Venetian blinds built for salt air

A roller is open or closed by degrees; a venetian steers light direction — tilt up for glare-free daylight, tilt down for privacy from a neighbouring balcony, close flat for dark. On a coastline where the sun swings hard off open water through the day, that hour-by-hour adjustability is the whole selling point.

Aluminium venetians — the seaboard default

• 25mm slats — crisp, the most popular line profile.
• 50mm slats — bolder, fewer lines across a wide pane.
• Salt-air performance — powder-coated aluminium is the moisture and salt champion. It handles Camps Bay’s sea air far better than fabric or bare metal, though a rinse-wipe now and then still matters this close to the water.
• A huge colour range including woodlook finishes, at a budget-friendly price point relative to timber.

Timber & bamboo venetians

50mm basswood or bamboo slats bring warmth and an architectural, natural-material look — well suited to studies and character rooms set back from direct sea spray. Keep them out of steam-heavy bathrooms; quality lacquer handles normal humidity but not sustained salt exposure the way aluminium does. They’re also heavier, so very wide Camps Bay window walls usually need splitting or ladder-tape support.

Where they win

Kitchens, bathrooms and any room where fabric eventually fails to moisture — and any glass wall that swings from bright glare to soft evening light across a single afternoon. Motorised tilt is available on premium lines, useful on tall glazing you don’t want to reach by hand.