Yet here we are contemplating hotter summers (sometimes) and heatwaves and suddenly our lovely sunrooms are too hot and sticky for us to spend any time in. And with all that glass, just how is one supposed to have any sense of privacy? So what are the best blinds for a sunroom? Read on before you melt away.

An awning is the best blind for a sunroom

An awning is the best blind for a sunroom because it stops the heat from striking the house in the first place, thereby keeping you cool from the off. Not only does this keep you more comfortable, it also means you won’t need to keep the air conditioning on for as long. An awning is easily the best blind for your sunroom as it keeps you safe, cool and saves you money on your energy bill.

Cellular blinds are the best blinds for a sunroom

Are you ready to hear about blinds that will cut your energy bills because they help to keep you warm in winter as well as reflect the sun away when it’s too hot, thereby helping to keep you cooler too? Then you’re ready to hear that the best blinds for your sunroom are cellular blinds. By trapping the air in their honeycomb-shaped cells, these blinds create an additional layer between you and the heat outside. In winter, that same trapped air forms extra insulation, keeping you warm. Once again you’ll save on your energy bills, as you keep the heart turned down or the air conditioner off. Cellular blinds are definitely the best blinds for a sunroom.

Blinds with louvres or slats are the best blinds for a sunroom

When it comes to window blinds with louvres or slats, we’re talking about Venetian blinds, Vertical blinds or shutter blinds as the best blinds for a sunroom. A louvre or a slat can be tilted to the angle of your choice. You control exactly how much light, shade and privacy you require at any given moment.

While wooden or faux wooden Venetian blinds can look very stylish and warm in your sunroom, some folks simply feel they’re a little too offcey. So you might want to consider Duo Vision blinds. A dressier version of Venetian blinds, Duo Vision blinds allow you to manoeuvre the panels of alternating opaque and translucent fabrics so they act just like the slats of a Venetian blind, only they have the appearance of an intriguing and attractive roller blind, making them much nicer for your home, and therefore the best blinds for a sunroom.

If you have French, sliding or bifold doors in your sunroom, Allusion blinds are another contender. Part vertical blind, part voile, Allusion blinds allow you to pass through them at any point your wall of glass doors requires. You can have the verticals fully opened and the voile panels will still provide you with privacy and protect you from summer bugs. Allusion blinds could easily be the best blinds for a sunroom.

Roller blinds are the best blinds for a sunroom

Roller blinds will always be a contender as the best blinds for a sunroom. Not only are they cost-effective, especially useful when you’re surrounded by so much glass, they are available in a wide variety of fabrics. This range of fabrics isn’t just about the colours, patterns and textures available, it’s also about the qualities of the fabric itself. Some have a solar protective coating, while others have a UV block rating. And of course, there’s a choice of blackout fabrics. It’s worth noting that the fabric may be blackout but that doesn’t mean there still won’t be light bleed along the edges of the blind. Side channels, brushes, and hanging the blind outside of the recess will cut down on light bleed.

Whichever style of blind you go for, the lighter the colour, the more it will reflect the sun away from you. The right tint or shade can be found to match your decor. You can relax and bask, knowing you have the best blinds for your sunroom.

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How to cool your house down in a heatwave with an awning

An awning is the best way to cool your house down in a heatwave. The big advantage an awning has over any blind or curtain is that by covering the window and the surrounding area from the outside, the awning prevents the glare and heat from hitting your house in the first place. This is why an awning is the most effective form of shading.

While the main aim of an awning is to cool your house down in a heatwave, you also get the benefit of increasing your living space. You can enjoy your outside area in comfort, along with any guests you choose to share your oasis with.

How to cool your house down in a heatwave with Cellular Blinds

If, for some reason, you can’t have an awning, or simply don’t want one, all is not lost. While a more typical window dressing will give some shade, the second best way to cool your house down in a heatwave is with cellular blinds.

Choose a fabric with reflective material, and the cellular blinds will reflect the glare and heat from the sun away from your home. And cellular blinds aren’t just for cooling your house down in a heatwave. The honeycomb design traps air and helps insulate you in winter, so they’ll benefit you all year round.

Cellular blinds can be free-hanging, tensioned or they can be fitted in a Perfect Fit frame. Perfect Fit frames snap directly onto your uPVC windows, so drilling isn’t necessary.

Regardless of what kind of window dressing you have, it’s highly recommended that blinds and curtains be kept closed during the hottest part of the day. The same goes for windows, as all you’re doing is letting in hot air. The best time to open blinds and windows is in the evenings when it’s (hopefully) cooler.

