Luxaflex talks to Blinds & Shutters about the history of Venetian blinds and the trends for the future plus its Ondulette and Variozone range of Venetians

Metal venetian blinds continue to be one of the most popular styles available on the market today due to the range of colours and sizes of slats, as well as different materials used and improved design capabilities of venetian blinds within a domestic setting.

Metal venetians are manufactured from aluminium strip – 90 per cent of which comes from recycled aluminium. Hunter Douglas says it has gained an outstanding reputation for its environmentally friendly, yet top class pre-treatment systems. The pre-treatment of all cold-rolled strip guarantees a perfect and permanent paint adhesion resulting in a reliable resistance against humid conditions.

The chemically pretreated aluminium strip is given a decorative finish suitable for interior applications. This finish usually consists of a one coat paint film. All finishes are applied on constantly controlled paint lines, thus guaranteeing attractive, tough, smooth and uniform slats. The special Hunter Douglas coil coating process ensures a constant level of colour reproduction and the method of paint application ensures that edges are always coated with the main part of the paint system based on polyester chemistry.

An average sized 25mm blind (1200x1500mm) contains 144 metres of aluminium strip and there are some 25 different components on each blind which are all critical to its operation and performance.

Innovations within the venetian blind sector, such as narrower slats and cut outs in the aluminium slat to create an artistic pattern on the blind is also an attribute to the growth in this market sector. The ‘Ondulette’ range from Luxaflex comes in a number of imaginative designs that gives a sophisticated play on light across the entire blind.

There is also the Luxaflex Variozone metal Venetian blind which gives the user a choice between having a partially open and partially closed blind in different sections of the blind. The blinds can be closed in a number of ways, starting from the bottom, so that passers-by cannot see in and incidental light is cut off precisely where required. This is particularly suited to computer workstations, as it reduces dazzle on the monitor screen without the need to completely close the blind. The Variozone option thus allows the ideal combination of keeping out undesired daylight and ensuring privacy whilst still allowing light into the room.

With regards to the future, Luxaflex says we are seeing the original venetian blinds with wide 50mm slats coming back into fashion again, in line with the current trend towards vintage interior design and a nostalgic look back at the 50s, 60s and even 70s. There are also trends towards rounded ends, cut outs in the slats, ladder tapes and frames around the blind.

• Luxaflex T: 0161 442 9500