Somfy Expert Partner · Lancashire Since 2007
Your home.
Your control.
Battery, mains or solar — every blind we motorise is fitted by our own team and integrated with your smart home. Genuine Somfy Expert Partner accreditation. Control every blind in your home from your phone, your voice, or a schedule. No call centres. No subcontractors.
About our motorised range
Every blind we
make can be motorised.
Roller, Roman, Venetian, Silhouette, pleated — if we make it, we can motorise it. We're a Somfy Expert Partner, which means we're trained and accredited to specify, supply and install the complete Somfy range — from simple battery motors right through to full multi-room smart home automation.
When you book a survey, one of our team visits your home. We look at your windows, your wiring situation, and your smart home setup — and give you completely honest advice on the best way to motorise them, at a price that makes sense.
Why motorise your blinds
More than convenience.
Real, everyday benefits.
Motorised blinds solve real problems and make your home safer, more comfortable and more efficient. Here's what actually changes when you make the switch.
Safer for Children & Pets
Motorised blinds are completely cordless — no dangling cords for children or pets to get tangled in. It's one of the most important safety changes you can make in a family home, and it's built into every motorised blind we fit as standard.
Lower Energy Bills
Open your blinds automatically to maximise free natural light and cut lighting costs. Close them in summer to block solar heat gain, and in winter to add an extra layer of insulation. Somfy's sun sensor automates this based on live light intensity — entirely hands-free.
Protects Your Furniture
Direct sunlight causes irreversible fading and damage to fabrics, flooring and furnishings over time. Set a schedule so your blinds close automatically at the right time of day — your interiors stay protected without you ever thinking about it.
Better Sleep
Programme your bedroom blinds to close fully at night for complete blackout, then open gradually in the morning as a natural wake-up. Electric blackout rollers with a Somfy motor are particularly effective — a genuine quality of life improvement for light sleepers and anyone with early starts.
Presence Simulation
When you're away, your blinds can follow a schedule that makes the house look occupied — opening and closing at normal times. A subtle, effective deterrent built into the Somfy TaHoma platform at no extra cost. Great for holiday periods and regular travellers.
Adds Value to Your Home
Smart home automation is increasingly expected by buyers. A home with a properly integrated motorised system — especially one linked to Apple HomeKit or a whole-home platform — is a genuine selling point. It signals the house has been well considered, not just well decorated.
Power options
Three ways to
power your blinds.
We'll advise on which option suits your home — based on your windows, wiring, and how you actually use the rooms. No upselling, no agenda.
Battery Powered
The simplest solution — no electrician, no cables, no building work. Somfy's rechargeable WireFree motors typically need charging just once or twice a year, and work seamlessly with Apple HomeKit, Alexa, Google Home and the TaHoma app.
Ideal for retrofitting motorised blinds without any disruption to your home — and a practical choice for rental properties, listed buildings and rooms where mains access is difficult.
No wiring · Charge once or twice a yearMains Powered
Hardwired motors are the gold standard — completely maintenance-free, always on, and the most reliable long-term performance. Silent operation, no charging, and the widest motor choice for heavy or very large blinds.
Our recommendation for new builds and renovations where walls are already open. Also the most seamless option for full smart home integration with Control4, Crestron or Loxone.
Maintenance-free · Best for new buildsSolar Powered
A clean, cable-free alternative to mains power. Somfy's solar motors charge from a discreet panel at the top of the blind — no wiring, no batteries to manage, completely self-sustaining in a well-lit room.
The natural choice for conservatories, orangeries, roof lights and south-facing rooms. Also well suited to home offices and garden buildings where running mains cabling isn't practical.
Self-sustaining · Ideal for conservatoriesWhich blinds can be motorised
Every style.
Every room.
We can motorise virtually every blind in our range. Here's how it works across the main types.
Roller Blinds
The most popular motorised choice. The Somfy motor sits neatly inside the roller tube — completely invisible once fitted. Available in every fabric from full blackout to sheer, and ideal for large windows where manual operation becomes a genuine inconvenience. Whisper-quiet with adjustable stop positions via app or remote.
Roman Blinds
A motorised Roman removes the pull cord entirely — a Somfy motor sits above the headrail and raises the blind via the lift cords. A big comfort upgrade for rooms with multiple Romans, and particularly useful where blinds are positioned high up or over wide spans.
Venetian Blinds
Electric Venetians independently control both the raise and lower and the slat tilt — giving you precise control over light and privacy at any time of day. Especially effective in office spaces and rooms where the sun moves throughout the day. Sleek, classic, and fully smart home compatible.
