Sheer Roller Blinds South Africa
Your lounge has beautiful views. But the afternoon sun turns it into a furnace. You want daylight without the heat. You want to see your garden without the neighbours seeing you. A sheer roller blind gives you that exact balance — soft filtered light, cool interiors, and daytime privacy without closing yourself off from the world.
What are sheer roller blinds?
- Sheer roller blinds are window coverings made from finely woven translucent fabric that filters sunlight while preserving your view through the window
- They reduce glare and block a significant portion of UV rays, protecting furniture and flooring from sun damage
- Openness factor is measured by the percentage of open space in the fabric weave — Custom Blinds supplies 3% (stronger heat and glare control) and 5% (more view-through and natural light), the two most versatile options for South African conditions
- Sheer roller blinds provide effective daytime privacy — you can see out, but people outside cannot see in while daylight is brighter than your interior
- At night with interior lights on, sheer fabrics do not provide privacy — a double roller system or curtain pairing is recommended for bedrooms
- Custom Blinds supplies sheer roller blind fabrics from Hunter Douglas and Coulisse — the global leaders in textile window covering solutions — with coastal-grade UV stability, moisture resistance, and colour retention built in
- Custom Blinds supplies sheer roller blinds from Coulisse, Hunter Douglas, and Somfy across South Africa, with online ordering and Garden Route installation
Need expert advice? Call Duncan on 079 523 5407 or WhatsApp Jane for online orders on 076 022 8410
TLDR
Sheer roller blinds filter sunlight without blocking your view. They work brilliantly for daytime privacy and glare control in living areas, kitchens, and home offices. Choose 3% openness for west-facing windows and harsh afternoon sun, or 5% for rooms where you want more natural light and a clearer view out. They do not provide nighttime privacy — pair with a blockout blind on a double bracket if the room needs both. Custom Blinds supplies premium sheer roller blinds from Coulisse and Hunter Douglas, available online with free delivery across South Africa.
The light problem
South African homes are built around light. Floor-to-ceiling glass. Open-plan living. Views of mountains, ocean, or garden that make the house feel twice its size. Until January, when the afternoon sun turns those windows into radiant heaters.
You close the curtains and the room goes dark. You open them and the glare makes the television unwatchable. The leather sofa is too hot to sit on. The timber floor is bleaching where the sun hits it every day.
This is the problem sheer roller blinds solve. Not by shutting the light out. By shaping it.
A sheer fabric sits between you and the sun, filtering harsh rays into soft diffused daylight. The room stays bright. The view stays visible. But the heat drops, the glare disappears, and the UV that damages furniture is reduced by up to 90% depending on the fabric you choose.
For living rooms, kitchens, dining areas, and home offices across the Garden Route and beyond, sheer roller blinds are the single most practical option in our indoor blinds range for managing South African light without sacrificing the reason you have windows in the first place.
“People think they need blockout blinds for every window. They do not. In a living room with a beautiful garden view, a sheer is the right answer. You keep the light, you keep the view, and you stop the sun cooking your furniture. I always ask — what annoys you most about this window right now? If the answer is heat and glare, not darkness, a sheer is what you need.”
Duncan, Custom Blinds — 15 years installing across the Garden Route
Practical
Openness Factor Explained: 3% vs 5%
Every sheer roller blind fabric has an openness factor — a percentage that tells you how tightly the fabric is woven. A lower number means a tighter weave: more heat blocked, more glare reduced, less view-through. A higher number means a more open weave: more natural light, better outward visibility, but less heat and glare reduction.
This is the single most important decision when choosing a sheer roller blind. Get it right and the room feels perfectly balanced. Get it wrong and you either lose the view or gain nothing over having no blind at all.
Heat and Glare Control
The most popular choice for South African homes. A 3% openness blocks most heat and UV while still allowing you to see shapes and colour outside. Ideal for west-facing and north-facing glass where afternoon sun is the main problem. The tighter weave means stronger glare reduction — practical for living rooms, TV areas, and any window that cops direct sun.
View and Light
A 5% openness gives you a clearer view through the fabric and lets more natural light into the room. Works well for east-facing rooms, kitchens, and spaces where you want visibility without harsh morning sun. A common choice for home offices where you need glare-free screen work but still want the room to feel bright and open.
