Controlling Sun through Skylights Year Round

Q: Over the summer I had someone install four skylights in my home and, while I love the natural light, I was hoping to find a way to control incoming sun. Is there a good skylight shade (preferably something attractive) that can help control the light and heat?

A: Yes! Cellular shades are perfect for skylights! They come in a wide range of colors and opacities to fit all kinds of homes. Light filtering cellular shades diffuse direct sunlight, giving you the pleasure of natural light without the harsh glare. And room darkening options allow you to completely block incoming light.

As for attractiveness, cellular shades continue to be one of the most popular styles of shades and blinds for both home and office. The sleek, simple design and color variety help make these a versatile option for any homeowner. And, since cellular shades trap air between the window and your room, they also help insulate your home against overheating in the summer and loss of heat in the winter.

And don't forget the convenience of motorized controls in skylights! While manual options are available, many homeowners choose to operate their cellular skylight shades with a push of a button. The perfect choice year round!

Contemporary Alternatives to Vertical Blinds

Q: My husband and I recently purchased a gorgeous home with long windows that attach to a sliding glass door in the back. We definitely need privacy, but I don't want to block all the light. And I want something more modern than traditional vinyl but not as conservative as some fabric covered vertical blinds.

A: You should consider cellular vertical shades! They're an elegant and sleek alternative to traditional vertical blinds and eliminate the look and sound of conventional hanging blades.

Cellular blinds are unique in their ability to expand and contract as you open or shut them across your windows. Their special design traps air between panels of dark or translucent fabric, providing exceptional light filtration and privacy while simultaneously insulating your home against unnecessary heat gain and loss. And, much like their horizontal counterparts, cellular vertical blinds come in a wide range of colors hat can match any décor.

And, since you have a long window, you can match the shades to one another and can coordinate them with other windows, too!

Shades for Privacy and Light Filtration

Q: Can you recommend something that can both diffuse light AND provide privacy?

A: Sheer horizontal shades are probably your best choice for combining light filtration and privacy concerns. These unique shades have soft opaque slats that float between two vertical sheets of sheer fabric. When you pull the shade down and leave the slats open, you get soft diffused light. When you tilt the slats shut, the opaque slats act like a traditional blind and help block light and give you increased privacy.

Sheer horizontal shades come in a wide variety of colors and light diffusing options. Lighter colors give you adequate privacy when the slats are tilted shut and soft white light when they're open. Darker colors, on the other hand, will increase your privacy and room darkening options when the slats are closed.

Whatever color you choose, sheer horizontal shades are a great choice for combining privacy with the beauty and versatility of light diffusing shades.

Options for Light Filtering

Q: I have wonderful windows in the front of my house that really let in a lot of light. I love the light, but my windows face the street and I'm hoping to improve my privacy with some window treatments. Do you have any suggestions for shades that let me keep the light but also shield me from the street?

A: You're in luck! There are lots of options for light filtering shades! Roman shades, roller shades, and cellular shades (probably the most popular) all come with light filtering options. If you love the look of drapes but like the convenience of shades, you may want to consider Roman shades. If your style is more contemporary or you want a low-profile window treatment, you might like roller shades (Forget the vinyl, modern roller shades come in all sorts of soft fabrics and colors).

Cellular shades, also known as honeycomb shades, are probably one of the most popular choices for light filtering shades. These unique shades have pockets of air that help insulate your window in addition to diffusing sunlight. Like roller shades and roman shades, cellular shades also come in room darkening colors and textures.

Light filtering means that you keep the soft natural sunlight but gain privacy at the same time. Keep in mind, though, that some of these shades will show your shadows at night so you may want to either consider a 2-in-one shade with room darkening benefits, or combine your light filtering shade with a drape or window treatment you can close at night.

Sheer Vertical Shades – Another Alternative to Vinyl

Q: I saw your blog on alternatives to traditional vinyl vertical blinds and was wondering if there were any other options along the same line. I'm hoping to find something with vertical slats but not weighted fabric.

