Location: Gauteng · System: Mesh Drop Blinds
The brief
A patio structure facing an open lawn, with nothing between the seating and the weather on the long side. Comfortable in the middle of the day, cold and bright at either end of it.
Enclosing the patio in glass is one answer. The other is something you can put down when you need it and forget about the rest of the time.
What we built
Full-height mesh drop blinds fitted across the open side of the structure, dropping to ground level so the whole opening is covered rather than just the part above the furniture.
The mesh cuts glare and takes the sting out of the wind while keeping the view through to the garden. Rolled up, the blinds sit in a headbox at the beam and the patio is fully open again.
More on the specification under our full awning range, or browse the full gallery.
Mesh, not canvas
A solid canvas blind gives more shelter and takes the view with it. Once that happens, people stop putting the blinds down at all, which makes them an expensive decoration.
A mesh blind is a compromise that gets used. You lose some wind protection against a solid fabric and you keep the reason you sit out there.
The specification behind it
- Full-height mesh drop blinds to the open side of the patio
- Full drop to ground level across the open side
- Headbox at beam level — blinds retract out of sight
- Mesh fabric: glare and wind reduction with the view retained
Blinds are what make a patio a three-season room
A roof extends the usable day. Blinds extend the usable year. Most Gauteng patios are pleasant from September to April and abandoned in the middle of winter, and it is almost always wind rather than temperature that does it.
Closing one side changes that out of proportion to the cost. It is the cheapest upgrade on most patio projects and the one clients most often come back for a season later.
If you’re considering the same
Work out which direction your prevailing winter wind comes from before specifying. One well-placed blind usually beats three badly placed ones.
Blinds can be added to any of our awnings and patio covers.
