DUETTE® BLINDS IN A TIMBER ORANGERY IN STAFFORDSHIRE
Earlier in the year we were contacted by a couple in Staffordshire, who had recently added a large timber orangery to their home and were looking to add blinds to the roof, windows and bi-folding doors.
After discussing the options with a member of our sales team, the customers decided on the Portland coloured Duette® fabric, using our own puresolo™ Remote Control operation for the roof blinds.
There were several challenges that we had to overcome to make sure the blinds had the look the customers wanted – fitting neatly into the roof and windows, and working around any obstructions.
For the lantern roof of the orangery the customers opted to have an individual layout for their blinds, meaning that we fitted a blind against each separate pane of glass. Because of the way we fit Duette® blinds we were able to neatly fit each blind next to the glass, with the lip of the lantern roof allowing us to fit the base of each blind out of sight, for a neater look. We left a small amount of room to account for any expansion in the wood over time, ensuring that the blinds keep their neat look and smooth operation over the lifetime of the orangery.
This neat fitting was especially important when it came to the two sets of folding doors in the orangery. If the blinds were not able to fit into the frame of each panel, they would interfere with the operation of the doors and stop them from closing properly. This was not an issue for us, as we were able to neatly fit the Duette® blinds into each panel of the door without affecting its operation at all. We used custom coloured rails – in this case Silver – to match the colour of the fabric for a more integrated look.
The folding door blinds were fitted with what’s called a “floating rail”, which means the blinds can be operated both from the top and the bottom of the door, and can even be retracted from both ends to give a floating piece of fabric in the middle of the glass (as can be seen in the main image at the top of this page). This allows for maximum flexibility when it comes to shading, letting the customers stop the glare from the sun while keeping the wonderful view of the outside.
The final challenging areas of this orangery were where we had to fit our blinds behind parts of the wooden frame. There was just enough space for us to recess fit the Duette® blinds behind the obstructions of the frame, and still allow enough space for easy operation of the blinds. Had the customers opted for a blind system that did not allow this type of fitting, the entire blind would have to be fitted in front of the wooden frame, resulting in large gaps on either side.
Overall, these blinds are an excellent showcase for the areas where our keen eye for detail really pays off. A lot of conservatories, orangeries and garden rooms have tricky areas like this orangery did, and these photos show how important it is to use a company that are true experts in these types of blinds if you want to have blinds that look like a natural part of the room and the neatest possible look.