Custom Blinds supplies 3% and 5% openness sheer roller blind fabrics — the two most versatile and cost-effective options that cover the vast majority of South African homes. Between these two, you can handle everything from harsh west-facing afternoon sun to gentle south-facing daylight. If you are unsure which suits your windows, Duncan can advise based on the room’s orientation and what you need the blind to do.
How to choose the right openness for your room
Fabric colour also matters. Darker sheer fabrics let your eye travel through the weave more easily, giving you a clearer view outside. Lighter colours reflect more light, which means better glare control but slightly reduced outward visibility. If you want to maximise your garden view through a sheer blind, choose a darker fabric in a 5% openness. If heat control is the priority, go lighter — a white or cream fabric in 3%.
Window orientation is the other key factor. West-facing windows in South Africa cop the worst afternoon heat — 3% is the right call. East-facing rooms get gentler morning sun, so 5% works well. South-facing windows rarely get direct sun and can comfortably use 5% for maximum daylight. North-facing windows depend on the room’s size and how much glass you have — if in doubt, read our full opacity guide or ask Duncan directly.
Sheer vs Blockout vs Duo-Roller vs Outdoor Sheerweave
These four products are often confused, but they serve different purposes. Understanding the distinction helps you choose the right blind for each window in your home.
| Feature | Sheer Roller | Blockout Roller | Duo-Roller (Double) | Outdoor Sheerweave |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light control | Filters and softens sunlight | Blocks 99–100% of light | Both — sheer for day, blockout for night | Filters light before it reaches the glass |
| Daytime privacy | ✓ Yes — effective | ✓ Yes — total | ✓ Yes — adjustable | ✓ Yes — effective |
| Nighttime privacy | ✗ No — see-through when lit inside | ✓ Yes — total | ✓ Yes — switch to blockout layer | ✗ No — same limitation |
| View preservation | ✓ Maintains view through fabric | ✗ No view when closed | ✓ View when sheer layer active | ✓ Maintains view |
| UV protection | 90–95% with 3% openness, 85–90% with 5% | 99–100% | Both levels available | 70–95% depending on openness |
| Heat reduction | Moderate — reduces solar heat gain | High — blocks radiant heat | High with blockout layer | High — stops heat before glass |
| Installation | Indoor — window recess or face-fit | Indoor — window recess or face-fit | Indoor — double bracket system | Outdoor — mounted outside the window |
| Best rooms | Living room, kitchen, home office | Bedroom, nursery, media room | Bedroom, bathroom, any room needing both | Patios, enclosed verandas, stoep areas |
| Motorisation | ✓ Somfy, MotionBlinds | ✓ Somfy, MotionBlinds | ✓ Somfy, MotionBlinds | ✓ Somfy recommended |
| Coastal rated | ✓ Moisture and UV resistant | ✓ Fabric dependent | ✓ Fabric dependent | ✓ Built for outdoor exposure |
Already know you want both day and night coverage from one window? Look at duo-roller (double roller) blinds — two fabrics on a single bracket, giving you a sheer layer and a blockout layer without needing two separate installations. If your concern is more about outdoor patio protection, sheerweave outdoor blinds are a different product built for exterior exposure.
Where Sheer Roller Blinds Work — and Where They Do Not
Sheer roller blinds are not a universal solution. They are exceptional in the right setting and the wrong choice in others. Knowing the difference saves money and frustration.
Where sheer roller blinds are the right choice
Living rooms and open-plan areas — this is where sheer blinds excel. Large windows with garden, mountain, or ocean views stay open and bright. Glare is controlled. UV damage to furniture is reduced. Daytime privacy is maintained. If your lounge faces west and the afternoon sun makes it uncomfortable, a 3% sheer roller blind on every window changes the room entirely.
Kitchens and dining areas — sheer fabrics keep the space bright for cooking and eating while cutting the harshest light. The fabrics we supply from Hunter Douglas and Coulisse wipe clean, handle steam, and resist moisture — practical for kitchen environments.
Home offices — screen glare on monitors is one of the top reasons people fit sheer blinds. A 3–5% openness eliminates glare while keeping the room bright enough that you do not need artificial lighting during the day. That matters for energy bills and for how you feel after eight hours at a desk.
Airbnb and holiday rentals — guests expect light, views, and low maintenance. Sheer roller blinds tick all three. They look modern, they are easy to operate, and they withstand the kind of treatment rental properties get. Combined with privacy blinds in the bedrooms, they cover the whole house.
