Blackout shades are ideal room darkening residential applications.  Shades may be used alone, or in conjunction with solar shades or other window treatments. Residential applications where privacy and dark are required are quite common and a blackout roller shade can be a nice option.

Consider this, residential Blackout Shades are ideal for:

• Home Theaters
• Bedrooms
• Home Office
• Any area requiring total privacy
  
  

Here is an idea we have been contemplating and sharing with some of our clients.  We recently did an outside mount solar roller shade for a client over an arched window in a kitchen.  We are still impressed with how modern and beautiful the project turned out.  The fascia system caused the outside mount look to be a nice dimensional feature rather than an awkward look.  And, because the solar roller shade allows light through, the architectural feature of the arch just really popped.  Additionally, the fabric laid great around the window.  Great outcome.

We share this story because it has us thinking.  We often encounter situations where someone has a nice backyard garden area outside their master bedroom.  During the day, a client wants controlled light and view, but needs privacy and dark at night.  Now, the roller shade industry has offered a dual roller shade for years.  This is a roller system where one of the rollers is a blackout material and one of the rollers is a solar shade material.  A nice system to be sure.  However, the hardware for the dual shade requires anywhere from 5" to as many as 8" to mount.  If you only have a standard 3" sill depth, then you have a problem.  This is the number one reason why more of these dual shades are not found in residences.

But, what if we could mount the blackout shade inside the sill for privacy and dark at night.  Rolled up during the day for light and view.  Then, we outside mount a solar roller shade above the window for use during the day.  Now, you have function and advantages of a beautiful room in the day.  Really could be the best of both worlds.  We would use this cautiously, as the window size must accommodate what we are suggesting from a design look perspective.  And, we would want to be careful to make sure the boxed out look above the window would not create a feature that bothered the client.

We are sure that this has been done.  We can't imagine that we are the first company to think of such a thing.  But, with the function, popularity and value of the modern roller shade movement, this application could become very popular.  It would probably be best too try out this idea on a window or two, just to make sure you are comfortable with the look before you commit to a whole house of motorized - dual application - roller shades. 

Just sayin.

We would love to help you find the right residential blackout roller shade solution for your home.  Also, be sure to check out our online roller shade calculator for a rough idea of what your project might cost.  Or, please use this contact form to describe your project with rough sizes, and we will gladly email you a rough estimate.

So, is this the typical apples and oranges comparison.  Yes!  But, which shade offers the best value?  A custom made solar roller shade or a ready made, off the shelf, roller shade.  We would argue that the custom solar roller shade is the far better investment and in this blog post we will share why we believe that.  However, if you only want to spend a $100 or less for a basic shade screen, then you are not likely to be swayed.  Additionally, we gain nothing by selling you a comparative sized product for $400 or more, if it is not something you are interested in spending money on.  So please, feel no pressure from our perspective, just kindly consider our point of view.

With that said, here are the differences.  The ready made solar shade comes in one size regardless of your opening size and offers no ability to change the fabric color, add features, nor does it include professional measure and install - though for added expense those services are available on Craigslist.  It will generally hold together for a season or two, then will begin to degrade or fail.  For the money, it is what is reasonable to expect from a ready made roller shade.

While not for everyone, we believe the custom option, though more expensive, is a better value - and here is why:

Custom Sizing - Unless you are extremely lucky, your patio or deck opening is not a standard size. Our patio shade is built to size for your individual space.  This just plain looks a lot nicer and provides better coverage from the sun - which is the whole point of the product.

Fabric choices - We really do have a diverse, functional and beautiful fabric collection. Our fabric selection is diverse and as such allows us to create combinations to accommodate for sun control, privacy, view-through and aesthetics.  With many colors, weaves, textures and openness options it is possible to customize a look and feel that makes your outdoor space part of your home's design.

Heavy Duty Hardware - These are the sorts of details for durability, child safety and performance that you do not see but that make a huge difference in the performance and longevity of your outdoor solar roller shade. When you start out with better hardware components, you end up with a better product.

Premium clutch – Our Patio Sun Shade are custom made which allows us to match the best clutch and lift system to the lifting capacity needed necessary to match the shade’s size and weight. What that means for the you is better and easier use of your roller shade.  A nice roller shade that raises and lowers without catching and will not slowly lower on its own once the shade is up.  Yes, that can and does happen.

Continuous Loop Bead Chain and Metal Select Locking Chain Guide – Many outdoor shades operate with a pull cord that then wraps around a cord cleat, which can be a child safety disaster waiting to happen. Still others have the continuous loop bead chain, but it is left to dangle, which is an even greater child safety risk. Our exclusive Metal Select chain guide secures the end of the loop safely, making it nearly impossible to form a loop around a child’s neck. Our Metal Select Chain guide is fully compliant with the ANSI/WCMA A100.1-2012 Child Safety Standard, and is available in 4 colors to complement the design of your patio or deck.

Reinforced brackets – this is an area where a lot of manufacturers skimp, but ours are beefy brackets, make to support the weight of the shade effortlessly, and engineered to secure both the clutch and the idler so that the shade will not fall.  This is really important as we provide very wide blinds to accommodate the larger openings we encounter.  These roller shades are engineered to handle the weight and forces associated with the larger size roller shade.

