Living Room Pleated Blind

The Light and Privacy Balance on the Living-Room Façade

The living room carries the widest glazed surface and the longest usage time of the home. The blind here is not a decoration alone but a light arrangement working all day. Since the two-way pleated blind moves independently from top and bottom, the top band is left open at midday while the eye level stays private. Light enters from the ceiling, the inside is not seen from the opposite building.

The façade direction directly chooses the fabric decision. On the north and shaded façade the semi-transparent series preserves the already scarce daylight. On the south and west façade the sunscreen or dim-out fabric steps in for the harsh afternoon sun. If two different façades exist in the same living room, each joinery is produced with its own fabric per its condition. Integrity is provided by keeping the unit colour common.

The television and sitting-group arrangement is also accounted for. On the window falling opposite the screen, if an afternoon glare band forms, a full closure is needed instead of an angle adjustment like a slat. In the day-night pleated model the sheer and blackout layers sit on the same rail, so sheer by day and full closure in the evening are solved with a single system.

The architectural character of the living room also steers the unit selection. On floor-to-ceiling joinery a division of three or four units, on a standard window a single unit is enough. With the low profile of the gathered height, a slim band remains above the glazing while the blind is open. The daylight of the living room is preserved, the ceiling line is not cut.

When the fabric colour is chosen from the same family as the living room’s textile, the blind reads as part of the space even when closed. In projects wanting contrast the unit profile is pulled to the wall colour, the fabric to the upholstery tone. This distinction looks small but builds integrity on the most visible surface of the living room.

In living rooms with a balcony door the passage axis is built separately. Carrying the unit at the door line onto the joinery lets the door open freely. A fixed blind above the wall closes the front of the door and makes daily passage hard. The living-room joineries are photographed one by one and the passage axis is written onto the measurement form.

In living rooms with heavy guest use the closed look of the blind is also accounted for. Seen from outside, the units standing at the same level preserve the façade order. A position difference between units makes the façade look irregular. After mounting the units are aligned to the reference line.

The living room’s blind expectation can also be met with a drapery curtain but the functional difference is clear. The drapery curtain is either open or closed — no intermediate position. The stepless band control of the pleated unit gives a different setting at every hour of the day. The usage variety of the living room wants this flexibility.

On the energy side the living room’s wide glazing produces heat loss in winter. The closed fabric layer builds a buffer between the glass and the room and reduces the heating load in the evening hours. In summer the sunscreen fabric stops the air-conditioning load at the glazing surface. It reflects on the living room’s two-season bill.

When the window and the balcony door stand side by side in the living room, position synchronisation of the two units is needed. A façade where one is open and the other closed looks irregular. The door unit is measured independently of the windows and joins the sash’s opening. Since its bottom rail stays at the threshold line it does not snag on the passage line. Keeping the units at the same level preserves the façade order of the living room read both from inside and from the street.