Custom Blinds South Africa
The closest thing to full darkness, on demand. Made-to-measure blockout roller blinds delivered free across South Africa, from R610. Custom Fit Guarantee on every order.
Garden Route clients:
The difference between a blockout roller blind and any other roller blind comes down to the fabric construction. Blockout fabrics are either woven from heavy polyester with a PVC or acrylic foam backing, or made entirely from PVC. Both methods fill the gaps in the weave that standard fabrics leave open. Light finds those gaps. Blockout fabrics eliminate them.
When properly measured and fitted, a blockout roller blind reduces incoming light by 99 percent or more across the fabric itself. The limiting factor is not the fabric. It is the installation. A blockout blind mounted inside a shallow recess will leave a gap at the sides and bottom where light enters the room around the blind, not through it. For genuine darkness, the blind needs to either cover the full window reveal face-fixed to the wall above the frame, or be installed with side channels that seal the edges. Side channels are available from Custom Blinds as an authorised representative of BlindQuip. Contact the team about arranging side channels for your blockout install anywhere in South Africa.
Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings advises on installation method at the point of ordering. For the Garden Route, Duncan visits and designs the installation around the window. For national orders, the measuring guide covers both recess and face-fix scenarios in detail.
Blockout vs blackout. The terms are interchangeable in South Africa. Same product, same fabric. Most retailers and customers use both words to mean the same thing, and so do we.
The right choice depends on the room and what bothers you most about the window right now. Here is how the three main roller blind types compare for South African homes.
| Feature | Blockout Roller | Light-Filtering | Sheer Roller |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light blocking | 99% or more through the fabric | 70-90%, diffused glow | 30-50%, soft natural light |
| Privacy (day) | Complete | Good, silhouettes visible | Partial, shapes visible |
| Privacy (night, lit room) | Complete | Moderate, outlines visible | Poor, clearly visible |
| Heat insulation | High, reflects and traps | Moderate | Minimal |
| UV protection | Up to 99% UV blocked | Partial | Minimal |
| View preserved | No, opaque when down | Partial, muted view | Yes, soft filtered view |
| Best rooms | Bedrooms, nurseries, media rooms | Living areas, kitchens, offices | Lounge, dining, rooms with views |
| Coastal durability | High, UV + salt resistant | Good | Moderate, requires care |
| Pricing | Get instant price | Get instant price | Get instant price |
Many South African homes use a combination: blockout in bedrooms and nurseries, sheer rollers in living areas where you want brightness with privacy.
South African light is bright and arrives early. In summer, the sun clears the horizon before 6am in most of the country. In coastal areas, the combination of direct sunlight and reflective water means that standard light-filtering fabrics often underperform against expectations. These are the spaces where blockout rollers earn their place.
The primary use case. Blockout roller blinds are what most South African bedroom windows need: deep darkness for quality sleep, clean lines that do not compete with the room, and easy operation morning and evening.
Daytime sleep depends on darkness. A nursery with a light-filtering blind gives a baby a room that dims but does not go dark. A blockout blind gives you an actual nap. Cordless and motorised operation is recommended for child safety.
Screen glare from uncovered windows is not just uncomfortable, it wastes the room. Blockout roller blinds eliminate reflections on screens and give media rooms the light control that changes how the room feels and functions.
Guests expect darkness. Blockout roller blinds give a guest room the darkness it needs, with low maintenance and a clean, professional finish.
Kitchens facing west in the afternoon, home offices with afternoon sun on screens, and holiday homes along the coast where early light is particularly strong are all strong candidates. The question is not whether the room would benefit. It is usually which fabric and which installation method.
