So, where did we get the name, “venetian blinds?” The answer is only conjecture. One theory is that the early Venetians brought the idea of the blind from Persia back to Venice during one of their trade voyages. Then later, this idea was brought to France by freed venetian slaves. Somehow, the name stuck and this kind of blind, one with horizontal slats, became known as venetian blinds.
Today, venetian blinds are more commonly known as mini blinds. But it seems that depends on what side of the Atlantic you are on. In the UK, use of the word, “venetian blinds,” meant to describe a window blind with slats made of wood, plastic or aluminum, operated by strings or cloth, is more common. In the US, this same blind is more commonly called a mini blind. However the US description does not include wood slats, those are called wood blinds.
If you were looking for more precise etymology of the phrase, my apologies. I guess the take away is that the use of window blinds goes back a long, long ways. Some sources say that even the ancient Egyptians fashioned rudimentary blinds out of reeds to reduce the heat of the sun. So no matter what we call them, the lowly blind, born of a basic necessity for shade and privacy, has an important place in history; or at the very least in your home.
Cool. I always wondered if mini blinds and Venetian blinds weren’t just the same thing, now I know.
In Cape Town South Africa, we only refer to it as venetian blinds