How to cool your house down in a heatwave when it’s a high-rise flat

The higher you are in a high rise, the closer you are to the sun, the more you need protective shading to cool your home down in a heatwave. It may sound like a silly joke, but you lack the protection of other buildings and trees. You really are more exposed to the heat and glare of the sun in a high-rise.

If you have a balcony, an awning may still be an option. If not, then we recommend the cellular blinds. And if you don’t care for cellular blinds? Of course, any other type of blind or curtain will still give you shade and help to cool your home down in a heatwave. It’s just that there are specific blinds, and awnings, that will do a much more effective job of it.

How to cool your house down in a heatwave and save money

By cooling your house down in a heatwave by paying attention to your window dressings, you’ll be saving money and energy, as you’ll be using far less air conditioning. If you don’t have air conditioning, having the most effective window dressing to cool your house down in a heatwave could prove crucial.

How to cool your house and yourself down in a heatwave and stay healthy

The year 2020 saw 2,556 deaths caused by heatwaves in the UK. In 2022 it was 2,985. Last year it was 2,295.

So it’s important to stay hydrated, which is generally good advice anyway, but it could save your life during a heatwave. Drink a little often throughout the day. Foods with natural liquids, such as watermelon, cucumbers and strawberries, will be a great help, especially for those who don’t like drinking water.

You might not realise you’re dehydrated. This is more common with the elderly, but it can happen to anybody, so look out for feeling dizzy, confused, breathing fast, feeling sick and cramps.

The best advice is to stay inside to stay healthy and cool in your house in a heatwave.

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Meanwhile, our seasons are changing. We now have a short heatwave summer, followed by a more traditional rainy one, which sometimes turns into a reasonably pleasant summer by British standards. However, with heatwave summers becoming the norm, now is an excellent time to discover the best blinds for south-facing windows.

Awnings are the best blinds for south-facing windows

An awning provides the best shading for a south-facing window. Awnings prevent the sun from getting to your window in the first place. This keeps the room and the rest of the house cooler. And a house that’s already cool won’t need to use energy on air conditioning. An awning also increases your living space. When you are outside enjoying your garden, you stay shaded. You and your guests will also stay dry should a traditional rainy summer strike. An awning is easily the best blind for a south-facing window.

Allusions are the best blinds for south-facing windows

If you have south-facing bifold or sliding doors, Allusion blinds will be the answer to the age-old conundrum: how to pass through patio doors without getting tangled up in a blind? Made up of individual panels that are part vertical blind and part voile curtain, you can pass through the Allusion blind and your sliding/bifold doors with ease. Meanwhile, those staying inside maintain their coolness and privacy. With Allusion blinds as the best blinds for your south-facing windows, everyone’s a winner.

Reflective blinds are the best blinds for south-facing windows

Cellular blinds can be made with reflective material so the sun’s rays are reflected away from your room, keeping you and your environment cooler. Cellular blinds, with their honeycomb design, also help with insulation during winter, so Cellular blinds are quite the win-win when it comes to the best blinds for your south-facing windows. With these valuable qualities, cellular blinds are an especially economical and ecological choice for larger windows too.

A Roller blind can be equally adept, as they are also available in reflective materials. You might also want to check the lightfast rating of the fabric. The higher the lightfast rating (the highest is 8), the more the fabulous colours on your decorative blind are protected from fading.

Blackout blinds are the best blinds for south-facing windows

If you’re looking for blackout blinds, the first thing to be aware of is no one window dressing can guarantee complete blackout. Having two window dressings may seem extreme, but one window dressing can’t cover all your needs. Blinds allow you to control light and privacy, protect the fabric on your furniture, make your neighbours jealous, make your home more ecological and economical, help you get a good night’s sleep and shutters will even add a layer of security to your home. You ask too much from one window dressing!

However, blinds and curtains can be made from blackout fabric. Roller blinds can also be installed with side channels that prevent light from sliding through that gap usually left between the edge of the blind and the recess simply because the blind’s mechanism needs a few millimetres to itself. Hanging the blind outside of the recess can also stop light slithering in.

Duo vision blinds are the best blinds for south-facing windows

Duo vision blinds are similar to Roller blinds, only they have two layers of material, one sheer and one opaque. The two fabrics glide past each other, and you control how the two fabrics overlap, thereby controlling how much light and shade you have. This is similar to the control you have with Venetian blinds. So why aren’t Venetians the best blinds for your south-facing window? Unfortunately light will seep through the holes necessary for the cords on a Venetian blind. While this can be overcome by using tape, you could just go for the Duo Vision blinds and have this dressier version of Venetian blinds as the best blinds for your south-facing window.

