Roller blinds made to measure for Johannesburg and Pretoria
Four fabric families cover most rooms: blockout for sleep and winter warmth, light-filtering for soft daytime light, screen to tame highveld glare without losing the view, and zebra blinds that move between the two. Each blind is cut to the millimetre and hung by our own Gauteng crew, on a child-safe chain or a motor.
The four fabric families
The tube and mechanism stay the same on every blind; the fabric decides what the blind actually does for the room.
Blockout
A coated fabric no light gets through. On the highveld it earns its keep twice: it holds the bedroom dark past a bright winter sunrise, and on those clear, cold July mornings it keeps the night's warmth on the right side of the glass.
Light-filtering
A woven fabric that spreads harsh direct sun into even, comfortable light. Rooms stay bright and private at the same time, which suits kitchens, living areas and bathrooms where full darkness would be wasted.
Screen
An open mesh that trims glare and blocks most UV while the garden stays visible. At altitude the sun fades wooden floors, rugs and upholstery faster than it does at the coast, and screen fabric takes the sting out of it without boxing the room in.
Zebra / day-night
Sheer and solid bands alternate on a single roller. Align the bands and filtered light comes through; shift them slightly and the solids overlap for full privacy, so one blind covers both daytime and evening without a second layer.
Measured properly, cut to the millimetre
Ready-made blinds come in fixed widths and leave you to live with the gaps. Urbanshades works the other way round: our fitter measures every opening, notes where a reveal runs out of square, and each blind is cut to the millimetre so it sits flush inside the reveal or overlaps the frame properly when face-fixed. West-facing rooms in Johannesburg and Pretoria take the full force of the afternoon sun, and a blind that genuinely covers the glass is the difference between a room you avoid at four in the afternoon and one you use.
Controls are a stainless chain held by a wall-mounted child-safe tensioner, or a motor with remote and app control. The measure is free across Johannesburg, Pretoria and greater Gauteng, the written quote that follows within 48 hours is fixed, and every installation is guaranteed in writing, registered to your address.
What matters after year one
Fabric choice gets the attention up front; fit and controls decide how the blind feels to live with.
We take the measurements ourselves and stand behind them. Each blind is cut to its own window, mounted in the reveal or on the face, with edges that run parallel and a hem that hangs level.
Made to measure
The control chain loops through a tensioner screwed to the wall, so there is never a loose cord hanging where a small child could reach it. Choose a motor and the chain disappears altogether.
Child-safe controls
Battery motors recharge from a cable and need no wiring; wired motors suit renovations. Either way you get remote and app control, and a bank of blinds can move together on a single press.
Motorised option
The standard for every blind
Whichever fabric you pick, this is what the blind is made and fitted to.
- Fabrics
- Blockout, light-filtering, screen and zebra families, chosen from physical samples we bring to the measure.
- Measure & fit
- Measured by our own fitter and cut to the millimetre, mounted inside the reveal or face-fixed over the frame.
- Operation
- Stainless chain with a wall-anchored child-safe tensioner on your preferred side, or fully motorised.
- Motorisation
- Rechargeable battery or wired motors, remote control as standard, with app control and grouped blinds available.
- UV & warmth
- Screen fabric blocks most UV to slow the fading of floors and furniture; blockout darkens bedrooms and helps hold warmth on winter mornings.
- Guarantee
- Each installation carries a written guarantee, registered to your address.
- Quoting
- Free measure across Johannesburg, Pretoria and greater Gauteng, then a fixed written quote within 48 hours.
Roller blind questions
The answers most Gauteng homes need before choosing fabrics.
Which fabric should I choose for a bedroom?
Blockout, in almost every case. It keeps the room dark well past sunrise and, on cold highveld mornings, it adds a useful layer between the warm room and the cold glass. If you want daytime light and privacy as well, a zebra blind gives you both settings in one. We bring samples so you can judge them at your own window.
Do roller blinds help with fading floors and furniture?
Yes, and it matters more in Gauteng than most places. UV is stronger at altitude, and north- and west-facing rooms show it first in bleached floorboards and faded upholstery. Screen fabric blocks most of that UV while keeping the view; blockout stops it entirely whenever a room is not in use.
Do screen blinds give privacy at night?
No. By day you see out because the outside is brighter than the room; once the lights come on the effect reverses and the street can see in. For bedrooms and bathrooms facing the road we suggest blockout or zebra fabric, or a screen blind with a curtain over it for the evenings.
Can the blinds be motorised without an electrician?
Yes. A rechargeable battery motor lives inside the blind's tube, so nothing is chased into the wall and no new wiring is needed. One charge runs for months, and topping up means plugging in a cable. Remote and app control both work, and wired motors remain worth considering if you are renovating in any case.
What do roller blinds cost in Johannesburg and Pretoria?
The fabric family sets the price band for each blind, and the number of windows sets the total. Covering several rooms in one order usually works out better per blind, because a single visit handles the lot. The measure costs nothing anywhere in greater Gauteng, and your fixed written quote arrives within 48 hours.
Which areas do you cover?
We measure across Sandton, Fourways, Randburg, Midrand, Centurion, Pretoria East and the East Rand, and our own crew handles every installation. If your suburb is not on that list but you are in Gauteng, get in touch; the site visit is free either way.
