Modern extension- stupid design flaw - help!

[blusherblue]

We renovated our house in 2018. Good architects and builders. A key part of it was putting large sliding glass doors across the back of the house - we overlook woodland and the view of the trees is stunning.

The ceilings are high and the frame of the glass goes pretty much up to the ceiling…

The builders put in a recess in the ceiling above the glass doors for an electric blind to go in. Trouble is, because the ceilings are so high, the recess is not big enough for the roll of the blind to be concealed completely. Therefore the underside of the roll would bulge out slightly and look (I think) crap!

There was no way around this at the time of the build - you’d have to lower the entire ceiling - and the whole project was so overwhelming we just failed to come up with any solution other than ‘just leave it and don’t put a blind in’.

This is fine and beautiful on summer evenings, but in winter it means we are looking out into vast blackness, and I dislike it, even though we make the inside very cosy. Struggling at the thought of another year of this, and wondering if anyone can suggest solutions?

Would it be mad to have a blind that only drops some of the way down? Or perhaps some outdoor lighting is the answer?

It would be great to hear if anyone has any suggestions or thoughts! Thank you x

I think I'd put up with the blind coming down, it'll still be level. I would take that over looking out at blackness..

Curtains are meant to cover part of the window.

Also how can the glass doors go all the way across if their is a work bench right up to them. You don't put work benches up to glass walls.

— this isn’t my house, but exactly this sort of thing inside…

(Hopefully picture will update @housethatbuiltme so you can see what I’m on about with the kitchen 😂)

What make is your slider? Is it double or triple glazed?

Do you need to cover the windows to keep in heat or is it just the view? I stayed at a house the other day with a large garden with lots of lighting, they also didn’t have blinds out the back but it didn’t matter because there was something to look at outside.

I think any lighting outside will brighten it a bit and be an improvement over complete blackness. Maybe strings of lights at the edge of the terrace that's parallel to the windows will draw your eye from the dark beyond it?

Could you fit some type of shutters
my son has a similar with widows floor to ceiling windows all along the back and patio doors

his are called perfect fit shutters
they are designed in particular for patio / sliding doors they - can’t really explain how they fit but they are no drill / screws

you can also get perfect fit blinds as well that fit inside the frame

if your southwest / wales based I can recommend the company that did my sons last year and did my house as well I have shutters on every window

for lighting in his garden he’s got these big solar cubes / tables
They are square boxes like mini tables but you can charge them as well using the usb cable

they have 8 different colours that you can have and they really light up the garden at night

I’ve got them as well and had them 4 years and still going strong
in the winter they need charging maybe once a week

https://www.thesolarcentre.co.uk/products/ShapeLights_Indoor_Outdoor_USB_Solar_Powered_Mood_Light_Cube-865-7.html

they are big enough and study enough to sit on or use as a table

I think some outdoor lighting is good if an option.

I have the same issue with our back garden - glass doors at end of living room looks like a black wall in the winter. I use the outdoor lights and it is lovely. Cozy and makes the room feel bigger, even if you don’t have the same view as the summer months.

Loving all the outdoor lighting thoughts thank you! Any recommendations of brands and types very much appreciated- ideally not expensive 🥴

You can retrofit integrated blinds in the type of sliders we have - just replaces the glazing bead so simple to do.

Can you post photos of your actual house and the issues?

Have you contacted different blind manufacturers to check your premise that the roller blind will be too wide to fit in the recess? Just a thought as there are lots of companies out there.

Theres a company called Grand Designs Blinds that make bespoke solutions.

Could you install a bent track with a single stack back? So the track bends around the wall allowing the curtain to stack back to the side.

Our neighbours have similar. They have bespoke roller blinds, made with a very thin voile-like material, which makes the roll very small.

Personally I would dislike blinds that go half way down. It would look unfinished and asymmetrical and would bother me to look at - far more than it would bother me to look at darkness. But agree with others, if you don’t like the darkness, garden lights are the way to go.

This is a really good video and recommends some very easy lights

I can’t see a picture but it might be my ancient phone playing up.

My neighbours had the same issue - having paid a lot of money for “frameless” doors, they didn’t want to cover them but never felt “cosy” enough in winter.

They went for modern vertical blinds because the track recedes into the ceiling especially with your recess and when pulled back, were only a few centimetres at the side so weren’t noticed. But they really helped in winter.

Re garden lights, they’re not great for neighbours or wildlife especially birds and bats.

I think it’s quite antisocial to light up the garden like Disney in urban areas.

I have these in bedrooms and they work really well, but I’m pretty sure there’s no way they could be sized up to fit a big slider. The largest one I have was at the very outside of what they could manufacture. I was told it might fail because of the size and it did - the tension cords just didn’t hold up.

OP, we’re also open plan with a wall of sliding doors & big picture windows, and exterior lighting does help overcome that uncomfortable ‘pitch black’ feeling, but I also find that good low level interior lighting makes a huge difference. A wood or ethanol burner gives off a lovely glow, and lots of candles and lamps with shades that look gold or orange when lit can really lift the feel of the room and warm everything up. I also tend to string up a lot of warm white fairy lights on those little invisible hooks throughout the winter, across the windows and around the kitchen etc. Not quite the minimal aesthetic DH prefers, but I love it! It does redirect your focus to the inside of the room and makes it feel much cosier.

If the worktop comes up to the glass one side, leaving no space for curtains to pull back, how are blinds going to reach the floor either?

We have a bifold door that covers the entire wall of our dinner extension. We put viole curtains up. They sit over the glass when shut. We are not overlooked at all so they are never closed. But in theory if your sitting at the table with pitch black outside we can shut them. I get that sometimes it's a bit weird thinking there could be someone out there watching us. But over time we have got used to it. It's a big black wall at night but it doesn't look or feel odd at all.

I have just moved into a house with the same set up and am looking at this.
thin voile type blinds that take the edge off - but the “blind man” said he’s fitted lots of Voiles some from the ceiling on a concealed track and got a fabric that was wide enough so no joins in it just a hem. He said he’s done lots like this and showed some pics and they looked good. Still not 100% sure tho so will be good to see ideas on this thread.

We have bifolds and blinds. Tbh we never roll them down all the way. We are not overlooked so we only put them in as it felt so dark out there.
you could go for a blind that doesn’t go all the way to the floor. That way the roll will be smaller.

Luxaflex do a blind that pulls up. It can be attached to each window.
I couldn’t live with no window covering - I have watched too many scary tv programmes - who knows anyone could be lurking outside, staring in 😀