A classic thriller

TURNILS

Vera Meharg, Marketing Manager of parent company Hunter Douglas Australia confirms mid-2019 saw Turnils streamline its Aluminium Venetian product category to provide a range more in tune with market trends. This included a colour range aligned to suit the most up-to-date trends, a contemporary designed bottom rail and a slat sizes to meet modern interior design styles. 

“The colour palette was updated to feature the top selling colours, which can be matched with current paint colour trends. The neutral palette is ‘just the right amount of simple’ featuring shades of white, natural beiges, soft and dusky greys through to stormy blacks.”

“With the desire for bold statements at the window, we moved away from the 16mm slat size and maintained our 25mm and 50mm slat sizes.”

“What did not change was the quality of the product and the unique system options that are available. Our slats are engineered and manufactured in Europe from 0.22mm gauge high grade Aluminium. In terms of available system options, we have in-between glass, the duo-flex (where slats are grouped to enable maximum control of light levels by adjusting the various sections of the blind) and our trademarked twi-nighter option, which eliminates light filtering through slats when closed, using specialised positioning of rout holes, to offer greater privacy and light control.

For our Wood Essence venetian blinds, the market trend is still white and plain colours as they are easier to blend with interior decoration. Fauxwood is also easier to clean, only requiring wiping with a damp cloth with water.

Meanwhile Country Woods is the original basswood timber venetian offered in the sophisticated material of real wood. 

“The global aluminium venetian blind market is extremely mature,” says Meharg. “Hunter Douglas introduced the world to the first modern Aluminium Venetian Blind with bounce back slats in 1946. Having said that, this product category continues to stand the test time and trends, with simplicity in style, versatility in light and privacy control and targeted applications.” 

“There will always be a consumer who seeks out aluminum venetian blinds for one reason or another,” she adds. “The components business has seen an increase in sales in the last six months for Timber Venetians. The majority of the growth has come from some customers that have started to buy Hunter Douglas Australia as opposed to buying directly from overseas suppliers. This is a result of lower volumes generally in the market for these types of products, and increased minimum order quantities from overseas suppliers, which are too large for them to keep buying fringe colours. The current long lead time situation for shipping has also been an issue for these customers.”

BLINDWARE

Managing Director Grant Norton confirms that, after an in-depth range review undertaken with staff and customers at the end of last year, Blindware has re-structured its Venetian range to better meet current consumer demand. Norton believes there remains a strong demand for both price pointed and premium ranges of Venetian blind systems across the Australia/New Zealand markets. “Venetians have been in the DNA of Blindware since day one, almost 15 years ago. We have grown to become a leader in the supply of Venetian systems and remain fully committed to this category. To meet broader market needs, we have restructured our three timber/faux Venetian ranges to better fit current trends.” 

“At the top end, we have expanded our premium Paris range with eight new colours, all available in 50mm and 63mm slat sizes. The colour palette has been carefully chosen to match current home décor and consumer trends, with two white and six colour options. Paris now also features a stylish 80mm flat valance and three metre long profile lengths to allow wider blinds to be produced. The timber used in the slats is finger-joined Basswood, which has been well proven for many years to be a reliable and stable choice. We now see Paris as our flagship product, offering many benefits over fauxwood ranges, including lighter weight, wider widths, improved stability and overall superior appearance.” 

To complement the Paris range and form a complete Venetian solution for its customers, Blindware has reworked the NewYork range, reducing the collection back to two colours only, white and eggshell. 

“Consultation with customers has helped us understand where the demand lies, and that is in clean whites and a minimalist look in Fauxwood Venetians. For consumers after colour options in PVC Venetians, a full range of contemporary colours are available in the Tuscany range. Tuscany is a more price pointed PVC Venetian option yet still high-quality and positioned to help secure our customers against the threat of cheaper imports..  Tuscany has stood the test of time as a reliable performer and is our widest selling product these days.” Paris, NewYork and Tuscany are available now. 

BM Blinds (Blinds by Boronia) offers an array of colours in its Harmony aluminum Venetian Blind range.  With over 100 colour choices in the 25mm Harmony range and various colours available in the 16, 35  and 50mm slat sizes, BM Blinds is positioned as a supplier offering a wide choice of products.

