Venetian Blinds
Tilt-to-steer light for the homestead's original deep-set windows — full view, filtered light, or full privacy, at any blind height, without touching a protected facade.
Aluminium or timber, two different jobs
Aluminium venetians, in 25mm or 50mm slats, are the moisture-proof option — cellar workspaces, wash-up rooms and any glazing near a working part of the farm where fabric would eventually fail. Powder-coated finishes hold up well against the region's sustained summer UV.
Timber slats (usually 50mm basswood) are the natural fit for a homestead's original sash and casement openings — warm, architectural, and true to a building the National Heritage Resources Act already protects on anything over 60 years old. Because the blind sits inside the room and changes nothing visible from outside, fitting one doesn't trigger a heritage application the way an exterior alteration would.
02The adjustability argument
A roller is open or closed by degrees; a venetian steers light direction — tilt up for glare-free daylight over a desk, tilt down for privacy from a neighbouring cottage, close flat for dark. Simonsberg-Stellenbosch's farms, which read the mountain directly and lose the sun fast behind the peak by mid-afternoon, are exactly the kind of hour-by-hour light swing a venetian handles better than a fixed fabric ever could.
03What to expect on a very wide opening
Timber slats are heavier than aluminium, so very wide homestead windows sometimes need splitting or additional ladder-tape support rather than one continuous run — we'll flag that plainly at the measure, not after the order.
- Suits shallow, deep-set homestead sash and casement reveals
- An internal fit that keeps the protected facade untouched
- Motorised tilt available on premium lines for hard-to-reach farm-office windows
One honest limit
Keep timber venetians out of genuinely steamy rooms — a working cellar wash-up bay is aluminium's job. Quality lacquer handles normal humidity fine, but sustained steam will eventually tell on the finish.
What a venetian costs, by material
Material decides the band, and both are per square metre installed. Aluminium comes in at R1,000 to R1,500 the square metre on a wand or cord, and R2,500 to R3,600 motorised. Timber runs R1,600 to R2,600 manual and R3,000 to R4,500 motorised, the wider slats and the stained finishes that suit an old homestead room sitting near the top of both.
A narrow window carries a minimum charge, since a shallow homestead reveal still needs its own headrail, brackets and a fitting visit. Treat the bands as a guide only — the number per window is settled at the free measure and confirmed in writing.
Original sash and casement windows turn up on homesteads right across the route, from Simonsberg-Stellenbosch's mountain-flank farms to Devon Valley's sheltered basin.
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