About Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings

What we actually do

Nobody rings a blinds company because they want to buy blinds. They ring because the afternoon sun turns the lounge into an oven. Because the bedroom never gets properly dark. Because the patio is unusable when the wind picks up. Because a guest bedroom needs to feel finished before December.

Custom Blinds solves those problems. Morning coffee on the deck happens despite the southeaster. The bedroom stays cool through a January night without running the aircon. The braai area works in rain. The holiday home looks cared for even when you are in Johannesburg.

That is the real product — not the blind itself, but the way a room feels when the right solution is in place.

Duncan Kane and the Garden Route

Duncan Kane founded Custom Blinds in 2010 after years in the window covering industry. The Garden Route breaks products that work perfectly elsewhere. Salt air corrodes mild steel fixings within months. UV bleaches fabrics in a single season. Berg winds in George snap brackets that hold fine in Johannesburg. Humidity in Knysna grows mould behind blinds that stay dry in Cape Town.

Understanding what fails — and why — is the foundation of every recommendation Custom Blinds makes. It is why the company manufactures its own shutter and awning ranges rather than relying entirely on imports. It is why every specification starts with the question: what conditions will this product face in your specific location?

8,000+ installations later, that approach has not changed. Duncan still conducts Garden Route consultations personally. Every installation is handled by the same in-house team — no subcontractors, no handoffs, no gap between what was discussed and what gets fitted.

Two ways to work with Custom Blinds

Garden Route — full turnkey service

For homes and businesses in Knysna, George, Plettenberg Bay, Sedgefield, Wilderness, Mossel Bay, and surrounds, Custom Blinds provides the complete service: on-site consultation, precise measuring, product specification, manufacture (where applicable), professional installation, and ongoing aftercare. Duncan and the team handle everything. One point of contact. One standard of workmanship.

This covers indoor blinds, shutters, outdoor blinds, awnings, shadeports, shade sails, fly screens, security screens, safety bars, and LockLatch window restrictors. Commercial projects — body corporates, housing estates, dealerships, hospitality venues — include engineering documentation where required.

Nationwide — online shop

The online shop at shop.customblinds.co.za brings Custom Blinds to every home in South Africa. Measure your windows using the step-by-step guide, select your blind type and fabric, see the price instantly, and order with free nationwide delivery. Products arrive made to your exact millimetre measurements with clear fitting guides for self-installation.

The Custom Fit Guarantee applies to all online orders: if a blind arrives too big, Custom Blinds trims it free. If too small, you receive 5% off the replacement.

Online shop contact: Jane on 076 022 8410. Garden Route consultations: Duncan on 079 523 5407.

Custom Lifestyle™ ranges

Custom Blinds does not only sell other manufacturers’ products. The company designs, specifies, and manufactures three proprietary ranges built specifically for South African coastal conditions:

Custom Lifestyle Shutters™. PVC indoor shutters manufactured for humidity, salt air, and UV exposure. Engineered for coastal homes where timber warps and imported PVC degrades. Available across the Garden Route with professional installation. See shutters.

Custom Lifestyle Awnings™. Canvas and Wedge awnings manufactured in-house. Retractable folding-arm, fixed wedge, and custom-designed configurations. Aluminium louvre awning systems sourced from internationally accredited manufacturers with local production. See awnings.

Custom Lifestyle Outdoor Blinds™. Café blinds, zip screens, PVC and SheerWeave outdoor blinds fabricated for coastal resilience and wind-load tested for Garden Route conditions. See outdoor blinds.

The company does not manufacture roller blinds. Indoor blinds are sourced from BlindQuip and Hunter Douglas — South Africa’s benchmark manufacturer — ensuring UV-tested fabrics, corrosion-rated hardware, and full manufacturer warranty backing.

Products and services

Manufacturer and brand partnerships

BlindQuip / Hunter Douglas. Custom Blinds is an authorised BlindQuip and Hunter Douglas representative. BlindQuip is Hunter Douglas’s South African manufacturing and distribution arm, producing the full range of indoor blinds including Luxaflex. This partnership gives Custom Blinds access to UV-tested fabrics, corrosion-rated hardware, and manufacturer warranty backing. See BlindQuip.

Somfy. Certified Somfy installer and programmer. Somfy motorisation with wind, sun, and rain sensors is available on all retractable and louvre awnings, outdoor blinds, and indoor blinds. Smart-home integration via TaHoma, Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. 5-year manufacturer warranties on all Somfy motors.

Motion by Coulisse. Authorised supplier. European smart blind technology with Thread and Matter compatibility for Apple Home integration. Battery-powered motors for retrofit installations where no wiring exists.

LockLatch™. Exclusive Garden Route distributor. SABS-compliant child-safe window restrictors that allow ventilation while preventing falls. See LockLatch.

Cornerstar Screens. Preferred supplier. Coastal-grade insect screens and retractable screen systems.

Commercial and body corporate services

Custom Blinds provides commercial-scale installations for dealerships, housing estates, body corporates, retail centres, hospitality venues, and industrial properties across the Garden Route.

Waterproof PVC membrane systems carry 15-year warranties with 25-year structural steel warranties.

See commercial shadeports.

Garden Route towns we serve

Knysna. Company headquarters. Lagoon-facing and estate properties. Simola, Pezula, Leisure Isle, Thesen Islands, Brenton, Belvidere.

George. Berg wind conditions, UV exposure. Heatherlands, Herolds Bay, Wilderness, Pacaltsdorp, Blanco, George CBD.

Plettenberg Bay. Direct ocean exposure. Robberg, Beacon Isle, Keurboomstrand, Kranshoek. Marine-grade specifications standard.

Sedgefield. Holiday homes and permanent residents. Low-maintenance products for properties left unoccupied between visits.

Mossel Bay. Wind-dominant conditions. Somfy wind sensors standard on retractable awnings and outdoor blinds.

Nationwide (online). The online shop at shop.customblinds.co.za delivers indoor and outdoor blinds to every address in South Africa. Free delivery included.