The short answer
Glare is directional and it moves. That is why a single closed blind is the wrong answer, it solves 20 minutes of the day and ruins the rest. What you want is a system you can angle at the sun's current position and leave the rest of the window working.
- Best all-rounder
- Louvred shutters, angle follows the sun
- Screen-specific
- Solar roller fabric with a low openness factor
- Worst offender
- Low sun in autumn and spring, not midsummer
Work out which sun is the problem
High summer sun rarely hits a screen directly, it comes in steeply and lands on the floor. The glare that wrecks a video call is low sun in spring and autumn, arriving almost horizontally in the morning or late afternoon.
So the fix has to work at a shallow angle. That points towards something you can tilt or something that diffuses, rather than something you pull down.
Louvres versus solar fabric
Shutter louvres let you close the bottom half against low sun while the top stays open, so the room keeps its ambient light and the screen loses the hotspot. It is the most flexible option and it changes with the season.
Solar roller fabrics work differently: they cut brightness across the whole window while keeping an outward view. In a home office with a fixed desk facing the window, a solar roller plus a shutter or blackout layer is a strong combination.
- Desk facing the window, solar roller, lower openness
- Desk side-on to the window, louvred shutters, tilt down
- TV opposite a bay, café-style shutters on the lower tier
- South-facing lounge, layered roller plus shutter for evening
Room layout beats hardware
Before spending anything, try rotating the desk or TV ninety degrees. Screens perpendicular to the window suffer far less glare than screens facing it or backing onto it. Where the layout cannot change, a fitted study, a chimney-breast TV, that is when hardware earns its money.
How we set it up on survey
We ask where you sit and what time the problem bites, then check the reveal for whether a dual system will physically fit. Two mechanisms in one shallow reveal need planning: usually the roller goes in the recess and the shutter face-fits, so neither fouls the other.
Common questions
Will blackout blinds fix screen glare?
They will, but by removing the daylight entirely, which most people dislike within a week. A tiltable or diffusing layer keeps the room usable and only removes the hotspot.
What openness factor should a solar blind be?
Lower openness cuts more glare and gives more privacy but reduces the outward view. For screen work, a tighter weave is usually preferred; for a lounge where the view matters, a more open weave with a second layer works better.
Can I have both a blind and a shutter on one window?
Yes, provided the reveal depth allows it or we face-fit one of the two. We check that on survey before quoting so there are no clashes on fitting day.
Do shutters reduce heat as well as glare?
Closing louvres against direct sun reduces the solar gain reaching the room, so it does feel cooler. The bigger effect is on glare and on furniture fading.