The Best Blinds for Windows that Tilt Inwards–At Last!

Window treatments can greatly enhance the look and feel of a room. But, finding the right type of blinds for windows that tilt inwards can be challenging.  Window coverings for tilt and turn windows are tricky because traditional blinds assume windows open only vertically as they do in single and double hung windows. As such, traditional blinds mount in front of the window, which is appropriate when windows only open upwards and downwards.  Opening a double hung window never interferes with the blind’s functioning because the window only goes up and down. 

However, when you mount traditional blinds in front of windows that tilt inwards, it compromises the window’s functioning. It also disrupts the blind’s performance.  When you mount traditional blinds in front of a tilt window, it means that when you tilt or turn your window inward, the window crashes into your shade.  If you want to open your tilt window, and not disturb your shades, you must raise the entire shade and give up all of your privacy and all of your sun protection—just to open your window! 

Innovative Blinds Designed for Tilt and Turn Windows

To solve this problem, it requires a new type of blind that does everything a traditional window treatment does. But, at the same time, the new blind type must allow the tilt and turn window to fully function.  Fortunately, MHZ, a window treatment manufacturer in Europe has designed and engineered a line of blinds that do just that! These re-engineered blinds have a narrow profile and can rest inside the window’s frame inset, called the glazing bead. After installation, the blind is essentially a part of the window. So, the window is free to move inwards without interfering with the blind.

When the window tilts inward, the blind, because it attaches to the window’s bead, moves right along with the tilted window. At the same time, the blind functions fully. With this installation, whether the tilt window is closed or tilted inward or opened in like a door, it is possible to raise and lower the blinds for the desired light regulation or privacy needs. Realistic Design NYC is proud to bring to the New York City market five unique models of blinds and shades designed specifically for tilt and turn windows. 

What is a Tilt and Turn Window?

Tilt and turn windows are a type of European-style window that are increasingly popular due to their versatility and functionality. These windows open in two different ways. First, they tilt inward from the top of the window (for ventilation). Second, the entire window opens inwards just like opening a door (for cleaning or emergency exits and maximum ventilation).

The operation of tilt and turn windows uses a hinge system located at the side of the window frame. This hinge allows the window to both tilt and turn. It gives the user more options for controlling air flow and access. However, the unique design of windows that tilt inwards can make it challenging to find blinds that fit them properly. Tilt and turn windows require a special type of blind that can accommodate the two different opening modes.

What Blinds Work on Tilt and Turn Windows?

“Tilt and turn window shades” or “tilt and turn window blinds” are two terms used to describe blinds made specifically for windows that tilt inwards.  These special blinds have been designed so that they can be installed inside the window frame of the tilt window.  This type of installation allows the tilt and turn window to tilt in or turn in while the blind or shade moves right along with the window. 

The five types of blinds and shades that Realistic Design NYC has available for tilt and turn windows include honeycomb shades, pleated shades, roller shades, Roman shades, and Venetian blinds.  These specially designed shades are only available from Europe, and Realistic Design NYC is the only NYC-based dealer to bring these shades to the greater New York City area.  Manufactured in Germany, each blind is made by hand, and based on state of the art German engineering.  Our five innovative blinds for tilt and turn windows will transform your home.

In this article, we describe these specially designed window treatments ideally suited for tilt and turn windows. Each of these blind types has a unique technical and aesthetic design that can transform your room.

What is a Honeycomb Blind?

The Honeycomb blinds consists of two pleated layers of fabric joined together and fixed between two rail sections. The honeycomb-shaped cavities between the fabric panels form an air cushion that acts as a layer of insulation against heat and cold. As a result of this structure the honeycomb blinds produce soft incoming light and an atmospheric ambience.

Benefits of a Honeycomb Blind

Honeycomb shades have excellent energy-efficient and insulating properties. Multiple layers of materials form the honeycomb shade, which traps the air between them, and provides insulation from the heat and cold. Honeycomb shades also come in a variety of colors, textures, and styles to match any room’s decor.

