Blinds & Shutters Glossary
Every blind and shutter term you'll hear during a home survey, explained in plain English.
Blinds and shutters come with a vocabulary of their own — recess fits, cassettes, louvres, openness factors. This is a plain-English guide to the words you'll hear during a home survey, so you know exactly what you're choosing and why. If a term you're looking for isn't here, just ask us on 01228 598646.
Blind Types
- Venetian Blind
- A blind made of horizontal slats that tilt to control light and privacy, and lift as a stack. Available in aluminium, faux wood and real wood, typically in 25mm or 50mm slat widths.See our Venetian blinds →
- Roller Blind
- A single piece of fabric that winds onto a tube at the top of the window. The simplest and most popular blind style, available in everything from sheer voile to full blackout.See our roller blinds →
- Roman Blind
- A soft fabric blind that draws up into even horizontal folds rather than rolling. It gives the look of a curtain with the neatness of a blind, and is usually lined for extra insulation.See our Roman blinds →
- Vertical Blind
- Fabric louvres hanging vertically from a headrail, which rotate to angle light and draw back to one or both sides. Well suited to wide windows, patio doors and offices.See our vertical blinds →
- Pleated Blind
- A concertina-folded fabric blind that compresses into a slim stack when raised. Its shallow stack makes it a good choice for conservatories and awkward window shapes.See our pleated blinds →
- Duette / Cellular Blind
- A pleated blind with a honeycomb cell structure that traps a layer of air between two fabric faces. That trapped air is what makes it the most thermally efficient blind we fit — noticeably warmer in winter and cooler in summer.See our Duette® blinds →
- Perfect Fit Blind
- A blind held in a slim frame that clips into the rubber gasket of a uPVC window or door — no drilling, no screws. The blind sits flush against the glass and moves with the window when it opens.See our Perfect Fit blinds →
- Vision / Day & Night Blind
- A double-layer roller blind of alternating sheer and opaque stripes. Sliding one layer against the other shifts the window from full view through to privacy without ever fully closing.See our sheer blinds →
- Velux / Roof Blind
- A blind made for a roof or skylight window, running in side channels so it stays flat against the glass at any angle. Essential in loft conversions where a standard blind would simply hang away from the pane.See our Velux blinds →
- Motorised Blind
- A blind operated by a motor in the headrail or tube, controlled by remote, wall switch, app or timer. Battery, mains and solar options exist; it's the usual answer for high or hard-to-reach windows.See our motorised blinds →
- Faux Wood Blind
- A Venetian blind with slats in a wood-effect composite instead of timber. It looks like real wood but won't warp, so it suits kitchens and bathrooms where humidity would damage the genuine article.See our faux wood blinds →
Shutter Types
- Plantation Shutter
- An interior shutter with wide, adjustable louvres set in a solid panel, fitted permanently to the window. Unlike a blind it becomes part of the window itself, and is generally regarded as adding value to the property.See our plantation shutters →
- Full Height Shutter
- A shutter covering the whole window in one continuous panel. The most common style — clean and simple, and a mid-rail can be added so the top and bottom halves tilt independently.See our full height shutters →
- Café Style Shutter
- A shutter fitted to the lower half of the window only, leaving the top open to daylight. Popular on front-facing rooms on a street, where privacy is wanted at eye level but not above it.See our café style shutters →
- Tier on Tier Shutter
- Two separate sets of shutter panels stacked one above the other, each opening independently. It gives you the privacy of café style with the option of closing the whole window at night.See our tier on tier shutters →
- Solid Panel Shutter
- A shutter with solid panels rather than louvres, blocking light completely when closed. A traditional choice for period properties, bedrooms and rooms where insulation matters most.See our solid panel shutters →
- Louvre
- One of the tilting horizontal slats in a shutter panel. Common widths run from 47mm to 114mm — narrower louvres suit small period windows, wider ones give a bolder look and a clearer view when open.
- Tilt Rod
- The vertical bar that links a panel's louvres so they move together. A visible tilt rod sits centrally on the panel face; a hidden tilt rod is concealed inside the panel for a cleaner look, and you simply move any louvre by hand.
- Mid-Rail
- A horizontal divider across a shutter panel, splitting the louvres into two independently tilting sections. Often aligned with a window's existing transom so the shutter follows the lines of the frame.