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Modern kitchen ideas start with design

Kitchen design used to be based around the sink, the fridge and the hob. Having them situated at three points of a triangle allowed easy access to the main points of the kitchen.

But the modern kitchen has evolved into an entertaining, dining, living and workspace, and is often the laundry area too. However you incorporate modern kitchen decor ideas into your home, make sure it works for you. The triangle may be outdated, but it’s still a useful place to start.

Incorporating modern kitchen decor ideas can be easy

For the budget-conscious, a lick of paint or just changing the cabinet doors can make all the difference. Don’t forget to switch out brassy ornate handles to something sleek in chrome.

Keep the update going with new blinds. You can keep your kitchen safe and immaculate with fire and moisture-resistant fabrics. Roller blinds are easy to keep clean. Faux wood Venetian blinds are attractive and scratch-resistant. Aluminium Venetian blinds are shiny, perfect for your high gloss kitchen and highly durable, so be sure to include a modern blind amongst your ideas for your modern kitchen decor.

Modern kitchen decor ideas are for small kitchens

Japandi – the simplicity and elegance, the contentment and cosiness, of Japanese and Scandi design combined, could be the perfect way to bring modern kitchen decor ideas into a small kitchen space.

A painted ceiling will make the space look taller. So will slender, tall cupboards. Heavy patterns will overwhelm a small space, so let simple patterns and texture add depth and character – the perfect roll for a blind. Perfect Fit blinds click directly onto a uPVC window frame so takes up little room, and you can have roller, Venetian, pleated or cellular blinds.

One type of flooring may contribute to flow, but zoning will highlight how many different spaces there are in your home. Choose a large bold pattern to emphasise your modern kitchen decor.

A lot of storage in a small space can overwhelm it. Soften the look with cupboard curtains. Open shelves will also create a sense of space. Sliding doors will be much less of a bother too.

Consider a banquette if seating is a must in your modern kitchen decor. And size doesn’t mean you can’t have a breakfast bar. It may be small, but a tiny peninsula popping out of your kitchen top still provides extra dining room.

As for colour, by keeping it to monochrome, or just two other colours, your small space can still give a stylish punch to your home, showing everyone you can pull off modern kitchen decor, no matter the size.

Modern kitchen decor ideas are for big kitchens

Modern kitchens have grown into the main area of the home. The kitchen’s utilitarian role has to sit naturally next to the cosiness of the living area, and the chicness of the entertaining space.

Different shades of one colour, or colours that contrast and complement each other can zone the area, while a repeating pattern or texture keeps the design cohesive – and your blinds or curtains can play a big role here.

If you have bifold or sliding doors, Allusion blinds will be a major consideration. Chic and practical, Allusions are part voile, part vertical blind. They provide shade and privacy yet still allow you easy access through your doors, the individual panels allowing you to slip in and out anywhere.

Awnings are another serious contender. Not only will they increase your living space in summer, the shade provided by an awning is greater than any blind or curtain. By covering the window from the outside, your home stays cooler. Not only do you stay comfortable, but you keep the air conditioning bill down too.

Whether you’re planning a new modern kitchen, or updating your current one, you can make your kitchen space work for you and be stylish and comfortable, by incorporating these ideas into your modern kitchen decor.

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Four out of five of the hottest summers in England have occurred since 2003. Heatwaves have become a new feature of the British summer. Blinds, shutters and awnings may be decorative soft furnishings, but the shading they provide supports our personal comfort and also helps our home’s energy efficiency and therefore the environment.

The best shading for your home will help to create sustainable, energy-efficient buildings by helping to retain heat during the winter and reject heat in the summer. You can upgrade your home simply by having effective blinds, shutters or awnings installed. All this, just because you discovered the best shading for your home.

The best shading for your home will help you stay cool

As summers get warmer in the UK, shading can help us stay cool, especially when we’re trying to get a good night’s sleep. If you live in a high-rise flat, you may find your home environment is more prone to heating up. The same applies to any home with poor ventilation. And as we all take care to make sure our homes are insulated properly for the colder months, this in turn means our homes keep the hot air in during summer too.

