Custom Venetian Blinds Melbourne

Interior decor and the practical demands of a room both play into which type of venetian blind makes sense. The following four are the most common options available:

Aluminium Venetian Blinds

Horizontal aluminium slats in 25mm or 50mm widths, across a broad range of colours and finishes. It’s the most budget-friendly venetian option going, and being so light, it holds up well with barely any upkeep.

Basswood Venetian Blinds

Sold as timber venetian blinds too, these use 50mm or 63mm slats cut from basswood, a timber grown specifically for window coverings and furniture. For a natural material, it’s surprisingly hard-wearing, and it brings a warmth manufactured slats just can’t fake. Teak, Baltic, cherry and white are the go-to finishes, the standard palette for wooden venetian blinds Melbourne homeowners tend to pick for living areas and studies.

PVC Venetian Blinds

Known locally as Econo Blinds, PVC venetians use 50mm or 63mm slats made from a man-made material, processed at high temperatures with UV protection built in. That processing is what makes them strong and moisture resistant. They are a better fit than timber for bathrooms and laundries, where basswood would slowly soak up moisture instead.

Shutter Style Venetian Blinds

For the look of plantation shutters with the mechanics of a blind, shutter style venetians use 63.5mm PVC slats shaped with a tapered, aerodynamic profile rather than the flat slats found on standard PVC blinds. The result reads closer to a shutter than a traditional venetian.

Which Venetian Blind Type is Right for You?

Deciding between these blinds usually comes down to budget and where the blind is going. Aluminium covers most everyday needs at the lowest cost. Basswood and PVC step up for rooms where the finish matters as much as the function, with PVC taking the edge in anywhere damp. Shutter style sits at the top of the range for anyone who wants the shutter aesthetic without the shutter price tag.

If you’re weighing up external venetian blinds in Melbourne, know that weather can be tough on them. Though the same mechanical logic applies outdoors as it does inside.

Adjustable slats give you shade control that a fixed awning can’t, though the finish and mounting made to measure Venetian blinds differ from an internal setup. Ask the team at Ravi Blinds which of the external made to order venetian blinds range in Melbourne suits the exposure your patio or alfresco area gets.

Aluminium (Metal)

Light and highly durable, aluminium suits large windows well since the slats don’t add unnecessary weight to the mechanism. Matt and metallic paint finishes are both available.

Timber

Basswood is grown specifically for furniture and window coverings. Its natural grain gives a room an earthy character no manufactured material quite replicates. The trade-off: being natural, it can chip, and damp rooms like bathrooms or laundries aren’t where it belongs.

PVC or Foamwood

The most widely chosen option today. Manufactured rather than grown, PVC sidesteps the drawbacks of timber: it won’t chip and it handles moisture without issue, while UV treatment during processing keeps it strong under harsh sun.

As a rule of thumb, aluminium handles large or high-use windows best because of its light weight, timber suits dry living spaces where the natural finish can be shown off, and PVC covers everywhere in between, particularly kitchens, bathrooms and laundries.

Almost every venetian blind on the market runs on one of two mechanisms.

Tilt and Pull Cord

Two cords handle the tilt, adjusting slat angle for light and privacy, and a separate pull cord takes care of raising or lowering the blind fully. Pulling the cord at an angle locks the blind at your chosen height. Wind all loose cords around a cleat at all times for child safety.

Wand and Cord Operation

A wand replaces the tilt cords here, rotating to angle the slats, while a single cord still handles full opening and closing. As with the cord-operated version, lock the position by pulling at an angle, and keep any loose cords wound around a cleat.

Whichever mechanism you go with, cords and wands hold up well with basic care. Avoid yanking a stuck cord, since that’s the most common cause of a snapped lift line, and if a blind starts sticking or tilting unevenly, it’s worth having it checked before the mechanism wears further rather than after it fails.

Corded blinds pose a genuine strangulation risk to young children, with over 21 deaths recorded in Australia since 2001 according to Kidsafe VIC. Australian law requires every blinds retailer to supply child safety devices with any blind that has loose cords or chains. Installing the cleat and keeping cords wrapped is the retailer’s obligation and the homeowner’s ongoing responsibility. Warning stickers supplied with the blind should never be removed.