- T-Post
- A vertical post between shutter panels, used to break up a wide opening so no single panel becomes too heavy. Panels hang and latch against it as though it were part of the window frame.
Fabrics & Light Control
- Blackout
- A fabric with an opaque coating or backing that stops light passing through it. Note that a small amount of light will still enter around the edges of any blind unless it's fitted in side channels — 'blackout' describes the fabric, not the whole window.
- Dim-Out
- A fabric that heavily reduces light without blocking it entirely. It's the middle ground between a translucent fabric and full blackout, and often the better choice in a living room.
- Voile / Sheer
- A light, semi-transparent fabric that softens daylight and gives daytime privacy while keeping a view out. It offers little privacy after dark, when interior lights are on.
- Screen / Solar Fabric
- A technical woven fabric that cuts glare and solar heat gain while preserving the view through the window. Standard in offices and south-facing rooms with screens or a lot of glass.See our Blind Screen® range →
- Openness Factor
- The percentage of a screen fabric that is open weave rather than yarn — typically 1% to 10%. A lower figure means more glare control and privacy; a higher figure means a clearer view out.
- Moisture Resistant
- A material that tolerates the humidity of a kitchen or bathroom without warping, swelling or growing mould. Aluminium, faux wood, PVC and many synthetic fabrics all qualify; real wood does not.
- Flame Retardant
- Fabric treated or manufactured to resist ignition and slow the spread of flame. It's usually a requirement in commercial premises, schools, care settings and houses in multiple occupation.See our commercial blinds →
Components & Mechanisms
- Headrail
- The bar at the top of a blind that houses the mechanism and carries the fabric or slats. It's what the fixing brackets attach to, and its depth partly determines whether a blind will fit inside a shallow recess.
- Cassette
- A neat enclosed housing that conceals the roller tube and mechanism of a blind. It gives a more finished look than an open roll and keeps dust off the mechanism.
- Bottom Bar
- The weighted bar along the bottom edge of a blind that keeps the fabric hanging straight and square. Sometimes called a weight bar; it can be exposed, wrapped in the blind fabric, or shaped.
- Slat
- One of the horizontal strips in a Venetian blind. 25mm slats suit smaller windows and give finer light control; 50mm slats give a bolder look and a clearer view when tilted open.See our Venetian blinds →
- Sidewinder Chain
- The continuous loop of chain at the side of a roller or vertical blind used to raise, lower or rotate it. By regulation it must be fitted with a safety device — see child safety below.
- Wand
- A rigid handle used to tilt or draw a blind by hand instead of a cord or chain. Because there's no loop, a wand is inherently child-safe and is often specified for that reason.
- Child Safety Device
- The breakaway connector, chain tensioner or cord cleat required on any looped blind control under BS EN 13120. Every blind we fit is supplied and installed to that standard as a matter of course.Read our guide to child-safe blinds →
Measuring & Fitting
- Made to Measure
- Manufactured to the exact dimensions of your window rather than bought off the shelf and cut down. We measure every window ourselves before anything is ordered, so the responsibility for the fit is ours.
- Recess Fit
- A blind fitted inside the window opening, sitting flush within the reveal. It looks neat and leaves the sill clear, but needs enough depth in the recess for the headrail.
- Exact Fit / Face Fit
- A blind fitted to the wall or frame outside the window opening, overlapping the reveal. It's the answer to a shallow or uneven recess, and it blocks more edge light than a recess fit.
- Reveal
- The inside face of the window opening — the surfaces between the window frame and the wall. Its depth decides whether a blind can be recess fitted and which headrail will physically fit.
- Deduction
- The small amount taken off the measured recess width so a blind can operate without catching the sides. It's applied by the manufacturer, which is exactly why a recess measurement should never be ordered as the finished size.
- Drop
- The vertical measurement of a blind, from the top of the headrail to the bottom bar. Always quoted alongside the width, and always given as width first, then drop.
- Bay Window
- A window that projects outward from the wall in two or more angled sections. Each section takes its own blind or shutter panel, and the angles have to be measured on site — which is why we never ask a customer to measure a bay.
- Free Home Survey
- Our visit to your home to measure every window, show you samples in your own light, and give you a written quote. There is no charge and no obligation.Book a free home survey →
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