Product guide
| Type | Light blocked | Privacy | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blockout roller | 99% or more through the fabric | Complete | Bedrooms, nurseries, media rooms, shift workers |
| Light-filtering roller | 60 to 85% | Good (day), limited (night) | Living rooms, home offices, kitchens |
| Sheer / sunscreen roller | 5 to 30% | Daytime only | Views with glare reduction, open-plan living areas |
| Duo roller blind (tandem) | 99% or more through the fabric (blockout layer) | Complete when blockout layer is lowered | Two separate blinds on one bracket. Bedrooms needing both a sheer daytime option and full blockout at night. |
| Zebra blind | 95 to 99% | Good, not full blockout | Living rooms, offices, bedrooms where some ambient light is acceptable |
Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings supplies blockout roller blind fabrics manufactured locally by BlindQuip, Hunter Douglas’s South African manufacturing and distribution arm, to Hunter Douglas and Coulisse specifications. These are not commodity PVC rolls cut from a warehouse. They are engineered fabrics selected for dimensional stability, UV resistance, and long-term colour retention under South African conditions.
The range covers plain weave blockout in neutral and dark tones: whites, creams, greys, charcoals, and black. Wide windows are quoted individually, Duncan or the online team will confirm what a single width can carry before you order.
For rooms where appearance matters as much as function, textured blockout fabrics are available in the linen-look and woven ranges. These give a more considered finish than plain PVC-backed fabrics without sacrificing light control.
Coastal homes. Standard blockout fabrics perform reliably on the Garden Route and other coastal areas. PVC-backed fabrics are particularly resistant to humidity and salt air and are the recommended choice for rooms within direct exposure of sea spray or high moisture environments. Custom Blinds installs and services blockout roller blinds across Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, Sedgefield, George, and the broader Garden Route.
Made-to-measure blockout roller blinds from Custom Blinds South Africa start from R610 for a small window. The price is driven by width and drop, with fabric selection adding a modest premium for textured or linen-look ranges. All prices include free delivery to any South African address.
The online shop shows live pricing for your exact dimensions. Enter width and drop and the price updates immediately. No quote request forms. No waiting for a callback.
The comparison worth making is not against the lowest-priced listing online. It is between made-to-measure and stock sizes. A 1,200mm wide stock blind on a 1,100mm wide window leaves a visible gap at the side where light enters the room. A made-to-measure blind at 1,100mm fits the window correctly. For a room where darkness is the point, the fit is the product.
Every order from Custom Blinds South Africa is covered by the Custom Fit Guarantee. Too big, return it and it is cut down free. Too small, it is remade at a reduced price. If the measurements supplied were wrong, carriage is at your cost; if the error is ours, every cost is ours, carriage included.
A Somfy or MotionBlinds motor fits inside the roller tube, replacing the manual chain with app control, voice commands, or automated schedules. Blockout is a natural fit for motorisation: the blind you most want to move on a schedule is the one that decides whether the room is dark.
Practical benefits beyond convenience: motorised blockout blinds lower at sunset and rise with a morning alarm without any manual effort. For holiday homes or Airbnb properties on the Garden Route or KwaZulu-Natal coast, scheduled movement simulates occupancy while the property sits empty.
Both Somfy and MotionBlinds systems are compatible with Apple Home, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa. Battery-powered motors require no wiring and suit rental properties or rooms without a nearby power point.
Motor selection depends on roller tube diameter, blind weight, and your preferred control method. Duncan advises on the right system for each installation, on-site across the Garden Route or by video call for national orders.
Most blockout blind guides are written for the UK or Europe, where UV levels are a fraction of what South African homes experience. Imported fabrics selected for milder climates are not specified for those conditions.
Custom Blinds supplies blockout fabrics built to Hunter Douglas and Coulisse specifications. Every roller mechanism is rated for daily use. Coastal homes on the Garden Route, KZN coast, and Cape coast get additional protection: salt-resistant brackets, corrosion-proof chains.
Inland homes face a different challenge. Gauteng, Free State, and Limpopo experience temperature swings of 20°C or more in a single day. Blockout fabric acts as an insulating layer, reflecting heat in summer and trapping warmth in winter. Honeycomb blinds offer even better insulation, but blockout rollers deliver the best combination of darkness and thermal performance at a lower price point.
For a full price breakdown across all blind types, see the blinds cost guide for South Africa.