“Harmony aluminum venetian blinds are made using the Holis coil and offer the standard wand and cord operation or can be upgraded to the Magic Wand which incorporates the lift cord within the tilt wand. Side guides are also available for Harmony venetian blinds and are being installed on doors to prevent blinds from swinging out as the door is opened. With a maximum width and drop of 2500mm, the Harmony Aluminum Venetian Blind is a great choice for any home or office environment.” 

BM BLINDS

Meanwhile, The ESR name has been synonymous with cedar venetian blinds since its establishment in 1987, offering Western Red Cedar venetians in 46, 60 and 85 mm slat sizes in either oiled or lacquered finish. 

“The popularity of custom painted cedar has seen the spray booth at ESR ramp up its production. Our Custom Painted Cedar blinds are painted with three coats, allowing the paint to dry thoroughly between each coat. The blinds are made by skilled staff who take pride in every blind that is manufactured. The bespoke nature of the product makes it popular for any discerning customer that demands only the best of products to be installed.”

“In 2021 ESR is also introducing the new Realwood range that offers eight standard colours, as well as the option to custom paint slats to suit the client’s décor. The ESR Realwood product is made of sustainably grown Basswood timber slats coupled with a Paulownia valance and bottom rail. The realwood range comes in 50mm & 63mm slat options giving your client the luxury of choice.  (Photo on next page showing a custom painted realwood venetian blind)

BLINDS BY PETER MEYER

“Our Cedar Venetians have seen a steady increase in popularity throughout 2020, especially in the custom painting department,” confirms Managing Director Simon Meyer. “We have seen growth in motorisation as well. Blinds by Peter Meyer offers a 46mm, 60mm and also 85mm Cedar venetian slat. For a modern look, we use a magnetic flat fascia that can be easily adjusted to suit any out of square recesses. We have also re-introduced a clean oil finish again in both 46mm and 60mm. This traditional finish has been growing in popularity again and we have introduced it back into our range in two colour tones, Light to Medium and Medium to Dark. Blinds by Peter Meyer still buys in the cedar in its raw uncoated state and custom stains or paints any colour you like! A dying art in Australia.”

“Cedar Venetians add warmth to any room, be it in a natural clean Lacquered or Oiled finished or even a Custom painted finish. We only use 4.2mm slat thickness, for a more robust, stable blind and a quality look and feel. We also offer a 25mm Textile tape for the more traditional finish on our 60mm slats, while motorisation is more popular than ever. There are many benefits to Cedar Venetians, from light and privacy control to the natural insulation properties you get from a natural cedar window covering.” 

“In terms of how the market in this category is performing, I think we have seen the general venetian market grow throughout 2020, but this can be said about all the categories we manufacture or distribute.”

Blinds by Peter Meyer has also seen the popularity of its Aluminium Venetian range increase “with some beautiful projects also being completed in our Manhattan Venetian range, which combines 50mm Aluminium Venetians blinds with a cedar fascia and bottom rail,” says Meyer. “It really lifts the traditional 50 mm Aluminium Venetian blind to another level and as we custom paint, you can design the finished blind the way you want with a stained or customer painted Cedar Fascia and bottom rail.”

NORMAN AUSTRALIA

The company has recently updated its SmartPrivacy Venetian Blind with the new G3 Cordloop SmartPrivacy blind. 

“We know that Timber Venetian blinds are a great complementary product to Shutters, but they are also a great stand-alone window furnishing in their own right.”

“We have recently updated our SmartPrivacy Venetian Blind and made it even more feature packed and user friendly. Not only does this blind come with its renowned SmartPrivacy design, which incorporates a recess in the head rail that the top louver slots into, to block light at the top; it also does away with the large, unsightly holes that have been a downside of traditional Timber Venetian Blinds.”

“With a continual improvement process in mind, we are proud to introduce the new Norman G3 Cordloop SmartPrivacy Blind. The G3 Cordloop features SmartRelease, which allows the blind to lower on its own with one pull on the cord, an invaluable time saving feature.”

“The new G3 system also has a built-in stopping feature, which will cause the blind to stop if it hits an obstruction while lowering automatically. The gear mechanism has also been updated and made an even smoother and stronger operation.”

“The product’s look has also undergone a revamp. The G3 SmartPrivacy comes with a built in Fascia that mirrors the colour of the Slats, creating a more complete and elegant aesthetic.”

“With generous maximum and minimum sizes, the Norman G3 SmartPrivacy Venetian will suit most window openings and whether you’re using these to complement your shutters or a stand-alone window covering, they are sure to impress and add value to your home.”