Blinds and Curtains for Minimal Sliding Glass & Bifold Doors

Floor-to-ceiling glazed sliding doors with minimal frames are a popular choice for modern homes as they provide ample natural light, a seamless transition between indoor and outdoor living spaces, and a sleek, contemporary look. However, large glazing areas come with the challenges of needing some form of blinds and/or curtains, to manage heat, light, glare, and privacy.

Concealed Motorised Blinds

When considered early, specifiers have the option to make provision for concealed blinds solutions within their design detail. To do so, will require the window head to be redesigned to allow for the concealment boxing to be built-in, often requiring a split lintel solution. Concealed blinds are best suited for motorised operation and electrical wiring can be run during construction.

The door sizes and the type of window treatment will impact the space needed for concealed blinds. Blinds are available up to 6m high and any width of sliding doors can be covered with multiple blinds, often one blind per door. These blinds are often 2-3m wide but can be up to 4-5m for wider doors.

With multiple blinds working together, clients often require blinds to operate individually when required but also when operated together to be fully aligned. Standard systems may not have this feature but it is something Grants Blinds can offer.

Retro-fit Manual or Battery-Operated Blinds

When provision for concealed blinds has not been made, a retro-fit solution will be required. These can be manual chain or battery operated and is mounted to the door recess or ceiling. There is the option to conceal the blinds using a surface-mounted box or pelmet to reduce the visual impact. These can be powder coated to match the sliding door frames.

Curtains

Where soft furnishings are preferred, single or dual curtains can work well along the sliding glass doors. These can be manual hand pulled, corded or motorised, stacked on one or both sides. When considered early, specifiers have the option to make provisions for curtain stacks to be concealed in the wall and the curtain tracks to be recessed into the ceiling.

Manual and motorised curtains are available up to 20m long and can have one or more bends for example to have the curtain stack around a corner. How the curtains will look will depend on the choice made for fabric and whether lining or interlining is to be used. Special considerations need to be made for curtains more than 3m high.

Combining Concealed Blinds and Recessed Curtain Tracks

For maximum flexibility, a combination of blinds and curtains can be specified. Blinds to manage the heat and light, and curtains to provide some softening to the room. When considered early, neither the blinds or the curtains will have a visual impact on the minimal sliding glass doors and only be visible when required. When the glass doors are motorised and automated, opening the doors can for example trigger the blinds and curtains to go into their concealed positions.