Venetian Blinds for Brooklyn's Heritage Sash Windows

Horizontal slats that tilt to steer light are the most adjustable interior treatment available — full view, filtered light, or full privacy, at any blind height, on demand. On a street of converted Edwardian and mid-century verandas like Brooklyn's, that hour-by-hour control matters more than it does in a modern box with uniform glazing: a room can face full morning sun, dappled jacaranda shade by midday, and a lit café terrace across the road by evening, all through the same window.

Aluminium venetians are the moisture champions — kitchens, bathrooms and laundries, where fabric struggles. Slats come in 25mm (crisp, most popular) or 50mm (bolder, fewer lines), with a wide colour range including wood-look finishes at a friendlier budget.

Timber and bamboo venetians in 50mm basswood or bamboo slats are the natural choice for Brooklyn's original sash windows, studies and any room where the character of real material matters. They suit deep veranda proportions in a way a synthetic fabric rarely does — but keep them out of high-steam rooms, and note they're heavier than aluminium, so very wide sash spans may need splitting or ladder-tape support.

Relative cost and where they suit

Aluminium sits entry-to-mid; timber runs mid-to-premium, with motorised tilt available on premium lines for gable windows or anywhere a wand is awkward to reach. Neither is the natural pick for a very wide unbroken span without splitting — that's usually a job for verticals or a roller instead.

What a venetian costs, aluminium against timber

Per square metre installed, and treat both as ranges rather than a figure to bank on. Aluminium slats in 25mm or 50mm run about R1,000 to R1,500, with the wider slat and the deeper colours toward the upper end. Real timber is the step up: roughly R1,600 to R2,600 per square metre, because the slat itself costs more and a heavy timber blind wants a sturdier headrail and ladder tape behind it.

Motorised tilt changes the arithmetic. On aluminium expect R2,500 to R3,600 per square metre; on timber, R3,000 to R4,500 — the difference being the weight the motor has to turn. A narrow bathroom or landing window carries a minimum charge whichever material you pick, since the fitting time barely moves. The exact price per opening is written into the quote after the free measure, once we have seen the reveal and held the slat against your own frames.