Screen roller blinds: where do they fit best and why?

In addition to outdoor blinds and shutters, you will increasingly encounter outdoor fabric roller shades – so-called screens – on buildings. They are wind-resistant, provide good shading, and you can still see outside. This is why they are especially popular for shading winter gardens, terraces, pergolas, balconies, or loggias. They also look great on family homes.

Elegant shading anywhere

Screen roller shades are like made for shading especially garden and outdoor spaces – pergolas, gazebos, winter gardens, balconies, loggias, and more. In the summer, they create a pleasant coolness and privacy inside, yet you can still see outside and enjoy the surroundings. Moreover, they are relatively easy to install without having to make significant changes to the structure or prepare complicated setups during construction.

Recently, architects have also recommended screens for shading the windows of family or apartment buildings and administrative offices. They are popular in living rooms, bedrooms, or children's rooms, and you can combine them with other types of exterior shading – for instance, outdoor blinds.

When combining multiple types of blinds and shades, architects only recommend that you have the same type of shading on one side of the house. The rest is mainly up to you and your taste.

Key is the fabric's permeability

Screen roller shades are available in many variants, with the key parameter being the light permeability of the fabric. There are fabrics that are slightly darkening, heavily darkening, and completely darkening, known as blackout.

It is the degree of light permeability that determines where which roller shade is most suitable. Blackout shades create complete darkness in the room when closed, which is why architects and designers recommend them for bedrooms or children's rooms. In contrast, you should optimally shade social areas – typically the living room, kitchen, or pergola – with a more permeable fabric.

In addition to light permeability, consider the openness factor of the fabric, which determines how well you can see outside through the shade. Especially for pergolas or winter gardens, choose fabrics with a higher openness factor (5% and more) to ensure you can see outside well, even when the shades are drawn. You will only be able to see somewhat outside when you have the lights on in the evening on the terrace.

Choose zip screens for windier areas

Outdoor fabric roller shades are also suitable for areas with higher windiness, especially in the zip screen variant, where they are firmly attached to the side guiding profile throughout their length and do not move or sag even in strong winds. In contrast, be cautious with cheaper screens that are guided by a wire, which have play and are thus more susceptible to wind.

Rain does not have to trouble you at all, as the fabrics of screen roller shades well repel dirt and water and are almost maintenance-free. Manufacturers only recommend that you allow the shade to dry after rain before rolling it up again, so you do not unnecessarily strain the motor.