Vertical blinds

A practical favourite for wide windows and doors

If you have a generous window, patio doors or a room where the sun moves around during the day, vertical blinds are well worth a look. You can gently turn the fabric louvres to adjust the light, then draw them aside when you'd like a clear opening. There's a much wider choice of colours and textures than many people expect, from simple everyday neutrals to softer woven finishes. We make vertical blinds locally and would be delighted to help you find something that suits your space.

Louvre width: narrow, wide and what changes

Two widths are common, around 89 mm and 127 mm, although the choice depends on the range. Narrower louvres tend to give a more formal, closely spaced look. Wider louvres look cleaner on large doors and need fewer strips, which can mean fewer moving parts. Overlap when the louvres are closed also varies, so ask how the particular range closes if privacy at night matters to you.

Rotating, drawing and the wand

A vertical blind does two jobs. The louvres rotate to let in more or less light and to angle the view, and the whole row draws along the track to one side or both. Controls vary:

• A wand hangs from the track and you twist it to rotate the louvres. Some wands also let you push or pull the blind along the track. Wands avoid a cord loop, which is a real advantage around children and pets.
• A cord and chain arrangement rotates with a chain loop and draws with a cord. It is smooth but gives you loops to manage safely.
• Motorised control suits very large or high blinds. See motorised blinds for how that works.

Please keep any cords, chains or tension devices out of reach of small children and use the fixings supplied. BS EN 13120 is the UK standard for the safety of internal blinds.

Stack position and where the blind rests

When the blind is drawn back the louvres bunch up at one side, the stack. You can have the stack to the left, to the right, or split to both sides with a centre opening. For a patio door, it works well to put the stack on the side of the handle so the doorway clears fully. Stack depth varies, but expect a bundle several centimetres deep and a little more on a wide blind, so leave room beside the opening.

Patio doors and bays

Doors need a little care. The blind needs to hang clear of the floor and of any door mat, handles and trickle vents. If the door opens inwards, the track often goes above the frame, on the ceiling or on the wall, to give the louvres space to swing. For bay windows, vertical blinds are normally fitted as separate sections on a flexible or angled track, or as separate blinds per pane. There is more about choosing for doors in our guide to best blinds for patio doors.

Fabrics, light and privacy

Louvre fabrics run from light-filtering weaves to heavier opaque and blackout-type materials, depending on the range. Light-filtering louvres soften glare while keeping the room bright. More opaque louvres give better privacy, though because the louvres are separate strips, some light can show between them when they are closed. If you need very dark rooms, mention it at the measure and we can talk through blackout options. Rigid PVC and wipe-clean louvres exist in some ranges and are easier to keep fresh in kitchens and conservatories.

Keeping louvres in good order

The weights and linking chain along the bottom keep the louvres hanging neatly, so it is kind to the blind to handle individual strips gently rather than tugging them. Dust with a soft cloth or a duster, and wipe wipe-clean types with a damp cloth. Fabric louvres can often be removed from the track and cleaned according to the fabric, and our guide to cleaning vertical blinds covers the basics. If a louvre does fall off, hooking it back on is usually simple.

When another blind may be a better fit

For a small window, other blinds may look tidier, and the louvres can swing in a draught if a window is left open. If you would like crisp, flat coverage, compare roller blinds in our roller or vertical guide.

If you would like a second opinion on a big window, book a free measure and we will look at the door, the floor and the stack space together.

Light and privacy control

The louvres draw to the side and turn 180 degrees, so you can adjust light and privacy through the day. Fabrics range from jacquards to suedes, grass effects and natural tones, and tilt-only motorisation is possible. See Allusion blinds for a softer, sheer-and-solid alternative.

Inspiration