Welded fabric edges – Welding, or heat sealing, finishes the edges of solar screen fabric, preventing fraying and unnecessary wear. Any woven fabric is subject to fraying after it is cut, and welding all our fabric edges results in much longer fabric life, and during that life, you’re going to be so much happier with the looks of your shade. Additionally, welded edges also prevent fabric threads from becoming caught in the clutch or any other shade components, again prolonging life and smooth operation.

Welded and sealed hem pocket – The bottom hem pockets are also sealed, with an aluminum weight bar tucked inside. The bar can’t slide out, and its weight keeps your shade taught and handsome looking.

Bungee Cord System – Our bungee cord hold-down system is a simple yet effective method for keeping your shade in place. Bungee cords stretch and flex, absorbing the energy of wind movement without harming the shade, and attach to D-Rings on the hembar and deck or wall.
 
Fascia System (optional) - Our optional 3″ or 4″ fascia system conceals the roller, and protects fabric from dirt and other offending substances when the shade is retracted. The Top/Back Cover provides further versatility for perfect detailing and fabric protection in various mounting scenarios. This system is available in 5 finish choices: Black, White, Vanilla, Bronze, and Clear Anodized, which is a silver colored finish. None of the ready made shades will give you so many detailing options, and ours allow you to make your solar roller shade blend beautifully into your patio or deck’s aesthetics.

What does it all really mean to you? The bottom line is that our custom made Patio Sun Shade really is a better built patio shade, from start to finish, and we give you choices for complementing your particular deck or patio that are not available in a ready made patio shade.

Our solar roller shades are built to last and enhance your outdoor living experience, and in our opinion, that’s where the real value is!

We would love to help you find the right roller shade solution for your patio.  Also, be sure to check out our online roller shade calculator for a rough idea of what your project might cost.  Or, please use this contact form to describe your project with rough sizes, and we will gladly email you a rough estimate.

Can I level with you here?  As a long time professional in the window covering business, nothing is sadder to me than mini blinds or wood blinds in an office environment.  Why does it bother me so much?  Because, it falls far short of what is possible, practical and good for business.

I promise, this is not some lame attempt to sell you 3 million dollars worth of roller shades for your high-rise office building.  Though, we are available for that project. (Smiles)  But rather, this is a blog post thrown to the internet winds with the hope that we might help somebody, somewhere make the change.

So, what the heck am I talking about.  Personally, I have heard many stories of the battles that rage over window covering control in the average office space.  It's glare, it's dark, it's hot, my computer screen is unusable, there is no natural light, these fluorescent lights are giving me a headache, etc.  I am sure you could add many a story to this partial list.  And, in this age of hiring company chefs, and putting bean bags throughout the office to attract and retain top talent - why are you ignoring the windows?  Why are you treating the light from your windows as if it must be on or off?

We now have a huge selection of roller fabric options for dealing with most any office window covering need.  Preserving the light without glare, heat and aggravation.  In fact, making your work space - a space people enjoy being in - enjoy collaborating in, and would miss if they were no longer employed.  Truthfully, a well trained solar roller shade professional can provide a lot of insight into how your investment into window decor can be seen viewed as a return on investment from a human resources point of view.

Also, a well thought out design will do a great job controlling the heat while allowing your people to stay connected to the outdoors.  Do you think a high stress, dark, hot stuffy office represents the type of work-life that is best for your people and your company?  Or, would you prefer a view of the horizon inspiring vision, creativity, and the type of ideas that are born from a team that is not constantly bickering over whether the blinds are open or closed?

We would love to help you find the right roller shade solution for your office.  Also, be sure to check out our online roller shade calculator for a rough idea of what your project might cost.  And, please use this contact form to describe your office project with rough sizes, and we will gladly email you a rough estimate.  And, don't forget, we love those 3 million dollar projects - after all, somebody has to do the big job, so it might as well be us.  Right?

Digitally Printed Roller Shades create a one of kind interior design.  Think of a roller shade as a blank canvas.  We can print any custom design or photograph on your shade to create the look you are after.  Custom artwork can be created from scratch or purchased from a third party art and photo websites.  If purchasing artwork from a third-party site, consult with us first to ensure you have the proper resolution.

Custom, Retractable Printed Roller Shades to hide a television and/or other electronic equipment are a great use of printed roller shade technology.  Additionally, this application turns you television nook into a work of art to be admired.  Printed roller shades can be incorporated into decorative molding and wall structures or a permanently mounted picture frame to hide big screen TVs. This provides a much simpler, safer solution to disguising a large television than many of the methods currently in use, such as doors or panels that fold up, down, or otherwise project into the room space. With a printed roller shade cover, the fabric simply rolls up into the roller behind the molding at the touch of a remote control button. Nothing to slide, lift, step around or reach for. Simple yet elegant, and the best part is, you have complete control over what the panel looks like.

We would love to help you find the right printed roller shade solution for your application.  Also, be sure to check out our online roller shade calculator for a rough idea of what your project might cost.  And. please use this contact form to describe your project with rough sizes, and we will gladly email you an rough estimate.