Canopies and Blinds

Traditional horizontal blinds fold back into their box and do not therefore obscure any architectural detail. They are traditional in the English street scene and can both enhance the building to which they are fixed and form part of the overall design.

Dutch blinds, as the name implies, are not traditional to English towns. The application of such blinds to existing shopfronts usually results in the details of the shopfront being obscured. Such blinds tend to be a form of advertising rather than performing the function of a traditional blind, and they are unlikely to be given favourable consideration by the Local Planning Authority.

Materials for the blinds should be traditional, using wood for frames and blind batten with matt material for the blind itself. This will ensure that a blind respects the appearance of the remainder of the shopfront.