Measure your window using the measuring guide. Choose your fabric and colour in the online shop. Place the order. Production takes 5 to 7 working days. Delivery is free nationwide, plus courier transit.
If you are not confident in your measurements, order your best estimate. The Custom Blinds team sends a measuring tape and can arrange a video call to confirm dimensions before production begins. You pay the balance if the confirmed size is larger, or receive a refund if smaller. The blind does not go into production until dimensions are confirmed.
For a full overview of all roller blind options including sheer, light-filtering, and the blockout range, visit the roller blinds South Africa page. For a deeper guide on choosing between sheer and blockout fabrics, read sheer or blockout: how to choose. For the full roller blinds range across every fabric, see our roller blinds South Africa hub. For the full indoor blinds collection including zebra blinds, honeycomb blinds, and venetians, visit the blinds collection.
Garden Route clients. Duncan Kane visits with samples across Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, George, Sedgefield, Wilderness, and Mossel Bay. He measures, advises on installation method, and recommends fabric based on the room and window. WhatsApp Duncan on 079 523 5407 to arrange.
Blockout fabric blocks 99 percent or more of light through the fabric itself. The actual darkness achieved in a room depends on the installation. A blind mounted inside a shallow recess will leave small gaps at the sides and bottom where light enters around the blind. No blind blocks 100 percent of light, but you get closest by face-fixing the blind above the window frame or adding side channels to cover the edges.
In South Africa the terms are used interchangeably by most retailers and consumers. Technically, blockout refers to the fabric grade, while blackout can describe the combined performance of fabric plus installation. A correctly installed blockout roller blind from Custom Blinds South Africa gives you a dark room regardless of which term you use.
Made-to-measure blockout roller blinds from Custom Blinds South Africa start from R610 for a small window. Price is driven by width and drop. All prices include free delivery. The online shop at shop.customblinds.co.za shows exact pricing for your dimensions without requiring a quote request.
Yes, and they are the recommended choice. Daytime sleep quality in nurseries depends on darkness. A blockout roller blind is the most reliable way to achieve it. Cordless operation or motorisation is strongly recommended for nurseries to eliminate cord hazards for children.
A blockout roller blind is a single fabric on one roller that gives you near-total darkness when lowered. A duo roller blind (also called a tandem blind) is two completely separate roller blinds mounted on a shared bracket, typically one sheer and one blockout, each operating independently. The duo gives you soft filtered daylight from the sheer and full blockout at night from the blockout, without paying for two separate brackets. Custom Blinds supplies both from the online shop.
Yes. Every blockout roller blind from Custom Blinds can be motorised with Somfy or MotionBlinds by Coulisse. Somfy integrates with Apple HomeKit, Google Home, Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings. MotionBlinds is battery-powered with no hardwiring required. Motorisation is particularly recommended for nurseries (removes cord hazards) and bedrooms (no need to get out of bed to lower the blind).
Yes. Made-to-measure blockout roller blinds ship free to any South African address via the online shop at shop.customblinds.co.za. Production takes 5 to 7 working days. Delivery is free nationwide, plus courier transit. Garden Route clients can book a design consultation with Duncan Kane for professional measurement and installation across Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, George, and surrounding areas.
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Custom Blinds South Africa: made-to-measure, from R610, Custom Fit Guarantee. Shop online or WhatsApp for help.
Custom Blinds® is a Garden Route window covering specialist established in 2010, serving Knysna, Plettenberg Bay, George, Sedgefield, Wilderness, Mossel Bay, and surrounding areas. We manufacture Custom Lifestyle Awnings™ and outdoor shading systems in our Knysna workshop and manufacture our Custom Lifestyle Shutters™ range in Cape Town, and supply roller blinds, honeycomb blinds, venetian blinds, zebra blinds, and no-drill blinds nationally via shop.customblinds.co.za. Our Custom Fit Guarantee covers every order.
Send rough sizes, a photo or two of the opening and anything you already know. We come back on fabric, system and pricing, usually within one working day.
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