The Click2shade Complete Blackout Thermal Blind is a pleated blind sold by Blinds 2go that combines blackout fabric with the pleated format - a pairing that is less common than blackout rollers but useful where the compact stack of a pleated blind matters. The retailer describes it as both blackout and thermal, with 17 colourways starting from £22.36. It is a made-to-measure range, so you specify the exact width and drop to suit your window.

Who it suits

The combination of blackout opacity and pleated construction has a clear target: bedrooms and rooms where you want complete darkness but also value the neat stack a pleated blind gives when raised. Standard blackout roller blinds achieve the same fabric opacity, but a pleated blind collapses into a more compact bundle at the top of the window rather than rolling onto a tube. For smaller windows or rooms where the stack height matters, that can be a practical advantage.

The thermal description means the fabric is designed to provide some insulation as well as light blocking. Pleated fabrics with a thermal backing do add a modest layer of insulation, though the effect is smaller than a true honeycomb (cellular) blind where the construction creates sealed air pockets between two fabric layers. If heat retention is your primary concern and blackout is secondary, a honeycomb in a blackout fabric would outperform this range thermally - but for buyers who want both functions without the cellular blind's higher price, the Click2shade is a reasonable compromise.

Children's rooms benefit from blackout blinds as early morning light extends through the UK spring and summer months. For rooms with children, check the operating mechanism with Blinds 2go and confirm it meets current UK cord-safety requirements - cordless or wand-operated options are the safest choice where young children are present.

The colours

17 colours available

Ten finishes cover a largely cool and neutral spectrum. The palette includes Cornsilk and Ivory at the warm light end, Arctic White for a clean cool white, and Gainsboro Grey, Nickel Grey, and Dark Grey working through the greyscale. Anthracite sits at the darkest end of the neutral range. Blue Haze, Slate Blue, and Plume bring a muted blue-grey cast that extends the range beyond pure neutrals without moving into bold territory. The collection has no warm browns, greens, or accent colours - it reads as a pragmatic palette for buyers who want blackout performance in a shade that co-ordinates with contemporary interiors rather than makes a decorative statement.

Price by your dimensions

Made to measure from £22.36. Check Blinds 2go for the price at your exact window size.

At £22.36 this is an accessible from-price for a blackout pleated blind with a thermal fabric. Made-to-measure pricing scales with width and drop, so a small window will come in near the base price while a large bedroom window will cost proportionally more. The combination of blackout and thermal in a pleated format at this price point represents reasonable value within the pleated category.

How it compares

The most direct comparison is a blackout roller blind. Both use a blackout fabric; the difference lies in the mechanism. A roller wraps the fabric onto a tube, which can create a slight roll of fabric visible at the top when raised. A pleated blind folds accordion-style into a smaller, flatter stack. For windows where you want the raised blind to be as unobtrusive as possible, the pleated format has the edge.

Against a blackout honeycomb blind, the Click2shade offers a simpler (and typically less expensive) construction. The cellular blind's sealed air pockets give measurably better insulation, but at a higher price. Buyers focused on blackout with a thermal bonus rather than full thermal performance will find the Click2shade a more cost-effective route. For very large windows, it is worth comparing the total made-to-measure price at your specific dimensions, as the gap between pleated and cellular narrows at larger sizes.