Heritage
ENHANCING HERITAGE HOMES WITH ADVANCED PRIVACY AND SHADING SOLUTIONS
From their sleek aesthetics and no-nonsense practicality to easy, non-disruptive installation and improved thermal and solar performance, integral blinds are ideal for heritage home improvement projects featuring double glazed windows. Ian Short, Managing Director of Morley Glass, explains more.
Sensitive, appropriate renovation of older houses and apartment buildings is extremely important. It helps ensure Britain’ s architectural heritage is preserved for future generations, while at the same time upgrading energy efficiency, safety, security and comfort in line with today’ s standards and expectations. Choosing the right specification for replacement of, or upgrades to, the windows and doors is therefore critically important.
However, achieving the perfect balance between the old and new can seem tricky. Heritage renovations are constrained by the property owner’ s desire to maintain its character and visual appeal and – in many cases – the need to comply with local planning requirements.
Whilst that means it can be easy to assume many of the most recent product innovations are incompatible with windows and doors for heritage projects, this is certainly not the case for Uni-Blinds ® integral blinds. They have the potential to provide multiple benefits for any heritage project where the windows and doors feature a 24mm double glazed unit with a minimum 16mm cavity.
SLIMLINE APPEAL FOR VERTICAL SLIDERS
Our slim integral blind option, the ScreenLine ® SL16 – available in the pull cord C System, magnetic slider SV System, and motorised MB System – has become the go-to shading and privacy solution for new PVCu and timber vertical sliding sash windows. It is designed to fit within a 24mm thick double glazed IGU in a 4-16- 4mm format, which is common in these types of windows, subject to minimum and maximum IGU dimensions.
This is important given the popularity of sash window replacement in older properties. As integral blinds move with the sash, the blinds can remain lowered and closed when the window is open, with no potential for the blinds to sway and rattle when the wind causes a draught.
LESS DISRUPTIVE TO INTERNAL DÉCOR AND FEATURES
Installing traditional window blinds means mounting brackets on the wall above the window or within the recess. That could mean drilling into the building fabric and potentially disrupting historically significant or ornate internal features. This is something most of us would want to avoid given the complexities associated with older types of wall construction.
With integral blinds, the blind unit and its operating mechanism are largely contained within the double glazed unit. Manual control mechanisms are mounted onto the room-facing glass, which means no drilling into the surrounding walls for mounting. The only system that does require components installed in the walls is the motorised MB System, which any competent electrician will be able to handle with ease.
In addition, integral blinds allow full use of the internal window cill. As the blind is fully contained within the glass unit, it does not interfere with anything placed on the cill when lowered, allowing ornaments and plants to be proudly displayed hassle-free.
PROTECTING SENSITIVE INTERIORS
Another advantage of choosing Uni- Blinds ® integral blinds for heritage projects is that they can help to reduce the risk of strong sunlight fading sensitive interior décor. This can be particularly important in period homes furnished with antique furniture and historically sensitive carpets, rugs and textiles.
In addition to the Venetian blind providing a physical barrier to sunlight entering the building, the IGUs containing the blind system can also be specified with a standard 6.4mm laminated glass to filter out 99 % of harmful UV rays – subject to a minimum 28mm IGU thickness. There is also a solar control glass option which is designed to further reduce solar gain, reflecting two thirds of solar energy to limit heat build-up inside the property. This is important because with a generally cooler interior, degradation of sensitive furnishings over time can be slowed down.
www. morleyglass. co. uk
30 OCTOBER 2026 CLEARVIEW-UK. COM