)
If you’re looking for window shades for your home or office, you’ll find there’s an incredible range of options. It might even seem overwhelming. But in this article, you’ll learn the basics of window shades as well as all the most important shade designs on the market today—cellular shades, solar shades, roller shades, Roman shades, sheer shades, layered shades, and natural shades. By the end of this article, you’ll have enough information to know which types of shades are right for you.
What a Well-Selected Shade Can Do
The primary function of a window shade is to provide light control and privacy. That said, no two types of shades do this job in the same way. On top of that, these various types of shades look and function quite differently. For example, a living room picture window overlooking an ordinary street might be well served by a roller shade. But if that picture overlooks a lake or a mountain, you might want to consider a solar shade that allows some view to the outdoors when it is closed. And a roller shade, available in a range of fabrics, will probably bring more color into your home than most solar shade fabrics. Every window is different, but luckily Graber offers a shade for every situation.
Why Choosing the Right Shades Matters
Having the right shade can transform a room. The bold bands of color on a layered shade add a modern touch to your room. The sheer fabrics of a sheer shade produce gently filtered light that adds elegance and calm. A colorful roller shade provides a playful element while a sleek solar shade creates a clean look. Cellular shades not only look elegant, they also provide outstanding insulation against heat and cold. Choose your shade style wisely and you can establish a strong design scheme that can help structure the rest of your design decisions.
How to Choose Best Shades for You
All the Options: Window Shades for Every Need
Let’s go through the different types of shades and talk about how they work, how they look, and where they work best in your home.
The Incredible Cellular Shade
Cellular shades are the workhorses of the shade family. They are a top choice for homeowners looking for an elegant solution for the windows in their living rooms, dining room, kitchens, bedrooms, and entertainment rooms. The reason they’re a top choice is they combine good looks with energy efficiency: cellular shades do an outstanding job insulating against heat, cold, and sound. You can choose from a range of cell sizes in fabrics ranging from sheer to blackout. The blackout fabrics make cellular shades a top choice for covering bedroom windows.
If you’re looking for a shade that makes life more comfortable in your home, Graber Cellular Shades should be at the top of your list.
Bold Design: Layered Shades
Graber Layered Shades have a bold design that makes them popular with homeowners trying to create a clean, modern look. A layered shade, often called a zebra shade or a roller blind, is made up of two layers of fabric composed of alternating bands of opaque and sheer fabric. When the bands are aligned, you can see outside through the sheer bands. When the bands are closed, you have light control and privacy. Layered shades are available in a range of fabrics, giving you options for how much total light control you want. Because of their versatility, layered shades can be used in nearly any room in the home, although living rooms and kitchens are top choices.
Bold Design: Layered Shades
Works of Art: Natural Shades
Every Graber Natural Shade is a work of art. That’s because each shade is made with hand-harvested wood, grass, bamboo, jute, and rattan—all renewable resources. The natural variation in the materials means each shade is slightly different. This provides endless visual interest and adds natural textures to your interior-design plan.
Natural shades work best when contrasting with modern décor. The sleekness of a modern interior really allows the textures of the natural shades to come to life. But natural shades can be at home in nearly any room—the organic colors and subtle patterns help natural shades fit with most styles. Living rooms, dining rooms, and home offices are all popular rooms for natural shades. Add a liner to your natural shade and you have an excellent window treatment option for your bedroom.
The Classic Roller Shade
The simple roller design and a huge list of available fabrics makes the roller shade a go-to window treatment for many homeowners. Not only are roller shades easy to use, they also offer an amazing variety of design possibilities due to the range of colors and patterns. And it’s easy to find the perfect light control and privacy level—roller shade fabrics range from sheer to blackout.
The clean, modern look of a Graber Roller Shade is at home in nearly any room. Pair with a Graber Custom Drapery for a complete window treatment solution. A popular combination is a light filtering roller shade with a room darkening or blackout drapery—an ideal pairing for bedroom windows.
The simple design of a Graber Roller Shade lends itself to motorization. Choose a smart shade for ease and convenience. Graber lets you use your smart phone as a remote, and you can upgrade to a Graber Gateway to control your shades from outside your home—from anywhere in the world.
