The most adjustable treatment we fit
A roller is open or shut by degrees; a venetian steers light direction — tilt up for glare-free daylight, tilt down for privacy from a neighbour higher up the slope, close flat for dark. On a street built into a hillside, where a stacked property can look straight into the room next door’s window, that adjustability earns its place more than almost anywhere else in the range.
Aluminium or timber — the honest split
- Aluminium venetians (25mm slats, most popular; 50mm for fewer lines) are the moisture and salt-air champions — bathrooms, kitchens, and any harbour-facing window taking the ordinary spray of a working naval base. Powder-coated finishes handle salt air far better than fabric or timber, though a rinse-wipe now and then still matters this close to the sea.
- Timber venetians (50mm basswood or bamboo) suit the dry, set-back rooms behind a Georgian or Edwardian facade — studies, formal lounges, anywhere a sash window and a real material belong together. Keep them out of steamy bathrooms; a quality lacquer handles normal Cape-winter humidity but not sustained steam.
Why we specify venetians this way here
Simon’s Bay’s calm water throws a flatter, harder glare in the morning than the open swell further north does — a venetian’s tilt answers that hour by hour without losing the harbour view the way a lowered blockout roller would. On the older stock along St George’s Street, most reveals are deep stone or plaster, out-of-square from age, so slat width and mounting depth get confirmed on site rather than assumed from a standard size.
Honest limitations
Timber is heavier than aluminium — a very wide window needs splitting or ladder-tape support rather than one long unsupported run. And in a genuinely steamy bathroom, aluminium is the only sensible choice; we won’t sell timber into a room that will warp it within a season.
Where else on the coast we fit this
Powder-coated aluminium venetians are the salt-air baseline in Kalk Bay’s harbour cottages too, while timber venetians suit the older Cape-vernacular farmhouse rooms we fit in Noordhoek, well back from the salt.
Will aluminium venetians cope with the naval base’s salt air?
Yes — powder-coated aluminium is the coastal baseline over raw timber for that reason specifically. We spec it as standard for anything within a few hundred metres of the water, and recommend an occasional fresh-water rinse regardless of finish.
Can I get motorised tilt on a venetian?
Yes, on our premium aluminium lines — useful on tall sash windows or anywhere reaching a wand isn’t practical. See motorised blinds & automation on the main range for the control options.