A: You might want to try Sheer Vertical Shades. These shades are just like sheer horizontal shades but work like vertical blinds. The wonderful thing about sheer verticals is that you can have diffused light and total privacy all with one blind! The opaque fabric vanes hang between sheer sheets of fabric so if you tilt the vanes open you get light diffused through the sheer fabric. Close the vanes and you get additional light control and improved privacy.

Sheer vertical blinds come in a wide range of colors, too, so it's easy to find something that matches your rooms. You can even order options that let you either pull all the vanes to one side or split them down the middle. These are a great, soft, versatile alternative to traditional vinyl.

Vertical Blinds: Alternatives to Vinyl

Q: I like the look of slats with traditional vinyl vertical blinds but really don't like vinyl. What other options are available?

A: Vinyl blinds used to be the norm, but now fabric and combination vertical blinds are far more popular than their predecessor. If you go with fabric vertical blinds then you have the option of having light filtering blinds that can really give an elegant accent to any room. They're soft, too, which means that they move much like drapes but still have the form and function of vertical blinds. They're less noisy, too!

If you still want the room-darkening traits of vinyl but with a more stylish look, go with fabric verticals with pvc inserts. They'll be rigid and give you more light control but still cut down on noise. You can get these (and regular fabric verticals) in lots of different styles, colors and textures, giving you even greater versatility when it comes to decorating your home!

Light Filtering Shades and Blinds

Q: I need shades that will filter light instead of blocking it but I only know of a few styles. Could you give me some of the most popular (and maybe some not-as-well-known) styles that come in light-filtering styles?

A: Yes! The most common shades styles with light filtering options are cellular shades, roller shades, solar shades, roman shades, and sheer horizontal and vertical shades. Yes, believe it or not, roller shades and roman shades both come in styles that let diffused light into the room. In fact, all of the above styles come in lots of different colors and textures for light filtering. Darker colors, of course, will block a little more light while lighter colors will certainly brighten up a room.

Sheer horizontal and sheer vertical shades also look great! In fact, these provide extreme versatility in light filtering options. These shades combine very sheer and light-diffusing fabrics to give you multiple options in how much light you want to let in. Lots of colors make these a great option, too!

Opacity of Roman Shades

Q: I love the look of roman shades but really want soft light, too. I'm so used to seeing roman shades in really thick fabrics that darken rooms and wanted to know if they come in more light-filtering styles. Can you tell me what kind of varieties there are in roman shades? Thanks

A: You can get roman shades in all sorts of colors, fabrics, and thicknesses, even light-filtering. Most people associate these drape-like shades with dark rooms and lush fabrics but they can also appeal to lighter rooms, too! In fact, light-filtering or sheer roman shades are great for bedrooms and dens where you might want to keep the soft look of drapes but still have the convenience of shades.

The amount of light filtered will depend on the make and style of the shade you choose and can also be affected by the color and style of fabric as well. For example, light-colored sheer roman shades won't block much light but they'll certainly cut down on glare and still give you the roman shade look. The light-filtering roman shades will block a little more light but are great when you want natural light without the bright sunshine. There's a lot of variety in fabrics and weaves and the combination of colors, makes, and textures gives you huge range of lighting options!

Light Filtering Vertical Blinds

Q: Hi, I wanted to know if there were vertical blinds available that also had light filtering qualities. I need to block light, too, but also wanted ones that would diffuse bright light on occasion. Any suggestions?

A: Great question! It sounds like you're looking for sheer verticals shades. You may have heard of sheer horizontal shades that have a combination of opaque and light filtering fabrics that both block and diffuse light depending on how you tilt the slats. Sheer vertical shades use the same principal: Suspended opaque vanes help block the light but, when you tilt them open, light is diffused through sheer fabric.

Personally, I love the versatility of these blinds. You can block light to darken the room, tilt the vanes open to bring soft light in, or open them completely to give you even more light. The fabric and color options also give a nice soft look to your room, which is especially important if you're hoping to use them for a bedroom or den.