Ask what a blind is made of before asking what it looks like, if the house is in Siridao. Wind off the estuary carries salt into every room, and a steel chain, bracket or bottom bar will show rust early. Specify a head rail of aluminium, and chain and brackets in plastic or stainless. Real wooden slats and untreated bamboo warp in this damp, so leave them out; a coated polyester roller wipes clean of salt film. Village windows are small and old, and no two are the same shape, so blinds are cut window by window and usually sit on the front of the frame. On a windy side, tuck the blind into the reveal or it will clatter.
- Small windows in the old shore houses: face-fixed roller or roman blinds in coated polyester, sized one by one because the openings differ.
- Sit-outs and balconies facing the estuary: clear PVC blinds for the monsoon, running on guides, rolled up and secured when a strong wind is expected.
- Villas on the slope: motorised sunscreen rollers on the big water-facing glass, with rails of aluminium and brackets of stainless steel.
Siridao is a small fishing village on the Zuari estuary, below the plateau of Bambolim. It has a pebbly beach, a chapel on the headland, and a feast in spring that draws people from across Goa.
Homes are traditional village houses of the fishing community, close together along the shore, with a few newer houses and villas on the slope behind.
The village faces the open estuary. Salt, humidity and wind off the water affect every house, and metal rusts quickly.
Sea-facing homes
Steel parts rust within a season near the sea. Ask for aluminium head rails, stainless or plastic chains and brackets, and avoid real wood slats, which warp in salt damp. PVC, faux-wood and coated polyester roller fabrics wipe clean and do not hold salt.
Old Goan houses
Old window frames are rarely square, and their shutters open inward. Each blind is measured at three points and usually fixed to the face of the frame or the wall above. Roman and wooden blinds suit the woodwork better than plain rollers.