Duette vs Duette

All you need to know about Duette blinds

Duette is designed and made by Hunter Douglas, one of the largest window covering manufacturers in the world. If you have been quoted for Duette by more than one company, you have probably noticed the prices and the fabric ranges do not match, and it is reasonable to wonder whether you are being offered the same thing.

Mostly, you are. Here is where the differences actually sit.

What stays the same

The cell structure, the components and the fabric technology all come from Hunter Douglas. That is what gives Duette its honeycomb construction and its insulating performance, and it does not change from one supplier to another. The operating systems work the same way too, whether that is TruFit, SmartCord or a motorised option.

So the engineering is not the variable. If someone tells you their Duette is fundamentally a better blind, ask them what they mean by that.

Luxaflex Duette blinds

Luxaflex is our preferred manufacturer, and we have worked with them for over 35 years. They were making in Scotland when we started, then moved production to Manchester and Birmingham, and shortly before Brexit they moved manufacturing to mainland Europe. We remain one of their largest clients in the UK.

Being a Luxaflex dealer matters more than it sounds. It means the blinds are made to order to our measurements, backed by the Luxaflex guarantee, and supported by a company that will still be there in ten years. It is not the same as buying a Duette look-alike.

Our own manufacturing

We also make Duette blinds through our own manufacturing team here in the UK, using the same Hunter Douglas components and fabrics. That gives us a second route for anything where it is the better answer for the customer, and it means we are never dependent on a single supply chain for a product this important to us.

Where the real difference is: fabric

This is the one that actually affects your choice. Hunter Douglas produce an enormous range of Duette fabrics, and no manufacturer stocks all of them. Each one selects the colourways and weaves it wants to carry, so two suppliers quoting the same Duette blind can be offering genuinely different fabric books.

That is why a colour you saw elsewhere might not appear in our range, and why something in ours might not appear in theirs. It is worth comparing the actual fabric rather than the product name.

If you want to see the range properly, our design studios in Dundee and Edinburgh are open by appointment, so you get the full attention of one of our shading experts rather than a busy showroom.

Luxaflex Duette blinds