Choosing External Blinds for an Outdoor Kitchen & Living Area

Once the preserve of our European neighbours living in warmer climates, outdoor kitchens are becoming increasingly popular in the UK as we experience record-breaking temperatures and more hot spells.

For example, April 2025 had nearly 50 per cent more sunshine hours than the long-term average, making it the sunniest April since records began in 1910, according to the Met Office.

Bringing the outside in

Homeowners build outdoor kitchens and living areas to create more space for their family and to entertain guests as well as to add more value to their property.

These often have open or glass sides to allow us to enjoy the views of the garden and create a feeling of openness.

However, on sunny days glass windows and doors act as radiators, allowing the solar glare through but then trapping it inside, setting temperatures soaring inside. But if your kitchen is open to the garden, you’re exposed to the weather, making it unusable in rainy or windy conditions.

External blinds are a must

Studies show that installing exterior blinds can reduce the indoor temperature by up to five degrees or more – the difference between stifling and comfortable - compared to an unshaded building.

Our external blinds’ heat reflecting fabrics block and reflect the sunlight before it reaches the glass windows or doors or roof, stopping the glasshouse effect and the need for expensive, energy-guzzling air conditioning.

But they’re not just great at blocking the solar glare, they also offer flexible weatherproofing, allowing you to use your outdoor living area throughout the year.

Let the light in and enjoy the view

If you have Venetian blinds, shutters or louvre panels fitted to your outdoor kitchen or living space, they will be effective at blocking out the sun but they will also block the view and stop any light entering the room.

The great advantage of our external roller blinds is the special open weave still allows the light to come into the room and occupants can still enjoy the view out into the garden.

The fabric also stops the solar glare therefore preventing sun damage to soft furniture and fittings.

A Sustainable & Environmentally Friendly choice

External blinds only use a tiny supply of energy to raise and lower and are therefore more energy efficient than air conditioning units which require a great deal of power to operate effectively.

For example, an average four plus bedroom home with four to five residents uses approximately 11.78 kWh per day. If they were to use a single air conditioning unit it could double their energy use and therefore their electricity bill.

Our external blinds are also extremely durable, designed for rain, wind and extreme heat, and are easy to maintain.

Control the temperature remotely

A great benefit of our external blinds is they can be controlled remotely, meaning you can choose when to lower and raise the blinds depending on the weather, keeping your outdoor space consistently cool and comfortable.

This can be done via an app, remote control or by connecting them to your home automation system.

It’s even possible to fit sensors so that the blinds lower automatically when the room reaches the optimum temperature.

Want to find out more?

If you’re creating an outdoor kitchen or living space, you can read our case studies about fitting external blinds and get a feel of what external blinds look like as well as how they work.

Our experts have a great deal of experience in fitting external blinds in a wide range of projects and are more than happy to advise you on external and commercial blinds options.