Honeycomb cell blinds in Pakenham.

Every other blind on this site is essentially a flat barrier: fabric or slats hanging in front of glass. A honeycomb blind is different in a way that shows up on your power bill. The fabric is pleated and bonded so that when the blind is down it forms a row of sealed hexagonal cells running across the window, each one holding a pocket of still air. Still air is a genuinely good insulator, which is the same principle behind a double-glazed unit or a puffer jacket. The blind is not blocking heat by being thick; it is blocking heat by holding air still.

That gives you a product that works in both directions, which matters in the Melbourne south-east where you get hot dry spells above 35 degrees in February and cold damp nights through July. In summer it slows radiant heat coming in through west and north-facing glass. In winter it slows heat leaking out through the same glass after dark. A single-cell blind traps one air layer; a double-cell traps two and does noticeably more, at a higher price.

Where they suit in a Pakenham home

Bedrooms first, especially in the newer estates. New double-brick homes in Cardinia Lakes, Arena, Heritage Springs, Lakeside and Riverbank are built far tighter than the older weatherboard homes in town, and tight homes plus cold glass plus a family showering, cooking and drying washing indoors produces real condensation by mid-winter. A cell blind keeps the room-side surface warmer and cuts the heat loss that makes bedrooms cold by morning. Pair a blockout cell fabric with a bedroom and you get the insulation and the darkness in one product.

The second spot is any west or north-facing room where the heat is the complaint rather than the glare. Up at Pakenham Upper, where blocks are larger, colder and damper, the winter case is even stronger. We would generally not put a cell blind on a sliding door (a vertical is the right tool there) or in a steamy bathroom where an aluminium venetian is more practical.

Fabric and construction options

• Single cell: One row of air pockets. The standard, and enough for most living areas and hallways. Lower end of the price band.
• Double cell: Two air pockets in series for meaningfully better insulation. Worth it in bedrooms and on the coldest, most exposed windows.
• Blockout cell fabric: Fully opaque with a foil or dense backing inside the cell. Bedrooms, nurseries and media rooms. The best combination of dark and warm we can offer.
• Light-filter cell fabric: Diffuses daylight beautifully and gives daytime privacy while the room stays soft and bright. Living areas and studies.
• Side channels: Aluminium channels down each side that the blind runs in, closing the light gap and improving the thermal seal. The upgrade that turns a good cell blind into a very good one.
• Top-down bottom-up: Lower the top rail for light and sky while keeping the bottom covered for privacy. The pick for street-facing rooms on small estate blocks. Adds about $70 to $140.

Control options

Cordless is the standard operation on cell blinds and one of the reasons we like them: you push the bottom rail up or pull it down and it holds anywhere, with no chain, no cord and nothing hanging. Corded and continuous-loop options exist for very large drops. Motorisation is popular on high windows, on top-down bottom-up blinds where two rails means two movements, and anywhere you want the blinds dropping automatically on a hot afternoon. See motorised blinds for the detail.

Child safety

Corded internal blinds are covered by a mandatory ACCC consumer product safety standard, and any corded cell blind we fit gets the required guides, tension devices and labelling. In practice this product is usually specified cordless from the start, which is why it is our first suggestion for nurseries and children's bedrooms: you get the darkness, the insulation and no cord in the room at all.

Looking after them

Dust with a soft brush attachment on low suction, running along the pleats rather than across them. Do not scrub, do not soak, and never press a wet cloth into a cell, because water sitting inside a cell is very hard to get back out. A crushed cell can often be coaxed back by extending the blind fully and leaving it down for a few days. Keep the blind fully down overnight in winter to get the insulation benefit, and raise it during the day in cold weather so the glass and the fabric both dry out. That habit alone makes a real difference to condensation.

2026 price band

Honeycomb cell blinds run $220 to $480 per window supplied and installed, GST included. Top-down bottom-up adds $70 to $140 and motorisation adds $150 to $350. They are the dearest fabric blind we fit, and on a bedroom in a cold estate home they are the one we most often say is worth it. Compare the ranges on the 2026 pricing page.