Timber Venetian Blinds

The heritage-home natural

A lot of Parkview's original stock — the 1920s to '40s cottages closer to the park and the lake — kept their timber sash windows, with the deep reveals and vertical proportions that go with them. Aluminium or plastic tends to look wrong against that; a timber venetian, in basswood or bamboo, sits the way the window was designed to be dressed.

Adjustability is the whole argument

A roller is open or closed by degree; a venetian steers light direction. Tilt the slats up for glare-free daylight through the tree canopy, tilt down for privacy from a double-storey neighbour, or close flat for full dark. On a Parkview street where the light swings hard between deep tree shade and a low afternoon glare, that hour-by-hour control earns its keep in a way a fixed treatment can't.

Where timber works, and where it doesn't

Studies, living rooms, entrance halls and any room where the sash itself is a feature are the strongest fit. Keep timber out of steamy bathrooms and kitchens — quality lacquer handles normal humidity, but sustained steam isn't what it's built for; an aluminium venetian is the better call in those rooms. Timber slats are heavier than aluminium too, so very wide windows may need splitting or extra ladder-tape support, which we'll plan for at the measure.

Fit

Inside-mount is the standard for a sash window with a proper reveal, giving the tailored look that suits a heritage frame. Motorised tilt is available on premium lines if you'd rather adjust from a switch than a wand — useful on any window that's awkward to reach.

Everything we know about how the sun crosses this part of Johannesburg through the year — and what we’d fit on each elevation, with the honest catch on every answer — is written up free in The Parkview Canopy & Light Almanac. No sign-up, and every figure in it is sourced.

Fitting timber venetians across the parks belt

We fit the same 50mm basswood slats throughout the parks belt — the natural choice for heritage-front rooms in Forest Town, Parktown North and Saxonwold, and available in Craighall Park too for any home that's kept its original windows.