The Umbra is a blackout honeycomb blind sold by 247 Blinds in 23 colours, from £34.30. What makes it stand apart from a standard blackout roller is the cellular structure: the pleated fabric forms sealed air pockets, adding a degree of insulation that a flat roller fabric cannot match.
Who it suits
The natural home for this blind is the bedroom. The retailer describes the opacity as blackout, and the clip-fit install - which attaches directly to the window bead on UPVC double-glazed windows without drilling - makes it a practical choice for anyone renting or unwilling to put screws into window frames. Parents dealing with early mornings, shift workers, and light-sensitive sleepers will find the combination of no-drill fitting and blackout fabric genuinely useful.
A note on what blackout fabric actually achieves: the material itself blocks light passing through it, but no blind eliminates edge leakage entirely without side channels or a perfect-fit frame. The Umbra's clip-fit mechanism positions the blind close to the glass, which helps, but expect some peripheral light in a room with strong direct sun unless you supplement with curtains or additional side coverage.
The thermal properties are worth mentioning here too. Honeycomb blinds work better than rollers as insulators because the sealed air pockets slow heat transfer. In a room with older double glazing or a north-facing window that runs cold in winter, this structural difference is real - not dramatic, but measurable. Cellular blinds catch extra traffic from autumn onwards as people look at heating bills; the Umbra's blackout rating broadens the appeal beyond purely thermal buyers.
Bathrooms are not a good fit. Honeycomb fabric is not moisture-resistant, and the layered cellular structure traps damp in a way a simple PVC roller does not. Stick to aluminium venetians or PVC rollers in rooms with steam.
The colours
23 colours available
The palette spans 23 options with a reasonable spread across tones. Neutrals are well represented - White, Ivory, Cloud, Linen, Papyrus, and Dove give several options in the off-white and pale grey range, which suits most rooms that want to stay light. Beige, Champagne, and Tawny extend into warmer creams.
Cooler options include Slate, Denim, Ice Blue, Sapphirine, Lagoon, and Serenity - a reasonable run of blue-grey and mid-blue shades if you want something less neutral. For those wanting colour: Pear, Pumpkin, Orange, Sunkissed, Plum, Toasted Red, Maize, and Liquorice cover green, amber, orange, red, and near-black. The range is broader than typical for a honeycomb blind category, where earthy neutrals often dominate.
Price by your dimensions
Enter your window size. We round up to the next standard size, which matches how the retailer actually quotes you.
Starting from £34.30, this sits in the accessible end of the honeycomb blind market. Honeycomb construction generally costs more than a straightforward roller of equivalent fabric because of the additional structure involved; the entry price here reflects that without going into premium territory. As with all made-to-measure blinds, the price climbs with size - the grid above will show how that plays out for your specific window dimensions.
How it compares
Against a standard blackout roller, the Umbra's advantage is the insulating structure. If thermal performance is not a factor - a well-insulated room, or a buyer who only cares about darkness - a blackout roller will typically cost less and offer a wider fabric choice. The honeycomb construction trades fabric variety for the cellular air pocket; most honeycomb ranges have modest colour palettes, which makes the Umbra's 23 options an above-average showing for the format.
Against other clip-fit or perfect-fit blinds in the honeycomb category, the no-drill install is the deciding factor for renters. The clip-fit mechanism limits this blind to UPVC windows with a suitable bead; it will not work on wooden or aluminium frames without additional hardware. If your windows are older timber frames, a conventionally-bracketed honeycomb blind would suit better.
Fitting and operation
Clip-fit blinds attach by clipping onto the rubber or plastic bead that runs around the inner edge of a UPVC double-glazed unit. No screws, no holes. The mechanism is reversible - the blind can be removed without leaving a mark, which matters in rental properties. Check that your window beads are accessible and undamaged before ordering; a worn or cracked bead can affect how securely the clips seat.
Sizing follows standard made-to-measure conventions: measure width by drop in millimetres. Because the blind clips inside the bead rather than sitting outside it, measure the bead-to-bead width precisely - there is less margin to compensate with an outside-fit overlap than with a wall-fixed installation.