Pleated & Silhouette
Somfy's lighter-weight motors handle delicate pleated and Silhouette fabrics with the same smooth, quiet operation — without any risk of fabric damage. Ideal for large glazed areas and bi-fold door systems where a single button or schedule controls every panel simultaneously.
The ultimate motorised finish
Built in.
Invisible when open.
If you're doing a renovation or building new, concealed motorised blinds are worth considering from the start. The blind mechanism sits completely inside your wall or ceiling — you see nothing but a clean slot when the blind is raised.
No box. No bracket. No visual clutter.
Concealed systems from Blindspace — one of our specialist partners — house the entire blind mechanism inside the wall or ceiling structure. When the blind is up, there is nothing to see. No cassette, no headrail, no hardware. Just clean architecture.
Motorisation isn't optional — it's essential.
Because the mechanism is built into the structure, a motor isn't just a convenience — it's the only practical way to operate the blind. Somfy motors are the natural fit for concealed installations, and rechargeable battery motors make it possible even without nearby mains access.
Plan it early — or it can't happen.
Concealed blinds need to be designed in before plastering. We work alongside architects and developers at James Albert to specify the Blindspace boxes at the right stage — including the exact recess dimensions your builder needs to allow. We're one of a small number of specialists in Lancashire qualified to do this properly.
Smart home integration
Works with what
you already use.
Somfy's TaHoma platform integrates with all the major smart home systems. We make sure everything connects properly — and show you how to use it before we leave.
Amazon Alexa
Voice control on any Alexa device. Control individual blinds or grouped rooms, set positions, and build blinds into Alexa routines alongside lights and heating.
Apple HomeKit
Full native integration with the iOS Home app and Siri. Automate by time, sunrise or sunset. Group entire rooms and control with a single tap or scene.
Google Home
Works with Google Assistant and Nest Hub displays. Integrate with other Google Home devices for whole-home routines and automated scenes.
Somfy TaHoma
Somfy's own platform — control every blind from anywhere via iOS or Android. Schedule, automate, set presence simulation and monitor your whole system from one app.
Control4
Full integration with Control4 home automation — the standard choice for high-spec residential builds. Incorporate blinds into whole-home AV and lighting scenes.
Lutron
Seamless pairing with Lutron lighting control for complete room scene management — one keypad controlling lights, temperature and blinds together.
Crestron
Supported on Crestron's AV and automation platform — the go-to for commercial-grade smart home and AV integration in larger residential and hospitality projects.
Loxone & Rako
Compatible with both Loxone and Rako for intelligent whole-home scheduling, energy management and presence-based automation in high-spec builds.
How it works
Simple from survey
to switch-on.
Four steps. Our own team throughout. No surprises, no hidden costs.
Free Home Survey
One of our own team visits your home at a time that suits you. We assess every window, check your wiring situation, and look at your smart home setup. No obligation at this stage — just honest information.
Clear Recommendation
We tell you which motor type suits which window, which power option makes sense for your home, and exactly what integration is possible. You get a clear, itemised quote — nothing vague, nothing hidden.
Made to Measure
Every blind is made to your exact dimensions with the right Somfy motor specified for the blind weight and drop. Nothing is ordered until you're completely happy with the quote and every detail of the plan.
Fitted & Commissioned
Our team fits and commissions everything — including pairing every blind to your smart home system and walking you through how it all works. We don't leave until it's right.
Why James Albert
Not a franchise.
Not a national chain.
The big national blind companies operate through self-employed franchisees and call centres. We don't. We're a small independent business that's been fitting windows across Lancashire since 2007.
Somfy Expert Partner — not just a reseller
Becoming a Somfy Expert Partner requires real investment in training, accreditation and equipment. We're qualified to specify the full Somfy system correctly and integrate it with your existing smart home. That makes a genuine difference to how the system performs long-term — and who you can call if something needs attention.
Our own employed team throughout
Every survey, every fitting is carried out by our own employed team — not subcontractors, not franchisees. You're not opening your home to a stranger with a logo on a van. We take that seriously, and it shows in the standard of every install we do.
Honest advice, every time
We'll tell you if battery motors suit your home better than mains — even though mains costs more. We'll tell you if a simpler system delivers everything you actually need. We've built this business on straight talking since 2007 and that's not changing.
19 years fitting windows in Lancashire
We've been doing this since 2007. We know the houses in this area, the window types, the quirks of older builds and the demands of new ones. Experience like that is genuinely hard to find, and it shows in the quality and reliability of what we deliver.
Book your free survey
Ready to see what's
possible in your home?
Book a free, no-obligation home survey — or visit our Preston showroom to see our motorised blinds working in person before you commit to anything. Try the remotes, the app, the voice control.
Mon–Fri 8:30am–4:30pm · Out of hours available