Light control
Shades for the windows that get the worst of the sun
Roman, roller, cellular honeycomb and pleated shades, plus custom solar screens for the glass that takes the afternoon head on.
Chapter 01
Glare, heat and privacy are three different problems
People usually come to us with one complaint, which is that a room is unusable at a particular time of day. But the fix depends on which of three things is actually wrong, and treating the wrong one is why a lot of window covering disappoints. Glare is light bouncing off a screen or a table and it needs the light diffused, not blocked. Heat is solar gain through the glass and it needs the energy stopped before it gets into the room. Privacy is about sightlines from outside and it changes completely between day and night.
The classic mistake is a heavy blackout treatment on a west facing living room. It solves the four o'clock glare by turning the room into a cave, so nobody uses it, and the shade sits up all afternoon doing nothing. A solar screen on the same window cuts the glare and the heat while you keep the view out, which is the outcome people actually wanted.
Solar shades lowered across a bank of three windows in a neutral living room
What each family is genuinely good at
Solar screens are a mesh with an openness rating, and they are the specialist tool for a hot, bright window. They knock down glare and heat while staying transparent enough to see through, which is why they suit sunrooms, porches and any wide bank of glass facing south or west. They do less for night time privacy, because after dark the lit side is the side you can see into.
Cellular and honeycomb shades are the insulating option. The cells trap a layer of air against the glass, so they earn their keep on a room that runs cold in January and hot in July, and they come in light filtering and room darkening. Roller shades are the plain, quiet answer where you want the treatment to disappear when it is up, and they are available in everything from a near sheer to a full blackout. Roman shades bring fabric and a soft fold into a room, which is the choice when the window is part of the decorating rather than a problem to be solved. Pleated shades sit between the two on both price and presence.
We make all of these to order, so the width is your window's width. On a bathroom, a kitchen or anywhere with steam, tell us at the measure, because it narrows the fabric list considerably.
Chapter 03
Fitting, fading and when to motorize
Inside mount or outside mount is the decision that changes how a shade looks more than the fabric does. Inside mount sits within the reveal and shows off the window's own trim, but it needs enough depth and a reasonably square opening. Outside mount covers the frame entirely, which hides an out of square opening and blocks more edge light, and it is often the better answer on an older house.
Fabric does fade, and it fades unevenly if one end of a run gets more sun than the other. Lowering shades fully rather than part way when a room is not in use keeps that even. On a wide run, raise and lower from the middle of the pull rather than dragging from one corner, which is what puts a roller out of true and makes it track to one side.
Motorization is worth raising when a shade is high, wide, or over a stairwell, because a shade you cannot reach is a shade nobody adjusts. We carry Somfy and can motorize solar and cellular shades among others. One customer had motorized solar shades put in and described the product as top quality and the install as well done. Call (501) 230-2631 with the rooms and the window count and we will get you a number.
Suzie's Blinds. Made to order in Pangburn. Licensed and insured. Call (501) 230-2631.