Katy had been involved in super-insulated homes built in the 1980’s, when working for Feilden Clegg Design, where roller blinds were velcroed to window frames, and she has been searching for a better version of this idea ever since. After struggling to import blinds from the US she found this too expensive and now makes the thermal blinds in Somerset.
Conservation Areas & Listed Buildings
The UK has a glorious range of beautiful and protected old buildings, many of which are difficult to heat. The target for C02 reductions in the UK are ambitious and organizations such as the National Trust are beginning to identify a strategy to deal with heat loss & energy efficiency in their buildings.
Listing currently protects 500,000 or so buildings. Many of these have windows which cannot be altered and thermal blinds may be a good solution to some of the heat loss and thermal comfort issues. Katy has worked as a Conservation Officer in local government and also as a Conservation Architectural Assistant working on Listed Buildings, churches and houses. She has a clear understanding of the needs of not only the buildings but also the conservation officers, and can offer practical assistance with solutions for your problematic old building. Read More
from Grand Designs Live
From the Grand Designs Live website;
Kevin McCloud has personally chosen ten products or inventions that he feels deserve wider recognition. Some of these left-field ideas may not have hit the high street yet and some are already on a high street but are some of the best-kept green secrets around! We’re hoping that Grand Designs Live will give them some wider exposure and raise awareness of the environmental issues that prompted their invention.
Kevin’s Green Heroes will be situated in the Design Arcade, the main avenue towards the seminar theatre. Each of the ten products will be on display for you to see.
1st – 9th May 2010, Excel London, you will find us at the end of the Design Arcade nearest to the Grand Village.
Camilla finishes the curtains
Display on the left
Our blinds are made in Frome, Somerset, the home of the fantastic Frome Festival. The UK business was launched on 5th July 2009 at the Festival’s Green Fair, an event organised by Sustainable Frome and opened by local celebrity Kevin McCloud. His reputation for having a keen yet critical eye and his passion for good design is well known. He was shown around the fair by Festival founder & past mayor, Martin Bax, and as they passed the stall we managed to discuss the blinds with Kevin. Since this time the blinds have been improved greatly.
Read Kevins’ comments on the Green Fair here.