Roller blinds for the ridge's biggest windows.

A roller blind is a fabric panel on an aluminium tube — spring, chain or motor driven — made to measure per window rather than cut down from a standard size. It's the workhorse of South African window treatment for a simple reason: it disappears when you don't need it, and does exactly one job very well when you do.

Why it suits Bedfordview homes

West-facing glass along the ridge takes the afternoon sun harder than most of the metro, and the whole reason that glass is there is the view — so a blockout roller that solves the glare by killing the skyline is the wrong answer. A sunscreen fabric at 3–5% openness is the honest fix: it cuts most of the glare and UV while keeping the city legible through the weave. On established Bedford Gardens-style homes we usually build in a cassette or pelmet valance colour-matched to the frame, so the fitting reads as considered rather than bolted on; on the newer ridge apartments with floor-to-ceiling sliders, a slim recess-mounted roller keeps the glass wall as clean as the architect intended.

"3–5% openness is the number we reach for on most ridge-facing glass — enough glare gone, view still there."The fabric conversation, every measure

Fabric choices

Blockout stops light completely — the right call for bedrooms, nurseries and media rooms, with a genuine thermal benefit against both summer heat and winter cold. Sunscreen mesh (3%, 5% or 10% openness) cuts glare and UV while keeping the view; the lower the percentage, the more heat and glare it blocks and the less view comes through, which is exactly the trade-off we walk through with fabric swatches held against your actual glass. Light-filtering fabric sits between the two — softer light, full privacy, no view.

For bedrooms with a view worth keeping, a double roller (blockout and sunscreen on one bracket) solves both problems on the same window: sunscreen by day, blockout by night.

Honest limitations

Single rollers run to roughly 3m of fabric width before a join line becomes necessary — beyond that we either split the opening or move to linked, motorised blinds. And on the older heritage-style windows around Bedford Gardens and Senderwood, a roller can look a little minimal against deep reveals and corniced ceilings; a timber venetian often suits that character better (see below).

What openness factor should I choose for a west-facing lounge?

Most west-facing ridge glass in Bedfordview does well on 3–5%. We bring swatches to the measure and hold them against your actual window at the time of day it matters most, rather than guessing off a sample book.

Can rollers cover our full-height sliding doors?

Yes, within the single-blind width limit. Wider openings are handled with linked motorised blinds or panel glides — we'll size it correctly at the measure rather than promise a join-free result that isn't realistic.