We have not gone into the internal blind market, no, definitely not, we’re 100% committed to exterior blinds and this is one of the many things that makes us different to every other company involved in the industry – we’re the UK external shading specialists. However, we have noticed over the past year and in particular a surge in the last 6 months for our external roller blinds and tensioned roof blinds to be mounted internally, primarily in commercial and educational facilities to provide shading or blackout to large glazed areas.
Take the refurbishment of Sandbach Town Hall (pictured above) – our Antiguan model external roller blind system was specified to be installed internally in several locations, including the new seamless glass observation window (r/h pic) in the first floor bar / meeting room area that overlooks the main function hall. Spanning 5.5m in width and just under 2.5m high a single blackout blind was required to provide privacy and sound absorption allowing the rooms to be used independently of each other.
So why was a normal internal blind system not suitable? In the majority of cases including this because they just cannot span the required area (without multiple blinds being positioned side by side which looks clunky and is not effective) and they are typically not robust enough for high traffic locations such as this busy town hall.
Our Antiguan blind system, which meets and exceeds the severest European quality & safety standards, with a wind speed capability when installed externally of minimum Beaufort 6, thanks to the clever zip locking mechanism that holds the fabric in the side channels that guide the blind leadrail up/down, is easily able to withstand the bumps and knocks of busy environments such as this and can span large dimensions of upto 6m x 6m in a single unit. And with a streamline design along with hundreds of colour options for both the material and hardware, the Antiguan blind system looks as good inside, as it does out!
So if you have a large piece of glazing inside a building that you need a blind for, but have been unable to find one from an interior blind company, it may be worth giving us a call!