The tension cords of a honeycomb blind that enable the blinds to raise and lower run discretely between the fabric panels. That structure means there a no punched holes that the sun can shine through. Together with blackout fabrics, honeycomb blinds can fully darken bedrooms and living rooms.

Honeycomb Blinds for Tilt and Turn Windows

Realistic Design NYC carries two models of honeycomb shades designed specifically for tilt and turn windows. You can choose to hang the honeycomb shade fixed from the top of the window’s inset, or you can choose our one-of-a-kind top-down/bottom up model where you can control light and privacy from both above and below the blind.  Our Honeycomb shades mount directly on the window allowing you full functioning of both the blinds and the windows at the same time.  

Honeycomb shade using taut hanging system mounted on glazing bead. Suitable for windows and doors.

The Honeycomb shade for tilt and turn windows uses our taut hanging system where the blind attaches to the window with mounting brackets at both the top and the bottom of the window’s inset called the glazing bead.  This mounting option permits the full use of both your blind and window at the same time. The blind elegantly moves with the window as it tilts inward or opens in like a door. 

Additionally, all the blind’s features remain fully functional whether the window is open or closed.  The homeowner or renter can open the window fully without interfering with the shade.  This eliminates the annoying issue of crashing into your traditional, ceiling or face mounted blinds when you tilt the window inward because the blind moves with the window itself.

And what’s more, ours are the only honeycomb blinds to have NO middle strings to obstruct the view. Additionally, these blinds mount traditionally with small screws or without drilling and the use of drilled screws.  We have an adhesive, non-drill mounting option for honeycomb blinds.  Another surprise benefit of our tilt and turn window shades is you get to reclaim your entire windowsill.  With the special hanging system, these blinds sit entirely on the window leaving your sill wide open to use however you desire.

What is a Pleated Shade?

Pleated shades are a single piece of fabric that folds into neat pleats, offering a clean and modern look. The pleated blind design describes a horizontally folded (or pleated) length of fabric that secures between two end profiles and uses tension cords. The tension cords on a pleated blind are visible by the small punch holes through which the cords run up and down the blind. When shut, the pleated blinds provide you with privacy screening, sunshade, and a fascinating pattern of pleats. The light that gets through them takes on a soft hue. When opened, the pleated blind units merge inconspicuously into their surroundings.

Benefits of a Pleated Shade

Pleated shades re known for their popular features. They are a versatile choice as pleated blinds are available in a wide variety of styles, patterns, and colors, making it easy to find one that matches your home décor. Pleated shades are also easy to operate. They are lightweight and easy to raise and lower. Pleated blinds can also help reduce your energy bills by blocking out the sun’s heat during the summer and retaining heat during the winter. 

Additionally, pleated blinds provide excellent privacy and light control. They adjust to let in just the right amount of light or completely block it out.  A great benefit for apartment dwellers is that pleated blinds are space-saving: when raised, pleated blinds take up very little space, making them an ideal choice for smaller rooms or windows with limited wall space.  Overall, pleated blinds offer a stylish and practical window covering solution that can enhance the look of any room while providing a range of functional benefits.

Pleated shades for Tilt Windows

Pleated blinds are versatile, lightweight, and easy to install, making them a popular choice for tilt and turn windows.  The pleated shades from Realistic Design NYC are designed specifically for tilt and turn windows. Our Pleated shades can mount directly on the window allowing you full functioning of both the blinds and the windows at the same time.  

Our Pleated shade for tilt and turn windows uses our unique taut hanging system. With mounting brackets at the top and bottom of the window’s inset known as the glazing bead, our shade allows for full use of both the window and blind at the same time. This system enables the blind to move with the window as it tilts inward or opens like a door, ensuring that all the blind’s features remain fully functional regardless of whether the window is open or closed.

Unlike traditional ceiling-mounted blinds, which often crash into the window frame when the window tilts inward, our shade eliminates this annoying issue by moving with the window itself. Furthermore, our Pleated blinds are the only ones without middle strings that obstruct your view and can also mount without drilling or screws.