Where sheer roller blinds are not enough
Bedrooms — unless paired with a blockout blind or heavy curtains, sheer blinds alone will not give you the darkness needed for sleep. For bedrooms, consider a duo-roller system that lets you switch between sheer and blockout from the same bracket.
Nurseries — babies and young children need full darkness for daytime naps. Sheer blinds in a nursery should always be paired with a blockout layer.
Bathrooms facing foot traffic — if your bathroom window faces the street or a neighbour, sheer blinds provide daytime coverage but become see-through at night with the light on. A venetian or honeycomb blind may be a better choice for bathroom privacy at all hours.
“I am always honest with clients about nighttime privacy. A sheer blind is not going to hide you from the neighbours once the lights go on. If privacy at night matters in that room, we either fit a double roller — sheer in front, blockout behind — or we recommend something else entirely. There is no point fitting a blind that does not do the job you need it to do.”
Duncan, Custom Blinds — 8,000+ installations since 2010
The Nighttime Privacy Truth About Sheer Blinds
This is the section most blinds websites leave out. And it matters.
Sheer roller blinds work on a simple optical principle. During the day, the light outside is brighter than the light inside your home. This means you can see out through the fabric, but someone outside looking in sees only a reflective or opaque surface. Your privacy is preserved without any effort.
At night, the equation reverses. Your interior lights are now brighter than the darkness outside. Anyone standing outside your window can see through the sheer fabric and into your room. The blind softens the image slightly — shapes and colours rather than sharp detail — but it does not hide you.
This is not a flaw. It is physics. Every sheer fabric on the market, from every manufacturer, behaves this way. Any company that tells you otherwise is not being straight with you.
The practical solutions are simple. In rooms where nighttime privacy matters — bedrooms, bathrooms, ground-floor rooms facing the street — pair your sheer roller blind with a blockout layer. A double roller bracket holds both fabrics on a single headrail. During the day, the sheer layer is down and the blockout stays rolled up. At night, you lower the blockout behind the sheer for full coverage. No second installation. No curtain rail. One bracket, two blinds, complete control.
In rooms where nighttime privacy does not matter — a kitchen that faces your own garden, a first-floor living room above eye level, a holiday home where the nearest neighbour is 200 metres away — a sheer roller blind on its own is all you need.
Fabric Quality and Coastal Durability
Custom Blinds supplies sheer roller blind fabrics from Hunter Douglas and Coulisse — the global leaders in textile window covering solutions. These are not generic imports or no-name fabric rolls. They are purpose-engineered textiles from manufacturers who have spent decades perfecting how fabric interacts with light, heat, and moisture.
Hunter Douglas pioneered the modern roller blind and continues to set the benchmark for UV stability, colour retention, and fabric longevity. Coulisse is recognised worldwide for innovation in sustainable textile design and precision hardware. Between them, they supply the majority of premium roller blind fabric used in high-end residential and commercial projects globally.
What that means for your home is simple. The fabric in your sheer roller blind will not fade, stretch, or degrade in South African conditions. It handles the UV levels, coastal humidity, salt exposure, and temperature swings that the Garden Route throws at it — and it looks the same in year five as it did on installation day.
Every sheer roller blind fabric we supply comes with documented UV stability ratings and is tested for the conditions South African homes actually face. Combined with quality roller blind hardware and professional installation, this is a product built to last — not a product built to a price point.
Value
Why Sheer Roller Blinds Make Financial Sense
The value case for sheer roller blinds goes beyond aesthetics. They reduce real costs and protect real assets in your home.
Lower Cooling Costs
Sheer fabrics reduce solar heat gain through windows. Less heat entering the room means less work for your air conditioning. In a South African summer, that difference adds up across every window in the house.
Furniture Protection
UV radiation bleaches leather, fades fabric, cracks timber, and damages flooring. A 3% sheer roller blind blocks up to 95% of UV — protecting investments that cost far more than the blind itself.
Reduced Lighting
Unlike blockout blinds that require artificial lighting when closed, sheer blinds keep rooms bright enough to work, cook, and live without turning on a light during the day.
Lower Than Shutters
For the same light-control result, roller blinds cost a fraction of what shutters do. Sheer rollers give you the daytime function at a price point that covers more windows for the same budget.
