already come through the glass. Dark metallic slats in full sun get warm to the touch and radiate that warmth into the room. For a hot west room, choose a light, matt slat, and for the hottest windows consider shading outside the glass, which our outdoor blinds page covers.

Many Goan houses are built to catch a through-draught, and windows stay open for most of the dry season. A Venetian hanging free in that draught will sway, tap the frame and clatter its slats. The fixes are simple when they are planned at the start.

Hold-down brackets at the bottom rail stop the blind from swinging when it is lowered. Side guide cords, tensioned from the head to the sill, keep the slats in line even when the window is open. On a window that is open almost all day, we will usually suggest a fabric blind or a roller instead, because no fixing makes a Venetian completely silent in a strong sea wind.

Aluminium Venetians can look clinical when they are bright white with a gloss finish on a large window. Matt and satin finishes, soft whites, warm greys and stone tones read much more calmly against limewash or painted plaster, and match the frames of most modern windows.

Slat width should follow the size of the glass. Narrow slats on a large window create a busy, striped wall; wide slats on a small bathroom window look heavy. If you want to see how tilting slats change a room before deciding, our wooden blinds simulator shows the same mechanism, and the general blinds simulator lets you compare it with roller and Roman styles.