Custom Blinds Cape Town: How to Choose the Right Made-to-Measure Blind
The short answer: Made-to-measure blinds are cut to the exact width and drop of your window, so they fit properly where ready-made standard sizes often fall short. Choose by room: a roller or Roman blind with blackout for bedrooms, faux wood or PVC for bathrooms and kitchens, vertical blinds for sliding doors and wide windows, and sunscreen rollers where you want to keep the view by day. If young children live or visit, go cordless or motorised.
Cape Town homes rarely have standard windows. A Victorian bay in Tamboerskloof, a wall of sliding doors in Sea Point and a narrow bathroom window in Constantia all need something different. Choosing a blind starts with two questions: which type suits the room, and how it should be fitted.
Made-to-measure vs ready-made blinds
Ready-made blinds come in set sizes based on typical windows. Made-to-measure (custom) blinds are cut to the specific width and drop of your window. Ready-made wins on availability and price; made-to-measure costs more but fits the window properly, with fewer gaps at the edges and a wider choice of fabric, finish and operating system.
That fit matters most on windows that are unusually wide, tall, narrow or set in deep reveals — exactly the windows a standard size never quite covers.
Which blind type suits which window
| Blind type | How it works | Best for | Light control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roller | A single panel of fabric that rolls around a tube | Most rooms; blackout fabric for bedrooms | Light-filtering to blackout |
| Sunscreen roller | A roller in a technical mesh fabric | Sunny living areas where you want the view | Cuts glare and UV by day; not private at night |
| Day-and-night (zebra) | Alternating sheer and solid bands that slide over each other | Rooms that need light by day and privacy by night | Adjustable; standard versions are not blackout |
| Venetian (aluminium or wood) | Horizontal slats that tilt together | Dry rooms where you want to angle the light | Tilt for view, partial shade or full shade |
| Faux wood / PVC Venetian | Composite or PVC slats that look like timber | Bathrooms and kitchens | Tilt, as for Venetians |
| Vertical | Vanes on a track that rotate and slide to the side | Sliding doors and wide windows | Rotate to control light |
| Roman | Fabric that folds up into stacked pleats | Bedrooms and living rooms; not wet areas | Light-filtering, or blackout with a lining |
| Honeycomb (cellular) | Fabric cells that trap a layer of air | Rooms where insulation matters | Light-filtering or blackout |
For a closer look at the two most popular fabric blinds, see Roman blinds vs roller blinds.
Bathrooms and kitchens: real wood or faux wood?
Real wood blinds can warp or crack in humidity, so they are not recommended for bathrooms or kitchens. Faux wood — a composite of man-made materials, often with a PVC coating — costs less than real timber, resists warping and copes with steam and light splashing. It is also heavier than wood, so a very wide window is often better split into two or more blinds.
Roman blinds are fabric, so keep them for drier rooms rather than above a sink or next to a shower.
Inside or outside the window recess?
A blind is fitted either inside the window recess or on the wall outside it (face fit). An inside fit looks neater and sits flush, but it needs small clearances at the sides, so a little light gets in around the edges even with blackout fabric. Handles, cranks and locks in the frame can also get in the way.
An outside fit overlaps the edges of the window, so it blocks more light, works when the recess is too shallow, and can make a small window look larger. If a properly dark bedroom is the goal, remember that blackout fabric alone does not guarantee a dark room — the fit does as much of the work. When measuring an inside fit, check the width at the top, middle and bottom, and the height at both sides and the centre, because few window openings are perfectly square.
Light, privacy and heat
Rollers, Romans, pleated and cellular blinds block the view when closed. Venetians tilt for partial views, and sunscreen rollers keep the view out by day while cutting glare. Sunscreen fabric has a catch, though: at night, with your lights on, people outside can see silhouettes and movement — the same effect we explain in do sheer curtains give privacy at night. A day-and-night blind, or a sunscreen roller paired with a blockout one, solves both.
Blinds also help with heat. The US Department of Energy reports that cellular shades saved up to 20% of heating energy and up to 15% of total heating and cooling energy compared with having no shades. Bear in mind that interior blinds only stop sunlight after it has come through the glass, so they block less summer heat than exterior shading, according to the US Department of Energy's Building America Solution Center.
Cords, children and motorised blinds
Looped cords and chains on blinds are a strangulation risk for young children. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission says the safest choice in homes where children live or visit is to go cordless, and the Window Covering Safety Council advises using only cordless blinds, or blinds with inaccessible cords, in those homes. Our guide to child-safe blinds and cord safety covers what to look for.
Motorised blinds remove cords altogether and can be run from a wall switch, remote or keypad — useful for high or hard-to-reach windows. Motors can be battery-powered (some with solar charging) or hard-wired, and hard-wiring suits larger systems.
Cape Curtains makes blinds to measure for homes across Cape Town and the wider Western Cape. Get in touch to talk through the windows in your home.
Frequently asked questions
Are made-to-measure blinds worth it?
Made-to-measure blinds cost more than ready-made ones but are cut to your window's exact width and drop, so they fit properly and leave fewer gaps. They are most worthwhile on wide, tall, narrow or deep-set windows that standard sizes don't cover well.
Which blinds are best for a bathroom or kitchen?
Faux wood or PVC blinds, which resist warping and cope with humidity and light splashing. Real wood can warp or crack in damp rooms, and fabric Roman blinds are better kept for drier rooms.
Should blinds go inside or outside the window recess?
Inside the recess looks neater but leaves small gaps at the sides. Outside the recess overlaps the window, blocks more light and works when the recess is too shallow, so it is the better choice for a dark bedroom.
Why does light get in around my blackout blind?
An inside-fitted blind needs small clearances at each side, so light leaks around the edges even when the fabric itself is blackout. Fitting the blind outside the recess so it overlaps the window reduces those gaps.
What are the best blinds for sliding doors?
Vertical blinds are designed for wide openings: their vanes rotate to control light and slide to one side, which suits sliding doors and large windows.
Can one blind give daylight and privacy at night?
Sunscreen rollers keep the view by day but are not private at night with the lights on. A day-and-night (zebra) blind, or a sunscreen roller paired with a blockout one, gives daytime light and night-time privacy.
Are corded blinds safe with young children?
Cords and looped chains are a strangulation risk for young children. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends cordless window coverings in homes where children live or visit; motorised blinds are another cord-free option.