What are Visions Day & Night Blinds?
Visions blinds, also known as Day/Night blinds, are a unique type of roller blind with a distinctive appearance. They consist of a fabric material with a solid and transparent panel. The material is looped back on itself, allowing you to overlap the panels in an “open” or “shut” position.
In an “open” position, the stripes are aligned to allow you to see through the blind to the outside. Conversely, in a “closed” position, the stripes are overlapped, creating a solid overlap with the transparent panel, effectively closing the blind and preventing any view through the blind. The blind also restricts light from entering.
As a roller blind, Visions blinds can be rolled up to multiple positions, each with an “open” or “shut” setting. For instance, you might have the blind two-thirds of the way down, open, allowing you to see through. Alternatively, you could have the blind only a few panels down from the top of the window, shut, resembling a traditional roller blind.
At the top of the blind, Visions blinds are enclosed in a cassette box that conceals the “roller” mechanism. This box is covered in the same fabric as the blind, essentially acting as a pelmet.
What were they designed for?
Visions blinds, apart from their distinctive appearance, were designed to offer a more versatile alternative to traditional wood Venetian blinds. While wood Venetian blinds provide ample daytime privacy, allowing you to see out while obscuring others’ view, they have a fixed position and are inconvenient for cleaning windows. In contrast, Visions blinds use their transparent panels to achieve the same level of privacy.
Visions blinds are designed to be rolled up to different positions as needed, allowing more light into a room and providing greater flexibility in usage. The entire blind, regardless of the window drop, rolls up into a small, aesthetically pleasing cassette box, even when placed across a set of doors. By comparison, when pulled up, wood Venetian blinds create a large stack of wood slats and are not aesthetically pleasing.
An entire door will roll up into the cassette box
3 Visions blinds - two blinds fully shut, one blind fully down but in an open position
Two visions blinds in an open position at different levels
One blind open - one blind shut
Imitation Day & Night Blinds
There are instances, usually found online, of imitation day/night blinds. These blinds use the same materials but operate differently and don’t have the same hardware. An imitation day/night blind won’t be manufactured to match the exact drop of your window, and in some cases, there’ll be a noticeable gap between the front and back layers of material. Additionally, most imitations won’t be enclosed in a cassette box.
Functionality of a Visions Blind
Daytime Privacy
Visions are excellent for providing daytime privacy, effectively blocking the view into your room during daylight hours.
Protect items against fading
The transparent panels offer reasonably good protection against fading on floors and furniture caused by sunlight. In extremely bright conditions, the panels can be overlapped to block more sunlight, without the blind needing to be fully lowered to the window ledge to achieve a shut position. The blind, as it rolls (as shown in our video), moves smoothly between an open and shut position continuously.
If you need a blind that provides daytime privacy and protection against fading, Visions is an excellent choice. However, if you don’t require daytime privacy, but still need something to protect your flooring and furniture, there are better options available.
Glare from the sun
The transparent panels will provide sufficient performance against glare, but in extremely bright sunlight, you will almost certainly need to close the blind completely.
If you need a blind that offers daytime privacy and protection against glare, Visions are an excellent choice. However, if daytime privacy is not a requirement, but you’re bothered by glare, there are better options available.
Nightime Privacy
The blinds can be overlapped from top to bottom in a shut position. There are no fabrics in our Visions range that would be see-through at night when shut, even if artificial lights are on in the property.
Thermal Gain (Heat)
Any material blocking the sun will contribute to reducing heat. Our Visions range offers materials that are considered “blockout,” or nearly blackout, which provide significantly better performance against intense heat.
Thermal Loss (Heat loss from inside your house)
Most window blinds, except for Perfect Fit Pleated, don’t provide much insulation. Our Visions range offers blackout materials that provide the best performance. Most blinds simply alter the air circulation around the window, reducing the rate of heat loss.
Blackout effect for bedrooms
In our range of materials, you’ll need to choose from our “blockout” range. Light bleed from Visions blinds is significantly more than from a roller blind made in a blackout material. For a better understanding of your options for blackout blinds in general, visit our Blackout Blinds product page.
Types of Windows & Doors Suitable for Visions Blinds
Standard Windows with a normal ledge
Understand the limitations that may apply to your window by referring to our restrictions on width. For most windows, there are no restrictions to consider.
Windows which have a small window ledge or no window ledge at all
Some windows have very little depth, which we call shallow depth windows. Any blind, therefore, will have a “profile,” which refers to how far it will protrude. Visions can be fitted into shallow depth windows, but you must consider how far it will protrude, its aesthetic appearance, and the amount of light bleed you can expect. Window handles also play a crucial role, as any blind must miss them. It’s challenging to provide an exact answer, but we’re happy to advise based on your individual windows.
Sliding Doors/French Doors/Bi Folding Doors
Yes, we install blinds across various door types, including sliding, bi-folding, and French doors. When it comes to doors, there are several factors to consider. For more information on different types of blinds and their applications for doors, please visit our Solutions page.
Bay Windows
Visions blinds can be installed in most types of bay windows. For more information, please visit our Solutions page for bay windows.
Restrictions on size / fitting "Oversized" Vision Blinds
Visions blinds typically have a maximum width of 2.2 meters (2200 millimetres) or 86 5/8 inches. However, we can manufacture blinds up to approximately 2.6 meters, depending on the fabric and the window’s drop.
Real World Pros & Cons
- For those residing in rural areas near open fields, Visions have two layers of material on the front and back. In such circumstances, you’re more likely to encounter flies or other wildlife, which seek refuge within those layers!
- The fabrics and blinds in general are more delicate and won’t tolerate rough handling. If your children are a bit roughhousing, consider motorisation or alternative blind options.
- Visions materials will not appreciate a cat plucking them!
- Stubborn marks on the materials can be challenging to remove. To prevent damaging the surface, we have specific recommended methods for cleaning Visions.