Measure & fit across Dundee, Fife, Perthshire & Edinburgh
A much darker bedroom, fitted properly
'Blackout' is one of the areas the British Blind and Shutter Association (BBSA) says it gets a lot of complaints about. In a Scottish summer it's light before half past four in the morning, and most blackout blinds leak light around the edges, which is why the room never goes properly dark. Ours run in side channels with a cassette at the top, so far less light gets round them. Made to measure and fitted by our own team.
Family-run since 1987 · No salespeople, ever · Edinburgh Design Studio
You've probably already tried a blackout blind
And it half worked. The middle of the window went dark, but a bright line crept down each side and across the top. By June the room is light enough to read in at 4.30am, and a small person decides that means the day has started.
The problem isn't the fabric. It's the gaps. A blind that hangs in front of a window will always let light past the edges. Cutting that down is a fitting job, not a shopping job.
How we cut the light right down
Our blinds use a blackout fabric, so light doesn't pass through the material, and they run inside side channels fixed to the window. The edges of the blind sit inside those channels, so far less light gets past the sides. The blind is made to the exact millimetre of your window, and a head cassette covers the top.
The cassette and channels are a permanent, tidy part of the window, and that's what does the work. It's the difference between a blind that's ‘blackout’ on the label and a blind that's been fitted to stop as much edge light as possible. Even then, a thin line of light can still show, and we'll show you where before you order.
The full service, start to finish
Complimentary home survey
We come to you, measure precisely, check where light's getting in, and ask what you need the room for.
Made to measure
Your blind is made to the millimetre for the window, with blackout fabric running in side channels to cut light at the edges.
Fitted by our own team
Installed by a named Scottish Shutter Company fitter, never a subcontractor.
Checked before we leave
Before we leave, we check the blind with you and show you where any light still reaches the room.
What to expect
Fabric plus fitting decides how dark the room goes
A blackout fabric stops light passing through the material. How the blind is fitted decides how much gets round it. No blind, shutter or frame makes a room completely dark, so here's how the options compare, from the least dark to the darkest.
Good
Louvred shutters or Venetian blinds. Closed louvres or slats reduce the ambient light level, but light passes between them because they need gaps to move.
Better
A free-hanging blind with blackout fabric. The room is much darker, but a halo of light shows round the edges.
Best
Blackout fabric held in side channels, like this blind, or Shutter 'n Shade. Far less light gets round the edges, though a thin line can still show.
Our aftercare promise: if light's getting in where it shouldn't, we'll come back and adjust it.
Who we do this for
Parents of little ones
When it's light before 4.30am, toddlers wake before 4.30am. A much darker room in the early morning can make a real difference to how long little ones sleep.
Light-sensitive sleepers
Bedrooms that simply get too bright in a Scottish summer: streetlights, low sun, long evenings. A far lower light level, summer and winter.
Shift workers
If you sleep while the rest of the street is awake, daylight is the enemy. We get the light level in the room down as far as the window allows.
Your questions, answered
Which windows is this for? +
Standard flat, rectangular windows, the kind in most bedrooms. It isn't designed for bay or unusually shaped windows. If you have a bay or a shaped window, we have other solutions and we'll talk you through them on the survey.
Where do you cover? +
Dundee, Fife, Perthshire, Edinburgh and the Lothians for our full measure-and-fit service. Outside that, ask us, and an out-of-region survey fee may apply, refundable against your order.
Why not just buy a blackout blind myself? +
Most off-the-shelf 'blackout' blinds have blackout fabric, but the blind hangs free, so light leaks around the edges, which is exactly the problem. Our blinds run in side channels and are made to the exact size of your window, then fitted by our own team. They're designed to cut light leakage at the edges right down, which a shop-bought blind can't do.
How much does it cost? +
It depends on the size and number of windows, so we quote after a complimentary, no-obligation survey. No salespeople, no pressure. We’ve never employed a salesperson and never will.
How long does it take? +
The product is made to measure, so there’s a lead time, typically 10 to 12 weeks for blinds and 12 to 14 weeks for shutters. Your quotation gives our estimate for your job, and we’ll be in touch to arrange your installation once we have a confirmed delivery date.
Book your complimentary home survey
Tell us a little about the room and we'll be in touch straight away.