insights
insights
How much light the fabric stops. Privacy follows the same scale: a sheer is see-through from outside at night when the room is lit; a blockout is private in every light.
Two families, not three: on a roller the choice is sheer light-filtering or blockout. Sunscreen, sheer and light-filtering are one and the same fabric.
| Performance | Sheer | Honeycomb duotone | Blockout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | Most; glare softened | Diffused, even glow | Stopped at the fabric |
| View | Kept | No | No |
| Day privacy | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Night privacy | No | Silhouettes possible | Yes |
| Rooms | Living, kitchen, office, view rooms | Living, office, hot rooms | Bedroom, nursery, media, shift workers |
A roller always leaves a thin line of light at its edges; face-fix with 100mm overlap or add side guides. Blockout honeycomb closes the smallest gap of any blind.
03 The duo-roller
Two blinds on one headrail: lower the sheer for filtered light and glare control, lower the blockout for darkness and privacy. Bedrooms and living rooms with a view stop having to choose.
Two fabrics with the same weave read differently: white, stone or cream let more perceived light through and reflect heat; charcoal, grey or slate absorb light and heat and read moodier. Colour is an opacity decision as well as an aesthetic one.
Blockout, face-fixed; a duo-roller if it doubles as a daytime room.
BlockoutBlockout, cordless: spring roller or cordless honeycomb.
Blockout, cordlessSheer, or a duo-roller where the room is used at night.
SheerSheer in a wipe-clean fabric; glare gone, room bright.
SheerBlockout for privacy, or a plaswood venetian.
BlockoutDuo-roller: the guest chooses.
Duo-roller“Most people choose a blind for the colour first and think about opacity second. I ask them what bothers them most about the window right now. That tells me the opacity they need, and the colour follows.”Duncan Kane Founder, Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings
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None on a roller: sheer, light-filtering and sunscreen are the same fabric family. The real choice is sheer light-filtering or blockout.
Through the fabric, yes; a roller still leaves a thin line at its edges. Face-fix with 100mm overlap or fit side guides, or choose a blockout honeycomb for the tightest fit of any blind.
Yes, when the room is lit and it is dark outside. Use a blockout or a duo-roller where night privacy matters.
Yes. At the same weave, a white fabric lets more perceived light in and a charcoal fabric reads darker and absorbs more heat.
Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings. Sheer and blockout rollers, duo-rollers and duotone or blockout honeycomb, made to measure in Coulisse and Hunter Douglas fabrics, priced instantly online and delivered free nationwide.
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.