Our 30th Anniversary – it’s no time for nostalgia

Looking forward on 30 years of Appeal

Appeal Home Shading turned 30 this year. Throughout the year, we have discussed sending out a newsletter to reminisce with our customers about three decades of providing top-quality shading solutions to homes across the UK. The thing is, though, we’ve been so busy looking forward in 2018, launching new products and improving our service, there hasn’t been time to look back to 1988. So, for a touch of nostalgia, put on Cliff’s ‘Mistletoe & Wine’ (that year’s Christmas number one), while we remind you about what’s been happening in 2018 and look forward to the next 30 years…

Product Innovation

Thirty years ago, Appeal launched with a ground breaking product: conservatory blinds made from Original French Pinoleum, a naturally beautiful woven wood that transforms the sometimes harsh glare of the sun into a soft, dappled light.

Thirty years on, we are still introducing state-of-the-art products to the world of home improvement. We have already set new standards with the award-winning ULTRA Smart Blinds system for interior windows. Powered blinds with a hidden rechargeable powerpack and motor that allow you to control your blinds with the touch of a button on a wall-mounted panel or handheld remote. In 2018, we have taken that level of control to new levels with the launch of ULTRA Plus.

ULTRA Plus works through the easy-to-use Connexoon app – simple to programme and using intuitive symbol-based navigation – to control your blinds, plus Philips Hue bulbs and lamps attached to smart plugs. You can design pre-set scenarios (e.g. “wake up time” or “cozy winter evening” or set timers to track sunrise and sunset or open and close your blinds at unexpected times as a security measure.

We didn’t stop there, however. We have now added voice activation to ULTRA Plus – through Amazon Alexa or Google Nest. Just say “Ok Google, romance time” to dim the lights and lower all your Ultra Smart Blinds, or “Alexa, stop the glare on the TV” to lower a single blind that blocks the sun when you’re watching the rugby.

Also this year, we launched a new product in our exclusive Haus awnings range. The Haus Pergola provides our largest ever area of shading (up to 30 square metres). Its telescopic support legs and fabric-tensioning side channels mean that it can withstand winds up to Force 6, and easily shed rain water. It can also be fitted with infra-red heaters and LED lighting. All controlled by remote from the comfort of your chair. It’s perfect for our changeable weather (more of which below).

We are constantly researching and testing new technology and materials. Rest assured, we will be launching new products in the coming years – but only if they reach our rigorously high standards.

Find out more about Ultra Plus here.

See our Haus Pergola in action here.

Solutions for the whole year

When Appeal launched 30 years ago, we specialised in conservatory blinds. The world has changed since then and Appeal has evolved too. This year has shown us dramatically that the UK can be a country with extreme weather these days – 2018 saw everything from Snowmageddon and torrential rainstorms to a long heatwave. Whether these are caused by climate change, natural meteorological fluctuations, or whatever Donald Trump is blaming this week (the Chinese government, NATO or caravans?), the immediate effect is to make temperature control harder in our homes.

At Appeal, we provide shading solutions to ensure your comfort, indoors and out, throughout the year:

• Our exclusive Haus awnings make al fresco dining more comfortable (and can be fitted with lights and heaters for cooler spring evenings)
• In the height of summer, our Clear-View mesh door and window screens allow a breeze through the house while keeping out unhygienic flies and biting insects.
• Our wide range of conservatory blinds control temperature in summer and winter to create a comfortable year-round environment in rooms that otherwise might be too cold or hot.
• Special materials such as Honeycomb Energy Saver, designed to add extra insulation in difficult rooms such as bathrooms.

The highest levels of service

Once again in 2018, we at Appeal are proud to have been granted the Gold Trusted Service Award for another year by Feefo. The trusted independent review site gathers honest reviews only from genuine customers (and does so directly, so they don’t feel the need to be polite!).