To help prevent your home from becoming a steam cooker in hot weather, keep your blinds and shutters closed during the day when the sun is at its most powerful. Oddly, you’ll want to keep the windows closed too. This may seem counter-intuitive, but an open window allows hot air to circulate into your home. When it’s night, and cooler, open your windows and let the (hopefully) cool air in. This will cool the building, and ventilate it too. Healthy air needs to be able to get into the building, and bad air, the kind that causes mold, needs to be able to escape.

By protecting yourself, your home and your furniture from the glare of the sun, you’re maintaining a comfortable environment as well as taking care of your health. With the best shading for your home, you can enjoy your conservatory, or your beautiful large glass doors and windows, by ensuring they’ve been fitted with the right kind of blinds for your needs. Roller, Vertical, Pleated and Cellular blinds can all be made from fabrics that reflect the heat of the sun away from your home.

The best shading for your home is an awning

You might be surprised to discover that the best shading for your home is an awning. By shading the area outside of your window, the glare and heat from the sun don’t get a look in. This in turn keeps the rest of your house cooler. As well as increasing your living space in the summertime, awnings can provide the best shading for your home.

The best shading for your home will help you stay warm

When winter comes, shading will still play its part in keeping your home comfortable because the best shading for your home will insulate your home from the cold too. Research has shown that blinds and shutters can reduce heat loss through your windows by up to 33%.

When buying the best shading for your home, you’ll want to consider the energy-saving properties of the blinds and shutters. Cellular blinds, with their honeycomb design, provide increased insulation, which means lower energy bills as more heat is kept inside your home.

The best shading for your home saves you money and protects the environment

When it’s hot, and you have the best shading for your home, you may find you don’t need any additional air conditioning. This is why it helps to keep the blinds drawn during a hot day, and open your windows when it’s cooler at night. This passive cooling can eliminate the need for any additional cooling devices and the costs of running them. Then come winter, with the best shading, and insulating, blinds for your home, you won’t need to crank the heat up so high, and you’ll still be able to stay cosy and toasty in your home.

The post The best shading for your home this summer  appeared first on Blind Technique.

Your patio doors also create a wall of glass that lets the baking sun in, and when winter comes you’re so much more likely to feel the cold from outside. Your patio doors can also expose you more to nosey neighbours. And what’s the point of opening your living space to nature when that means insects and pigeons can come in too?

Thankfully, by choosing the best blinds for your patio doors, you’ll be protected from neighbours, insects, cold and heat, and you’ll be free to enjoy the benefits of patio doors. So here’s a brief guide to help you decide which blinds are best for your patio doors.

Vertical blinds are the best blinds for your patio doors

The big plus of having Vertical blinds for your patio doors is that they’ll aid your ease of egress through those doors. It’s so much easier to slide between the fully opened louvres while balancing cordials and gin without having to worry about getting entangled in doors and cords.

The most desirable of vertical blinds is the Allusion blind. Part vertical louvre, part sheer curtain, these blinds allow you to slip in and out wherever and however your doors open. And when the louvres are fully opened, the sheer panels still provide shade and protection from out-of-control birds and mutant insects. With Allusion blinds, you can stay cool and safe and have your patio doors wide open. They are easily the best blinds for your patio doors.

Perfect Fit blinds are the best blinds for your patio doors

Perfect Fit blinds are literally perfect, and therefore the best blinds for your French and bifold doors – but not so much for sliding doors, as they’re likely to obstruct the movement of the doors.

Material includes thermal options to help keep you warm, which can also reflect heat away during the increasingly hot summer months. There’s also the choice of Roller or Venetian blinds for your Perfect Fit frame.

For sliding doors, the classic roller blind will do the job and be as neat as a pin in the process.

Shutters are the best blinds for your patio doors 

Shutters protect! When you want to shut out the black expanse of your garden at night, just close your shutters and feel safe and cosy instead. Shutters are a literal wall of security for your glass wall. Made to withstand an onslaught from chisel to hammers, you’ll be safe and sound. Shutters also add value to your home, so they’re always a good investment. Timeless in style, shutter blinds are the best blinds for patio doors – except for bifold doors. It depends on how much room you have in the recess and how much room the doors take up when folded up and wide open. Chances are, bifold doors and shutters combined will just take up too much space and crash into each other.

An Awning is the best blind for your patio doors – and it’s not even a blind!

An awning is not a blind, but it does a very similar job, and sometimes to better effect. It will block more of the glaring sun and does so before its rays reach your window and overheat your room, therefore keeping more of your home cooler. An awning will also block the view of any nosey neighbour who happens to overlook you, not just when you’re in your house but when you’re enjoying your patio too.

