Aluminium & timber venetians in Parkhurst

A venetian steers light rather than simply blocking it. Tilt the slats up and the room fills with soft reflected daylight; tilt them down for privacy from the pavement; close them flat for something close to dark. In a suburb of small front rooms and original steel casements, that hour-by-hour control is worth more than any other feature.

Aluminium or timber?

• 25mm aluminium — slim, crisp and almost invisible when open. It reads correctly against a steel frame, and it is the only sensible choice for bathrooms, kitchens and laundries where timber would eventually swell.
• 50mm timber — basswood with tapes, warm and generous. It belongs in the front rooms of a cottage, in a study or a bedroom where the character of the house should carry through to the window.
• Wider aluminium slats — a bolder, more contemporary look for a large opening in a new rear wing.

Practical notes for these houses

• Inside-mounted into the reveal, the blind fixes into timber or masonry rather than into the steel frame itself — the frame stays untouched.
• Where a reveal is too shallow, an outside mount just above the opening gives better coverage and less light leak. We will tell you which one your window needs on the measure.
• Wand tilt and motorised tilt both remove the cord loop, which is the safest option in a child's room.
• Every opening is measured individually. In 1940s stock, two windows that look identical rarely are.

Honest limitation: venetians control glare and privacy superbly, but slats conduct heat. On a hot west-facing extension they work best behind exterior shading rather than instead of it.