Blinds & Shutters - Issue 4-2020

CELLULAR BLINDS
Cell-ebrating blinds
Louvolite has a
number of cellular
fabric options for
customers to
choose from
For the majority of the blind industry, the
acceptance of honeycombe, or cellular fabrics
over and above the more widely used
pleated fabric has been a lower process than
perhaps expected. This may have partly been due
to the much wider variety of pleated fabric options
available to the blind maker or with some of the
perceived additional challenges faced when
manufacturing blinds to satisfy full conservatory
installations including roof systems. Either way,
there is no doubting that the industry is now
recognising the features that cellular products bring
to the consumer and the wider choices available
reflect this.
The Louvolite cellular fabric options include a
translucent fabric, Halo, and a blackout, Luna. These
two fabrics come in either 25mm or 38mm cells
and are offered at an enormous 3m width for
those increasingly wide windows and doors.
One of the most obvious benefits of a pleated
fabric is the fact that the inner cords actually pass
through the centre of the “cell” and as they are not
on the surface of the fabric, they are not visible.
This also has a significant secondary benefit from a
child safety perspective as the cords are not
accessible.
The Louvolite Cellular programme also offers
the ability for consumers to combine the elements
of both blackout and light filtering fabrics in what is
sometimes known as a “day night blind”. This
option combines both fabrics with a floating
intermediate rail. Each of the fabric types are fitted
to either fixed rail and the consumer can select the
full window area to be covered by either the
translucent fabric or the opaque fabric. As the
intermediate rail is raised or lowered it collects
one of the fabric types and deploys the other,
simple yet very effective.
A much lauded benefit of the cellular blind is
that they help in reducing heat loss during the
winter months. As the “cell” design captures a
pocket of air this design also helps reduce the
amount of warm air escaping though a window
during the winter months . Whilst this is true of all
fabric types the double layer of fabric along with
the cellular design does have additional benefits
over a traditional pleated shade. In addition the
same pocket of air reduces solar heat gain in the
summer months.
It is sometimes best to save the best until last
and perhaps the best thing about Louvolite cellular
fabrics is how well they pair with the Louvolite
Perfect Fit progamme. The Perfect Fit product is
recognised as the neatest and simplest installation
method available when used with modern doubleglazing
installations. Work conducted to establish
heat loss reduction when using window shades
also established that the Perfect Fit framing system
reduced heat loss still further when compared to
products used without Perfect Fit.
When you combine the two elements of
Louvolite cellular fabric with Perfect Fit you really
do achieve a 1 +1 = 3 situation with each product
seamlessly combining to create a unique and
beautiful window decoration that is both functional
and at the cutting edge of design.
52 Blinds & Shutters • ISSUE FOUR 2020