Motorised Sheer Roller Blinds
Sheer roller blinds are one of the most popular products to motorise, and for good reason. Hard-to-reach windows above staircases, large expanses of glass in open-plan living, or a row of matching blinds that need to move in unison — motorisation solves all of these.
Custom Blinds supplies and installs Somfy and MotionBlinds motors across the Garden Route. Both systems integrate with smart home platforms. Somfy connects to Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Apple HomeKit. MotionBlinds connects via the Eve app for Apple users or the MotionBlinds app for Android.
Schedule your sheer blinds to lower automatically when the afternoon sun hits, and raise again at sunset. Set scenes that combine blinds, lights, and climate control. Or simply use a remote to raise and lower them without leaving the sofa.
For new builds and renovations, motorised blinds are increasingly standard. Builders across the Garden Route spec Somfy motors as part of the electrical plan, with power run to the window head during construction. Retrofit is straightforward too — battery-powered MotionBlinds motors need no wiring at all.
Every sheer roller blind from Custom Blinds can be motorised. Battery or hardwired — we match the motor to the window and the way you live.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are sheer roller blinds?
Sheer roller blinds are window coverings made from translucent, finely woven fabric that filters sunlight while preserving your outward view. They reduce glare and UV radiation without darkening the room. Custom Blinds supplies 3% and 5% openness factor fabrics — the two most versatile options for South African homes — from premium manufacturers including Coulisse and Hunter Douglas, available for online purchase with free delivery across South Africa.
Do sheer roller blinds provide privacy at night?
No. Sheer roller blinds provide effective daytime privacy because outdoor light is brighter than indoor light, making the fabric appear opaque from outside. At night, with interior lights on, the effect reverses and people outside can see in. For rooms requiring nighttime privacy, pair a sheer blind with a blockout blind on a double roller bracket, or combine with curtains.
What openness factor should I choose for sheer blinds in South Africa?
For west-facing windows with harsh afternoon sun, 3% openness provides the best heat and glare control while still preserving a view. For east-facing rooms, kitchens, and home offices where you want more natural light and clearer outward visibility, 5% is the better choice. Darker fabric colours improve outward visibility; lighter colours improve glare reduction. Duncan at Custom Blinds can recommend the right openness for your specific windows — call 079 523 5407.
Can sheer roller blinds be motorised?
Yes. Sheer roller blinds are one of the most commonly motorised blind types. Custom Blinds installs Somfy and MotionBlinds motors that integrate with Google Home, Alexa, and Apple HomeKit. Battery-powered motors require no wiring, making retrofit simple. Motorisation is especially practical for large windows, high-mounted blinds, and homes with multiple sheer blinds that need to operate in sync.
What is the difference between sheer roller blinds and sheerweave outdoor blinds?
Sheer roller blinds are indoor products mounted inside or over the window recess. Outdoor sheerweave blinds are exterior products mounted outside the window line, built with heavier, weather-rated fabrics to withstand wind, rain, and direct sun. Both filter light and preserve views, but they are different products for different installations. Read our outdoor sheerweave guide for patio and verandah applications.
Are sheer roller blinds suitable for coastal homes on the Garden Route?
Yes. The sheer roller blind fabrics we supply from Hunter Douglas and Coulisse are engineered to resist moisture, salt air, and UV degradation — the three main challenges in coastal environments. Custom Blinds has installed over 8,000 blinds across Knysna, George, Plettenberg Bay, Mossel Bay, Sedgefield, and Wilderness since 2010. These fabrics are tested for coastal conditions and backed by manufacturer warranties.
Can I combine sheer and blockout roller blinds on one window?
Yes — this is called a double roller or duo-roller system. A single double bracket holds two fabric rolls on one headrail. The front roll carries the sheer fabric for daytime use, the rear roll carries blockout fabric for nighttime privacy or total darkness. It is the most popular configuration for bedrooms and living rooms that need both light filtering and full blockout capability. View duo-roller options here.
Ready to Choose Your Sheer Roller Blinds?
Order online with free delivery, or get expert advice from Duncan on which openness factor suits your windows. You can also request a consultation for your Garden Route home.
Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings™ · Garden Route, South Africa · Est. 2010 · All content © Custom Blinds. Specifications are general guidance — actual performance depends on fabric selection, window orientation, and installation. Contact us for advice specific to your home.