Not only that, but an awning pulls off the nifty trick of actually increasing your living space. Why have a conservatory when you can enjoy the al fresco lifestyle? Enjoy a warm evening and maintain your privacy. And so what if there’s a summer shower? You, your guests and their cocktails will be well protected.

Your awning will need a little looking after. Be sure to leave it open to dry after rainfall, and don’t forget to retract it when strong winds are forecast. Alternatively, you can always install a sensor that will automatically retract your awning when strong winds are detected.

However you choose to shade yourself and your house, you can enjoy your outdoor space without compromising your indoor space. We can help you find the very best blinds for your patio doors.

The post What Blinds Are Best For Patio Doors? appeared first on Blind Technique.

You may think that you don’t need one of those huge shop awnings over your patio. Nor do you need something like a marquee tent hanging off the back of your house. Perhaps you’re thinking of canopies, which make you think of canapes and now you’re thinking you don’t even know what a retractable awning is, let alone if you want or need one.

Simply put, an awning is a supplemental roof for an external part of your property. A retractable awning for your house will provide a polished and practical addition to your external space, providing you with shelter, from sun or rain, in our ever-increasingly unpredictable and changing weather.

What are retractable awnings? Awnings are protectors!

Of course, a retractable awning for your house will protect you from the sun, both its heat and UV rays, as you lounge on your patio, sleeping, reading, and enjoying a cocktail or two. Retractable awnings will also protect your lovely patio furniture from the elements. Both you, your skin, and your furniture will last longer.

Retractable awnings also offer better protection to your interiors than window blinds. Depending on what kind of blinds you have, you may find slivers of light, and UV rays still get through. As the retractable awning covers a larger area, and not just the window, you’ll find your home cooler, and safer, too.

A retractable awning for your house will also afford you more privacy, as again, the sheer size of it will cover more of your area, keeping it safe from any gossipy neighbours, who won’t be able to get enough of your glamorous awning and the lifestyle you clearly lead.

What does a retractable awning bring: all your friends to the party!

A retractable awning for your house basically increases your living space. You can dine in comfort, and hold barbecues and parties, and your guests, and their food, will be protected from the elements. There’ll be no more attempts at trying to second guess the weather. You and your friends can carry on enjoying yourselves, regardless of any showers, all thanks to having a retractable awning.

What care does a retractable awning require?

After your retractable awning has protected you from the rain, you’ll want to make sure it’s dry before you retract it. Otherwise, you’re increasing the risk of mould ruining the beautiful fabric you spent ages choosing. Awning fabrics are treated to be mould-resistant, but it’s advisable to do what you can to protect your retractable awning, as it protects you.

Retractable awnings aren’t generally made to keep excessive rains and snow off you, so it’s best to keep them retracted during winter months. You also don’t want to leave them open in strong winds. This won’t just damage your awning, but possibly the exterior wall of your home too. As our awnings come with a sensor that retracts the awning automatically in strong winds, that will be one thing you won’t have to worry about.

How heavy are retractable awnings?

Since a strong wind can grip the giant sail you’ve attached to your house and damage the wall, yeah, an awning is heavy.

It’s usually recommended that your house have two stories. I kid you not. We can install a retractable awning on a bungalow, and we have, thanks to ensuring the right brackets were made especially for the job (basically, they had to be extra long, therefore more secure).

The standard size for retractable awnings is anywhere between 2 and 5 meters wide. They can be made bigger, and to any size if you’d rather have a permanent frame rather than a retractable one. In this case, while the material is UV  and mould-resistant, it will require extra care. It can still be big and retractable, but there may be limitations as the arms will need to carry the weight of the awning.

Due to their size and weight, retractable awnings are usually motorised. You can have a manual arrangement, and wind and unwind your enormous house sail with a crank because you’re retro and cranks are fun too, if you so wish.

What are the benefits of retractable awnings and is it right for my home?

Do you want to:

keep your home cool so you don’t have to pay extra on your energy bills by running fans or air conditioning.

Add value to your home by increasing living, dining, relaxation and entertainment space.

Protect that space, and the adjacent interior space and furniture, from UV?

Now that you know what retractable awnings are, it’s definitely a good idea for you to consider one for your house. And yes, you will have to maintain and clean it, just as you would any other part of your home. So start dreaming of those sun-filled days which you get to enjoy in comfort and coolness, thanks to your stunning new retractable awning.

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