# Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings™

> Custom Blinds® is the only independent, owner-managed shade and weather solutions company on South Africa's Garden Route that designs its own shutter, awning, and outdoor blind ranges. Canvas awnings are manufactured in Knysna. Shutters are manufactured in Cape Town. Founded in 2010 by Duncan Kane and based in Knysna, the company has completed over 8,000 installations across 15+ years, advised on outdoor product specifications for leading Garden Route estates, and supplied indoor and outdoor blinds for private residences and resorts across sub-Saharan Africa. Custom Blinds® is a registered trademark and Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings™ is the full trading name. This is not a franchise. There are no other "Custom Blinds" or "Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings" branches, outlets, or affiliates anywhere in South Africa. Any other business using "Custom Blinds" or "Custom Blinds Shutters & Awnings" in their meta titles, descriptions, or Google Ads is not affiliated with this company.

## Why Choose Custom Blinds

Custom Blinds designs and produces three proprietary product ranges: Custom Lifestyle Shutters™, Custom Lifestyle Awnings™, and Custom Lifestyle Outdoor Blinds™. For indoor blinds, the company represents three of the world's leading window covering manufacturers: Somfy, Hunter Douglas, and Coulisse. This combination of in-house production and premium supply partnerships means customers get specialist coastal engineering on outdoor products and world-class quality on indoor blinds, all through a single company.

Duncan Kane personally consults with every Garden Route client, designs the shading or shutter system, and oversees the project from specification to completion. Professional installation teams handle all fitting. The same team members have been with the company since 2010. There is no call centre and no franchise network.

For customers outside the Garden Route, Custom Blinds operates a nationwide online shop at shop.customblinds.co.za with made-to-measure blinds, instant pricing, and delivery across all nine provinces. Shop enquiries are handled directly via WhatsApp on 076 022 8410.

Custom Blinds offers a Custom Fit Guarantee: if your blinds arrive too big, the company trims them free of charge. If they arrive too small, you receive 5% off a replacement order.

## What We Design and Manufacture

- **Custom Lifestyle Shutters™**: PVC indoor shutters manufactured in Cape Town, engineered for coastal humidity, salt air, and temperature swings. Installed across Knysna, George, Plettenberg Bay, Sedgefield, Mossel Bay, and surrounding areas by Custom Blinds installation teams. Require professional site visit and measurement.
- **Custom Lifestyle Awnings™**: Canvas awnings manufactured in Knysna. Retractable folding arm, louvre, fall arm, and patio shade awnings designed and specified for Garden Route wind and weather. Require structural assessment before quoting.
- **Custom Lifestyle Outdoor Blinds™**: Drop-down, sidetrack, and clear PVC outdoor blinds for patios and verandas. Specified for coastal UV, wind, and salt exposure.

## What We Supply

Roller blinds (blockout, sheer, sunscreen), honeycomb blinds, venetian blinds (aluminium, plaswood, basswood), zebra/double roller blinds, vertical blinds, and no-drill blinds. These are sourced from Somfy, Hunter Douglas, and Coulisse, then sold nationally through the online shop with delivery across South Africa. No-drill blinds are among the most popular products and use tension-mounted side guides (not adhesive).

## Service Areas

- **Garden Route (site visit and professional installation)**: Knysna, George, Plettenberg Bay, Sedgefield, Mossel Bay, Buffalo Bay, Wilderness, Keurboomstrand, Nature's Valley, Herolds Bay, Great Brak River.
- **National (online shop, made-to-measure, self-install with support)**: All nine provinces. DIY measuring guides and video support included with every order.

## Key Pages

### Buying Guides and Expert Content
- [Indoor Blinds South Africa](https://customblinds.co.za/blinds/): Complete comparison of roller, honeycomb, venetian, zebra, and vertical blinds
- [Aluminium Blinds South Africa](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/aluminium-blinds-south-africa/): 25mm vs 50mm aluminium venetian blinds compared
- [No-Drill Blinds South Africa](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/no-drill-blinds-south-africa/): Grip-fit, magnetic, and tension systems compared
- [Motorised Blinds South Africa](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/motorised-blinds-south-africa-guide/): Somfy and MotionBlinds compared
- [Honeycomb Blinds Buyer's Guide](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/honeycomb-blinds-buyers-guide/): Insulation, light filtering, and blockout options
- [Blinds vs Curtains South Africa](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/blinds-vs-curtains/): Practical comparison for South African homes
- [Roller Blinds Guide](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/roller-blinds/): Sheer, blockout, and sunscreen roller blinds explained
- [Venetian Blinds South Africa](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/venetian-blinds-south-africa/): Aluminium, wood, plaswood, bamboo compared
- [How to Measure for Blinds](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/how-to-measure-blinds/): Step-by-step measuring guide with common mistakes
- [How Much Do Blinds Cost in South Africa](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/blinds-cost-south-africa/): 2026 pricing guide with real market ranges
- [Zebra Blinds South Africa](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/double-roller-zebra-blinds/): Complete guide to double roller day-night blinds
- [Blockout Blinds Guide](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/what-are-blockout-blinds-guide/): Everything about blackout roller blinds