Another added benefit of our tilt and turn window shades is that they allow you to reclaim your entire windowsill. Our blinds sit entirely on the window, leaving your sill open for other uses.

What is a Roller Shade?

A roller blind unit comprises an aluminum or steel shaft and, rolled around it, a fabric blind. To regulate privacy and light, the blind raises and lowers and holds itself in place at minute increments.  A roller shade works by rolling a single piece of fabric up and down on a tube or roller. The roller shade typically consists of the following parts:

1. Fabric: The fabric is the part of the roller shade that covers the window and provides privacy, light control, and insulation. Polyester, cotton, or a blend of materials are common fabric options that also come in different colors and patterns.
2. Tube or Roller: The tube or roller is the part of the roller shade that the fabric attaches to. The tube or roller is typically made of aluminum or steel, and it can be either spring-loaded or motorized.
3. Bottom Rail: The bottom rail is the horizontal bar at the bottom of the fabric providing weight and stability to the roller shade.
4. Operating Mechanism: The operating mechanism is the part of the roller shade that allows you to raise and lower the shade. For manual roller shades, the operating mechanism can be a cord, a chain, or a spring-loaded mechanism. For motorized roller shades, the operating mechanism can be a remote control, a smartphone app, or a voice-activated device.

To lower a roller shade, you simply pull on the cord or chain placing the shade to your desired position. To raise the shade, you release the cord or chain and the fabric rolls up onto the tube or roller. The bottom rail provides weight and stability to the fabric to prevent it from flapping or moving in the wind.

Benefits of a Roller Shade

Roller shades are a practical and stylish window covering option offering several benefits. These include light control, privacy, energy efficiency, ease of operation, wide range of styles, and easy maintenance.  Roller shades provide excellent light control. They adjust to allow in just the right amount of natural light. Or, they roll down to completely block out light when needed. Roller shades also provide privacy when you need it. They roll down to cover the entire window and block the view from outside.  Roller shades are easy to operate with a cord, chain, or motorized mechanism. Additionally, roller shades are available in a wide range of styles, colors, and patterns to suit any decor style.  Last, roller shades offer an economical option to regulate light and privacy.

Roller shades for Windows that Tilt Inwards

However, it requires very different type of engineering to retrofit the roller blind for a tilt and turn window.  Realistic Design NYC offers the ONLY roller shade designed specifically for the tilt windows.  SKIRO is the name of our unique roller shade for windows that tilt inwards.  The roller shades are sleek and exceptionally beautiful. They offer the expert combination of high-tech hardware and the newest on trend designer fabrics.

The SKIRO roller blind mounts directly on the window’s glazing bead. This means the homeowner or renter can open the window fully without interfering with the shade.  The SKIRO roller shade moves with the window as it tilts inward or opens in like a door.  All the shade’s features remain fully functional whether the window is open or closed. Another surprise benefit of our tilt and turn window shades is you get to reclaim your entire windowsill.  Our tilt and turn window blinds sit entirely on the window leaving your sill wide open to use however you desire.

The SKIRO roller blind uses our taut hanging system where the shade attaches to the window with brackets at both the top and the bottom.  This mounting option eliminates the annoying issue of the tilt and turn window hitting your blinds as you tilt the window inward.  Our unique SKIRO roller shade can be mounted to hang from the top or from the bottom, if desired, using a special cord run to increase the cord tension.

What is a Roman Shade?

A Roman blind is a form of roller blind where you do not roll the fabric onto a tube, but rather gather it vertically via cords. As a result, the blind fabric drops like arching clouds, creating a textile, sensual atmosphere.  When the shade raises, it folds neatly into horizontal pleats, creating a soft, textured appearance. When the shade lowers, it hangs flat, covering the entire window.

Benefits of Roman Shades

Roman shades add a touch of sophistication to any room with their classic design. They are made of a single piece of fabric that folds up neatly when raised and lies flat when lowered. Roman shades are available in a variety of materials, including light-filtering and room-darkening options.

