The Messina range from So Easy Blinds is a made-to-measure vertical blind offered in 6 colourways, starting from £51.57. Vertical blinds hang as a row of fabric louvres that tilt to control light and draw to one side to clear the window, making them a natural fit for the wide openings a roller or roman cannot easily span.
Who it suits
Vertical blinds suit wide windows, patio doors and conservatories. The louvres tilt together to angle daylight in or close for privacy, and they draw to the side so you can pass through a doorway without raising the whole blind. Messina's fabric is light-filtering, so the louvres soften and diffuse daylight rather than blacking it out - well suited to living rooms, dining rooms and conservatory spaces that want even, comfortable light through the day.
The style has one honest limitation: even tilted closed, the louvres leave small gaps where they overlap, so some light always leaks through. A vertical blind is not a blackout solution. If you need a properly dark room, a blackout roller or pleated blind is the better tool; for adjustable daytime light and privacy across a broad window, Messina is a good match.
A further practical point is the way verticals handle a tall opening as well as a wide one. The louvres run the full drop in continuous lengths, so a floor-to-ceiling window or a set of patio doors is dressed cleanly, without the horizontal lines you would get from stacking several smaller blinds. The wand-and-chain control tilts and draws the whole set together, which keeps a large window straightforward to operate every day, and the louvres can be drawn fully to one side to leave the glass clear when you want the view.
The colours
6 colours available
Messina is a focused collection that reaches a little further into colour than a purely neutral range. The palette takes in blues and a deep black alongside softer tones - the colourways here are Femme, Raven, Riviera, Sky, Warmth and Whisper - so it can sit quietly or make a darker, cooler statement depending on the shade you pick. That spread is enough to find either a restrained neutral or a stronger blue or black accent without leaving the range. Colour on a screen rarely matches colour filling a window, especially for the darker tones, so it is worth requesting a sample before committing to a full-sized blind.
Price by your dimensions
Enter your window size. We round up to the next standard size, which matches how the retailer actually quotes you.
No price movement in our checks since 3 Jun.
Vertical blinds are generally among the more affordable ways to dress a wide window, since one blind covers a span that might otherwise need several, and Messina sits in that accessible band. The price is driven mostly by the width and drop of your opening, so a patio-door-sized blind will cost more than a standard window.
How it compares
Against a roller or roman, the vertical's advantage is reach and adjustability across a wide opening, plus the side-draw that keeps a doorway clear. Against a venetian, the louvres are fabric rather than slats, giving a softer look but the same overlap light leak when closed. Within vertical fabrics, Messina's light-filtering cloth keeps a room bright and diffused even in its darker shades; if you need real darkness, a blackout vertical fabric would shade more heavily, though no vertical blind seals out light completely.
A note on care
Vertical louvres are simple to keep tidy. Dust them regularly with a soft brush or a vacuum on a low setting, running down the length of each louvre. For marks, wipe gently with a damp cloth and a little mild detergent, taking care not to over-wet the fabric - darker shades in particular can show water marks if soaked. A practical advantage of the style is that the louvres are individually replaceable, so a single damaged louvre can be swapped rather than the whole blind.
Likely the same fabric, at other retailers
Messina vertical blinds are sold under the same name by more than one UK retailer, and the price scales identically across window sizes - a strong sign it is the same fabric from the same supplier:
- Blinds By Post from £11.93
- Blinds Direct from £43.20
- So Easy Blinds this page from £51.57
- Vertical Blinds Direct from £60.78
- Wilsons Blinds from £71.50
We match these on the shared name and an identical price curve, not an independent inspection, so treat it as likely the same fabric rather than confirmed - and check the specification and colour at each retailer before buying.