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European Roller Shutters: A Domestic Version of Rolldown Gates

You can completely black out a room in seconds

By Rain Noe - January 10

in Object Culture

In houses in Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, you can see a type of window covering uncommon in American domestic situations: Roller shutters. Called rollla¨den in German and tapparelle in Italian, they resemble the rolldown gates used to cover storefronts in American cities.

Image: Von XDAS123, CC BY-SA 4.0

Older versions of these shutters were made out of wood, but newer versions are metal or PVC. When retracted, the roll sits inside a housing that can be mounted either inside or outside of the window. The shutters ride inside of tamper-proof tracks on either side of the window and can be operated manually, using a strap attached to a hidden pulley, or can be automated.

When almost fully closed, they admit pinpricks of light into the room; but closing them that final 5% closes even those apertures, allowing you to completely black out the room in seconds.

Here's a demonstration from Germany:

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If you're curious about their construction and installation, in this video from Italy a repairperson pulls one apart, allowing you to see the various components:

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I imagine these haven't made inroads in America due to cost, and probably the skill required to install them; in Germany, their installation and maintenance is strictly regulated by a guild.

Also See:

The Superiority of the European Window Design

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George Pytlik

10 months ago

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Back in the early 1980s I was marketing manager for a company in Vancouver that manufactured these. Most buyers wanted them for their high-end resort homes in places like Whistler, as they were unattended much of the year. Other sales struggled because people couldn’t decide if the look of them was a positive or negative value. Even 40 years later the perception hasn’t changed in North America, while in Europe it’s not really an issue. Our indulgence in curb appeal home aesthetics I imagine.

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- Ryan Cee
  
  George Pytlik
  
  10 months ago
  
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  I've noticed a tendency, at least in the Midwest, of people having their windows wide open to let in "natural light", either because they are trying to save money on their bills (which isn't an issue anymore due to the low cost of running LED bulbs) or because they just want to look out onto nature. So full on window blocking may be considered claustrophobic-ish for a lot of USians.
  
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  - Brad Hart
    
    Ryan Cee
    
    5 months ago
    
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    They might syphilis light, but that is a catch all, especially in the Midwest, for fresh air. If they had to admit they were letting in fresh air they would equally be admitting their house didn't smell fresh.
    
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Michael Denham

10 months ago

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These are pretty common in Australia as they block the afternoon sun on the external faces of the building before it hits the windows. We have remote ones on the bedrooms upstairs at our house. Gives you a dark, quiet bedroom and saves on cooling costs.

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George Mokray

10 months ago

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I've used roller shades in a similar way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEh9Bq4qQB8

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Marc Gibeault

10 months ago

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Modern ones don’t use straps anymore, they are operated by turning a shaft with an universal joint and two hinges that creates an handle.
Or a remote when they are motorized (most new installations).

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Michael DiTullo

10 months ago

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the double hinging of European windows is no nice! Some doors even have that over there so you can basically crack open the top of a door to increase ventilation.

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Ryan Cee

10 months ago

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As a night owl, I would infinitely prefer these to the usual cheap blinds or curtains that do very little to block light.

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