insights
insights
“People always ask which blind is best. I ask them what annoys them most about their window right now. That is where you start.”Duncan Kane Founder, Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings
What each does well, and where it struggles.
The workhorse. Blockout for darkness, sheer for filtered light with UV cut. Blockout fabric also slows heat through the glass. No-drill option for rentals.
From R610Tilting slats set the light through the day. Aluminium wipes clean in kitchens and bathrooms; aluwood and plaswood give the wood look there; bamboo adds warmth to living rooms.
From R413Cells of still air between glass and room: less heat in summer, less loss in winter, and quieter. Blockout or sheer.
From R1,050Two rollers on one bracket: a sheer in front of a blockout. Pull the sheer for daylight and the view, the blockout for dark. Also called a day and night blind.
From R1,166One fabric with alternating sheer and solid bands. Line the bands up for light, offset them for privacy. Open plan.
From R1,341For wide windows and sliding doors. Slide clear for full access, tilt when closed. Blockout fabrics.
From R512Screen, clear PVC or canvas dropping on tracks to close a patio, stoep or braai area. Adds a room without building one. Made in Knysna.
From R4,913A fixed architectural fitting with adjustable louvres. PVC handles coastal humidity; aluminium security shutters add protection. Custom Lifestyle Shutters, Garden Route only.
Site quoteStarting prices are the live shop figures read on 14 October 2026, VAT included; the shop prices your exact size.
How we compared: every blind type is rated on the same four criteria, light control, insulation, coastal durability and budget. The ratings are the judgement of Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings, not a laboratory score.
| Performance | Roller | Duo roller | Zebra | Venetian | Honeycomb | Vertical | Outdoor | Shutters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light control | Blockout or sheer | Sheer and blockout | Bands align or offset | Any angle | Blockout or sheer | Tilt or stack clear | Shade or clear | Louvre angle |
| Insulation | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Low to moderate | Excellent | Low | Wind and rain | Good |
| Coastal | With UV fabric | Yes | Yes | Aluminium | Yes | Yes | Heavy duty | PVC or aluminium |
| Budget | Affordable | Mid | Mid | Affordable to mid | Mid to premium | Affordable | Mid to premium | Premium |
Three dots is the most control, the best insulation, the safest on the coast, or the most affordable.
Every window has a job.
Block heat through the glass so the room stays comfortable without running the air-con all afternoon. Honeycomb, or a blockout roller.
A properly dark bedroom at six in the morning. Blockout roller, or blockout honeycomb for insulation too.
Afternoon sun filtered into a warm glow, glare off the television gone, neighbours out. Sheer roller, duo roller, zebra, or a venetian tilted up.
Horizontal blinds cannot reliably span past about 2m without sag. Vertical louvres handle 1.5m to 5m.
05 Coastal homes
Near the ocean, standard blinds fail faster than you expect: salt on the hardware, UV in the fabric, humidity in the timber. Insist on UV-stabilised fabric, aluminium or stainless headrails and brackets, and engineered polymer parts instead of painted steel. Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings specifies coastal grade across everything supplied and installed on the Garden Route.
Service areaGeorge, Wilderness, Sedgefield, Knysna, Plettenberg Bay and Nature’s Valley. Duncan measures, we manufacture to spec and our installation team fits.
Three routes.
Measure, choose, order at shop.customblinds.co.za. Live price, free delivery anywhere in South Africa, made in about 5 to 7 working days plus courier transit.
Book a design consultation. In Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, Duncan can measure the window in your light with the sample collection; elsewhere on the Garden Route, start with a specialist review of photos. The installation team fits.
Not sure which type? WhatsApp 076 022 8410 with a photo of the window and the team will point you to the right blind.
Roller blinds for most rooms, duo rollers where one window needs both daylight and dark, aluminium venetians in kitchens and bathrooms, honeycomb where insulation matters, vertical blinds on sliding doors and outdoor blinds on the patio. Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings supplies all of them nationwide and fits on the Garden Route.
Roller blinds, in blockout or sheer, are the most widely installed. Venetians are second, especially in kitchens and bathrooms.
Those specified with UV-stabilised fabric, aluminium headrails and stainless-steel or polymer brackets. Avoid painted steel and untreated timber.
Yes. Made to order and shipped free with tracking to every city in the country, with the Custom Fit Guarantee on every shop order.
A roller is one piece of fabric that rolls up or down. A venetian has horizontal slats that tilt to any angle, so you control how much light enters and from where. Rollers for bedrooms and living rooms; venetians for kitchens, bathrooms and offices.
Vertical blinds. The louvres tilt for light and stack completely clear of the door when open. Panel blinds on a track are the contemporary alternative.
For bedrooms, studies and rooms facing afternoon sun, usually yes: Coulisse testing shows 78% less summer heat absorption and 46% less winter heat loss, which shows up in the air-conditioning bill.
Usually. Blockout for sleep, moisture-resistant venetians for kitchens and bathrooms, sheer, duo roller or zebra for living areas, outdoor blinds for the patio.
Content reviewed by the Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings team. Visit the online shop for current pricing.
Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings | South Africa’s trusted blinds, shutters and awnings specialists since 2010.