Gentle Light Control: Sheer Shades
Sheer shades have a very clever design. These beautiful shades are made of fabric vanes woven between two sheets of sheer fabric. The result is an all-fabric version of traditional blinds (sheer shades are sometimes called “soft blinds”).
To capture the glow of morning or sunset, choose sheer shades made with light filtering vanes. For more privacy, select room-darkening vanes. When open, sheer shades provide an excellent view to the outdoors. You’ll find a range of fabric colors, including neutral fabrics and subtle patterns.
Many people opt for sheer shades in their living rooms, but they also work in bedrooms, particularly when paired with room darkening and blackout drapery. The delicate appearance of sheer shades can add a touch of elegance to any room.
The Sun Stopper: Solar Shades
Solar shades are at home in the sunniest rooms in your home—or any room where a view to the outdoors is of primary importance.
Solar shades stop the sun with their highly durable woven fabric. This fabric has another benefit—it allows some view to the outdoors when the shade is down. That means if you have a lake or mountain view, the shade lets you control the sun while still allowing you to enjoy some of that view.
It's no surprise that solar shades are extremely popular. They work in nearly every room and have a modern sleekness that no other shade has. Use them in living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, and, of course, sunrooms. These shades allow you to control harsh sunlight and protect against UV rays without feeling like you’re stuck in a cave. You’ll notice solar shades in restaurants, hotels, offices, and homes wherever you go because this dual function—blocking harsh sun and allowing a view to the outdoors—is so sought after.
Choose from a variety of colors and openness levels (refers to how much light penetrates the closed shade). Opt for motorized solar shades for the ultimate in ease and convenience.
Exterior Solar Shades
Exterior solar shades operate just like interior solar shades with one obvious difference: they are installed on the exterior of the home. Why would anyone do this? Reclaiming an overheated room from the sun.
Exterior solar shades work by stopping sunlight before it enters the home. For rooms that are rendered unlivable by extreme sunlight, an exterior solar shade can reclaim that room by blocking that intense sunlight. This doesn’t just bring more comfortable conditions—it also leads to lower cooling costs.
Exterior solar shades can also be hung on the sides of porches and covered patios to provide protection from the sun. These versatile shades are extremely durable and can withstand the rigors of being installed outdoors.
Roman Shades
Graber offers three kinds of Roman shades: Classic Roman shades, tailored Roman shades, and natural shades. We talked about the beauty and uniqueness of Graber Natural Shades earlier. Let’s talk about Graber Classic Roman Shades and Graber Tailored Roman Shades and what makes each of these shades unique.
Classic Roman shades are an easy-to-use shade available in a range of neutral fabrics. They’re quite popular due to this adaptable color palette and their simple design. You’ll find classic Roman shades in living rooms, kitchens, bedrooms and sunrooms. The even folds of fabric look great when the shade is closed and create depth when the shade is raised.
Tailored Roman shades use the same Roman shade design but utilize premium drapery fabrics. These beautiful shades have the potential to be a breathtaking addition to any room. Combine a tailored Roman shade with a matching drapery for a truly exquisite look.
What window treatments never go out of style?
The most classic of all window treatments is drapery. With so many different fabrics, finding the right drapery is easy. Roller shades are another window treatment that work in nearly any room. Their simple design will never go out of style.
What is the latest window shade trend?
The biggest trend in window treatments is smart shades. Shades are one of the easiest parts of your home to automate. Graber motorized Smart Shades can be controlled with your smart phone and can be integrated with smart home systems.
Customizing Shades with Graber
Graber offers the full line of window treatments, from blinds and shades to shutters and drapery. If you’re looking for a source for all your window treatment needs, Graber is the right choice for you.
The completeness of Graber’s offerings means you get the widest possible range of fabrics. You’ll find the full spectrum of on-trend colors and patterns. You’ll also find the latest product designs, including smooth cordless lift systems and easy-to-use automation options. A Graber Smart Shade is the ultimate window treatment solution available today—if you’ve never experienced the ease of a motorized shade, you need to experience it to believe it.
Why Choose Graber?
Graber is your source for the highest quality shades. With Graber, you enjoy a huge selection of on-trend fabrics in the full range of colors and patterns. Each shade is constructed to last using quality fabrics and quality components. And finding the right shade is never difficult when you’re working with a Graber Design Expert.