Roman Shades for Tilt Windows

Realistic Design NYC offers the AERO Roman shade, which is a one-of-a-kind Roman shade designed to attach directly to the tilt and turn window.  Our Aero Roman shade solves your shading needs in an exceptionally sensual fashion creating a unique atmosphere for the home. The Aero Roman is also unique because it is available with top-down/bottom-up flexibility.  

The Aero Roman shade uses our taut hanging system where the shade attaches to the window with mounting brackets at both the top and bottom of the window.  This mounting option gives you full use of both your blind and window at the same time.  With the taut system, the Aero Roman shade moves with your tilt and turn window as you open it.  This feature eliminates the annoying issue of the tilt and turn window hitting your blinds as you tilt the window inward. 

And what’s more, our Aero Roman shade has NO middle string to obstruct the view.  Another surprise benefit of our tilt and turn window shades is you get to reclaim your entire windowsill.  These blinds sit entirely on the window leaving your sill wide open to use however you desire.

What is a Venetian Blind?

Venetian blinds consist of horizontal, adjustable slats. Their angle can be finely graduated to flexibly regulate the incoming light. The slats of a Venetian blind can be adjusted to control the amount of light that enters the room. When the slats are tilted upward, light is allowed to enter while maintaining privacy. When the slats are tilted downward, the amount of light entering the room is reduced, and more privacy is provided. The slats on a Venetian blind can be made from aluminum or wood.

Benefits of a Venetian Blind

Venetian blinds are a timeless classic that never go out of style. They are made of slats that can be adjusted to control the amount of light that enters the room. Venetian blinds come in a variety of materials, including wood, metal, and plastic, and can be customized to match any room’s decor.

Venetian blinds originally come from France. As window grills, they make it possible to see out, while simultaneously preventing people from seeing in. Today they are regarded as the classic internally fitted blind. They let you see out, without anyone outside being able to see in.

Venetian Blinds for Tilt and Turn Windows

A special design for the tilt and turn window, the TwinLine model, in the Venetian blind collection from Realistic Design NYC, also attaches directly to the tilt window’s bead.  The blind slats are ultra-thin at 16mm (5/8”) and 25 mm (1”).  Our Venetians are also unique because they are available with top-down/bottom-up functionality. 

The linear, timeless design modernizes the TwinLine Venetian blind for today’s generation. All the cords run in one line. The minimalist designer aesthetic presents a clean and stylish Venetian blind.

In addition, the TwinLine Venetian blind operates completely via a unique rotary handle: the blind slat moves into any position and secures from either the top or bottom, while the rotary function enables the slats to seamlessly tilt.  The handle has a concave shape and rests pleasantly in the hand. Ridges worked into it ensure a firm grip. This innovation makes it possible to effortlessly operate blinds on windows that are high up or difficult to reach, for example, due to a kitchen workspace.  Say good-bye to the obnoxious wand!

The two aluminum profile rails of the TwinLine Venetian blind attach directly in the window’s glazing bead using the mounting plates. The blind’s tension comes from the tensioning cords that run neatly through the blind.  With the freely moving top and bottom profile rails and the ability to turn the 5/8” aluminum slats, you can play flexibly with privacy, sun, and glare protection.

No Drill or Adhesive Mounting for Tilt Window Blinds

Realistic Design NYC is the only New York City dealer based locally to offer a line of shades specifically for tilt and turn windows. Their innovative design is based on proprietary technology, making it possible to mount these blinds using a drill and small screws or ingeniously without any drilling by using an adhesive strip. This drill-free mounting option provides a secure and safe installation while preserving the integrity of your tilt and turn windows.

In conclusion, the re-engineered blinds for tilt and turn windows are the best options for the tilt window. There are five shades to choose from including: honeycomb shades, pleated shades, roller shades, Roman shades, and Venetian blinds.  Each of these innovative blind types offers a unique technical and aesthetic design that can transform your room.  Realistic Design NYC is your go-to source for these blinds, offering a range of options to mount both traditionally or without drilling. So, why wait? Visit Realistic Design NYC today and find the perfect blinds for your tilt and turn windows!