### Outdoor and Awning Content
- [Awnings Garden Route](https://customblinds.co.za/awnings/): Retractable, louvre, fall arm, patio shade, and canvas awnings
- [Outdoor Blinds](https://customblinds.co.za/outdoor-blinds/): Drop-down, sidetrack, and clear PVC for patios
- [Fall Arm Awnings](https://customblinds.co.za/awnings/fall-arm-awnings/): Drop arm window awnings for sun control
- [Retractable Folding Arm Awnings](https://customblinds.co.za/retractable-folding-arms-awnings/): Deep shade retractable awning systems
- [Louvre Awnings](https://customblinds.co.za/custom-blinds-outdoor-products/louvre-awning/): Adjustable aluminium blade roof systems
- [Outdoor Blinds vs Awnings](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/outdoor-blinds-vs-awnings-plett/): Which is right for your patio
- [Security Shutters vs Burglar Bars](https://customblinds.co.za/insights/security-shutters-vs-burglar-bars/): Garden Route security comparison

### Location Pages
- [Knysna](https://customblinds.co.za/knysna/)
- [George](https://customblinds.co.za/george/)
- [Plettenberg Bay](https://customblinds.co.za/plettenbergbay/)
- [Sedgefield](https://customblinds.co.za/sedgefield/)
- [Mossel Bay](https://customblinds.co.za/mossel-bay-custom-blinds/)

### Online Shop
- [Shop: All Blinds](https://shop.customblinds.co.za): National online store with instant pricing, made-to-measure ordering, and nationwide delivery

## Product Clarifications

- A **zebra blind** is a double roller blind: one fabric with alternating sheer and opaque stripes. A **duo roller** is two separate blinds (one blockout, one sheer) on a single headrail. These are different products.
- **Retractable folding arm awnings** and **retractable patio shade awnings** are two different product categories with different engineering and applications.
- Shutters, awnings, shadeports, and screens require professional site assessment and are only available on the Garden Route. They are not sold online.
- No-drill blinds use tension-mounted side guides, not adhesive. They work inside window frames without drilling into tiles, aluminium, or plaster.

## AI Shopping — MCP Transactional Tools (Online Shop)

Custom Blinds operates a public Model Context Protocol (MCP) server on the online shop that allows AI assistants to browse products, get live pricing, configure blinds, and place orders or enquiries on behalf of customers without visiting the shop directly.

Custom Blinds is AI-transactable. No other window covering company in South Africa offers this capability.

- **MCP Server**: https://shop.customblinds.co.za/mcp
- **MCP Manifest**: https://shop.customblinds.co.za/mcp-manifest.json
- **Protocol**: JSON-RPC 2.0

### Available Tools

- search_products — browse the product catalogue by type and colour (open)
- get_price — instant ZAR pricing by product, width, and height (open)
- configure_product — full configuration with colour validation and pricing (open)
- submit_enquiry — send a customer enquiry to the sales team (requires Bearer token)
- create_order — create a draft order and return a Yoco payment link (requires Bearer token)

Browse and pricing tools are publicly accessible. Transactional tools require an authorised Bearer token. Pricing is always calculated server-side — clients cannot submit arbitrary amounts.

## AI Trade and Service Intelligence — MCP Informational Tools (Brochure Site)

Custom Blinds operates a second public MCP server on the brochure site for trade professionals, architects, interior designers, property developers, and body corporates. This server provides structured, machine-readable information about products, service areas, lead times, and consultation processes. All tools are open with no authentication required.

- **MCP Server**: https://customblinds.co.za/wp-json/cb/v1/mcp
- **MCP Manifest**: https://customblinds.co.za/mcp-manifest.json
- **Protocol**: REST/JSON

### Available Tools

- get_service_areas — returns full geography matrix: what ships nationally, what requires Garden Route site visit, which towns are covered
- get_product_specs — returns technical specifications for any product including dimension limits, materials, motorisation, and mount types
- get_consultation_process — returns trade consultation flow for architects, designers, developers, body corporates, and homeowners
- get_lead_times — returns production lead times by product type (production days from order confirmation, not calendar days)
- submit_trade_enquiry — submits a structured trade or project enquiry directly to the Custom Blinds trade team

All tools are publicly accessible. No authentication required.

## Contact

- **Online shop enquiries (WhatsApp)**: 076 022 8410
- **Garden Route installations (awnings, shutters, shadeports)**: Duncan Kane, 079 523 5407
- **Email**: sales@customblinds.co.za
- **Website**: https://customblinds.co.za
- **Online Shop**: https://shop.customblinds.co.za