What is a venetian shutter and how does it work?

What is a venetian shutter?

A venetian shutter is a roller shutter with aluminium slats, installed outside the window and rolled into a box. Unlike a classic roller shutter, its slats do not only move up and down: they also tilt on their own axis. So you can block the sun without closing the shutter completely and set the light and the view as you like. At Ferrini this system belongs to the sun louvre shutter family as the venetian shutter.

How does it work?

When the shutter is fully lowered, the slats close on each other; the window is darkened and protected from outside just as with a classic roller shutter. Raise it one notch with the motor and the slats separate and tilt to the angle you want, in 21 steps up to 110 degrees. At midday you close the slats against the sun; in the evening you open them for the view. When the shutter is raised, the slats roll into the box like a classic roller shutter.

How is it different from a venetian blind?

The names are similar, but they are different products. A venetian blind hangs indoors, inside the window, with thin aluminium or wooden slats; it stops the sun after it has reached the glass. A venetian shutter is outside the window: it stops solar heat outside the glass, gives blackout and security when closed, and tilts its slats like a blind when open. If you want to stop the heat before it gets in, you need the external system.

How is it different from a classic roller shutter?

The slats of a classic roller shutter are fixed: the shutter is either closed or raised to open part of the window. To let light in at an intermediate position you have to raise it, which also lets in the sun and the view. Closed, a venetian shutter does the same job as a classic roller shutter; the difference is that you can set the light at intermediate positions with the slat angle. For classic roller shutter types, see roller shutter systems.

Sizes and technical values

Which box does it use?

The venetian shutter is installed with a built-in (concealed) box: the box sits in the lintel opening and is plastered over, so only the slats and guides are visible on the façade. That is why it is easiest to install in new buildings or in major renovations where the window opening is reworked. If you want tilting slats on a window with a front-mounted box in an existing building, Tiktak Orient can also be installed with a front-mounted box.

Venetian shutter, Orient or external venetian blind?

All three adjust the light by tilting their slats; the difference is in the angle, the size and the installation:

• Venetian shutter — slats tilt in 21 steps up to 110°; single units up to 3000 × 3000 mm and 8 m², with a built-in box.
• Tiktak Orient — slats open up to 60°; up to 3300 × 3300 mm and 9.9 m², with a front-mounted or built-in box; a simpler mechanism.
• External venetian blind — works outside the façade in its own box, carried on stainless steel cables; tilts separately at every height and reaches 18 m² in one piece.

You can compare all six sun louvre models row by row in the sun louvre comparison, and see how they differ from a classic roller shutter on the roller shutter or sun louvre page.

Frequently asked questions