Month: April 2021

If you’re in the market for new window shades for your home, you need to check out motorized shades. These advanced window shades are often not only motorized but are also compatible with other home automation systems to make it easy for you to automate your shades to work in conjunction with your lights, music, and heating and cooling system.

While they may seem like an added expense that you can do without, motorized shades offer a wide range of benefits that can help make your home more safe, comfortable and stylish. Motorized shades offer benefits including the following:

• Increased Privacy and Energy Efficiency – You can easily program motorized shades to go down during the afternoons when you’re not home to reduce solar heat gain and take some of the pressure off of your air conditioner. You can also program them to go down at night to keep your privacy intact without a second thought.
• Security – A prospective burglar or intruder would be deterred if he sees window treatments moving throughout the day, as it would make it seem like someone is as home.
• Appearance – Motorized shades don’t have any need for unsightly cords or pulleys, giving your window treatments a more streamlined, clean appearance.
• Variety – The popularity of motorized shades means that they are available in an almost unlimited number of colors and fabrics. There’s a motorized shade for every home.
• Different Shapes – There is also a motorized shade for every window, as they come in a wide range of shapes and sizes and can also be customized to fit any window.
• Peaceful Motors – Modern technology makes the motors whisper quiet, making the windows almost noise-free. This same technology also allows for precision, making it easy for you to partially open or close the shade.
• Power Options – You can choose to have the motors be powered by AC and batteries alike, making it easy for you to put motorized shades anywhere in your home.
• Alternative Uses – Motorized shades aren’t just for windows. You can hang them as room dividers, or to cover a home theater movie screen when not in use.
• Safety – Without cords and pulleys, there’s nothing for kids and pets to get tangled up in. Choose motorized shades for increased safety.
• Creativity – You can easily combine different kinds of shades and shades for a unique look that’s specific to your home and style. You can mix and match sheers and drapes, or pair Roman shades with blackout curtains.

If these benefits have piqued your interest and you want to learn more about motorized shades, contact McNeill Palm. We have years of experience in the industry that we would be happy to put at your disposal. You can visit our showroom to see some motorized shade options in person, including many different kinds of motorized shades that offer these benefits and more. Please give us a call today for more information about what we can do for you and your home.

Window shutters actually mean a lot for a house. From style and design to energy efficient and even temperature control, they make a big difference. That’s why it can be stressful to choose new motorized shutters for your home. However, before you get overwhelmed, use this list of what to think about before choosing your motorized window shutters to help you be more prepared to find the best window shutters for your home.

• Light Control – No one likes TV glare or sun-bleached furniture. Motorized shutters play a huge part in light control for your home. You can choose light filtering shutters that just minimize the light coming in, or blackout treatments that totally block light when closed. Window shutters with operable slats are also a good choice as they allow you to customize light control on a daily basis. You can tilt the slats open to allow some light to come in or close them completely for total light control. Definitely think about what kind of light control you want your new window shutters to have.
• Window Shape – It’s easy to change a lot of things around your house, but window shape is not one of them. It’s imperative to find widow shutters that fit and compliment your home’s window shape. There are tons of window shutters that fit window shapes from classic rectangular to custom arched on the market. You can even custom-design and build window shutters to fit your specific needs and design wishes.
• Insulation – Every home needs insulation, no matter the weather or the climate. The hot and humid days oftentimes make your air conditioner work overtime, but the right window shutters can help. About 25% of the cost, it takes to cool your home is from energy loss out your windows, but there are excellent shutters options that can knock that number down. For example, cellular motorized shutters provide superb extra insulation due to their honeycomb shape. Insulation is always a factor when buying new window shutters.
• Appearance – You can never discount the importance of style, and your window shutters are a big part of that. The right window shutters can give you traditional clean lines or vibrant hints of color to perfectly compliment your décor. Think about what your home style is, to find window shutters to perfectly match.
• Cost – We can’t trick ourselves into thinking that budgets aren’t important, even when it comes to window shutters. Affordability is a key factor when finding window shutters. Materials, sizes and time constraints all have an effect on the cost of window shutters. Think about what you want to spend on your new window shutters.

Buying new motorized shutters doesn’t have to be stressful or scary. If anything, it should be fun! Trust McNeill Palm to help you find the best motorized shutters for your home. Our motorized shutter experts are here to assist you so you can get the shutters you’ve always wanted. Stop by and visit us or give us a call today.

Your bedroom is your sanctuary, so naturally, you want it to look and feel great. One easy and fun way to make your bedroom the best it can be is by choosing and installing new window treatments, especially those with motorization. Window treatments are important for your bedroom since they provide necessary privacy, control the temperature and help you adjust the lighting for sleeping or relaxing.

There are so many choices when it comes to window treatments. Use this list of popular bedroom window blind and treatment options to help you better decide what you want and need when it comes to your bedroom.

• Curtains – Probably the most common bedroom window treatment, curtains come in a wide range of colors, styles, and even shapes. You can easily add a pop of color, taste of pattern or shot of style to your bedroom with the right curtain. Curtains are generally made of lighter fabric than drapes, but they are oftentimes more affordable, too. Despite the light fabric, curtains can help you block out light when it’s time to sleep, and even keep the air-conditioned air in your house during the hot, Tampa days.
• Shades – Shades are a great window treatment option for every room in your home, not just the bedroom. They come in almost limitless materials and colors and go with tons of different decorating styles. Shades are, in the simplest form, and piece of fabric cut to the window size and attached to a frame or rod that is then fastened to the top of the window frame. Shades can be pulled up or down with a roller or pulley system. There are lots of different types of shades like roller, Roman, solar, pleated, balloon, cellular and bamboo.
• Blinds – Blinds are oftentimes the simplest way to go for a bedroom window treatment. Streamlined, effective and affordable, blinds add privacy and block out sunlight. You can choose blinds from a wide array of materials like vinyl, metal or wood to better match your décor and budget needs. Blinds work in a myriad of ways including tilting open with louvers or slats or lifting opening with a cord. You can hang blinds vertically or horizontally depending on window size.
• Cascades and Swags – Looking for a bit more drama or elegance in your bedroom window treatment? Cascades and swags will do just the trick. Both are types of valances and are paired with another window treatment that provides light blocking and privacy. Swags are hung horizontally over a curtain rod in fold or drapes. Cascades hang down the sides of a window treatment and usually touch the floor. Both swags and cascades go great with curtains and shades.
• Hunter Douglas PowerView Motorization – Adding motorization to your chosen window treatments will give you the power to move them into whatever position you want. You can control the treatments using the PowerView App or the Pebble Remote Control, so you don’t even need to get out of bed to get the light control or privacy you want.

Want to learn more about motorization and other window treatments for your bedroom? Contact McNeill Palm by visiting us or giving us a call today.