Month: July 2021

Windows are only completed when they have functional and stylish window treatments or coverings, like motorized shades. Motorized window shades offer lots of benefits from convenience and look to energy efficiency. They can be mounted outside or inside the window line, drawn with a spring or a cord, and inhibit or allow light from entering your home.

There are two main kinds of motorized window shades: roller and cellular. While both are great choices, they offer different benefits that might make one or the other better for your home. Which ones should you choose for your home?

Cellular window shades are built from a honeycomb structure that not only blocks light, but also traps air between the window and the rest of your house. Cellular shades are made up of honeycomb shaped cells, and these cells form small air pockets. Each air pocket is another small bit of insulation between the Colorado air and your air-conditioned house. That trapped air adds extra insulation, and is one of the best cellular shade features as extra insulation means a more energy efficient home. Cellular window shades come in lots of different fabrics for varying degrees of light filtration. You can choose a more sheer material to let light in, or a thicker one for a blackout effect. Blackout fabrics also add a bit more insulation. While cellular shades are effective, they might not match your style. There are not as many color or style options for cellular window shades; fairly often what you see is what you get.

Roller window shades are simply a piece of fabric mounted on a rolling mechanism so the fabric can move up or down to cover your window. They are very popular in both commercial and residential properties as they are easy to clean and streamlined in appearance. Roller shades have a smooth, modern look and are perfect for large windows. They come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and fabrics so you can easily customize the look to match your décor. They also come in both blackout and light-filtering options. These fabric options can also sometimes block UV rays, glare, and unwanted light to protect your furniture and TV time. However, roller window shades do not offer much in the way of insulation. As they are only one piece of fabric, they have almost zero effect on solar gain and heat conduction.

Choosing what kind of motorized shades you want for your windows is really all about what you want and what’s most important to you and your home. Each one has both pros and cons, so there really is no wrong choice.

McNeill Palm is an expert business with years in the motorized shade industry. We would love to use out expertise to help you find the best window coverings, like window shades, for you and your home. Please pay us a visit or give us a call to learn more about how we can help make your home the best it can be with our motorized window coverings.

Adding motorized shutters to your home is always a good idea, as they instantly add style, convenience, safety, and even energy efficiency. There are lots of different kinds of window shutters, with each type offering different benefits and styles. With so many options, how do you go about choosing the best window shutters for your home? It’s simple: focus on style, location, and window size.

To begin, you need to pay attention to the style of your home when choosing your window shutters. It’s easy to find exterior shutters to match the style of any home, but you do need to find shutters that match. For example, Ranch and Cape Cod style homes look best with raised panel and louvered shutters, while French Country homes go great with board and batten shutters.

Consult with your shutter supplier if you need help determining what style your home is, or what kind of shutters will look best with that style. Your home’s location should also a big part in choosing the best window shutters. This is especially true if you live in an area that’s prone to severe weather like hurricanes and storms, like Florida. For example, Florida residents should look for shutters that have approval from the Florida Building Commission (FBC) to be sure that they will stand up to high velocity hurricane winds.

There are similar approval systems in place for Florida shutters, as they also have to stand up to severe weather. Your home’s location also determines the installation requirements for your window shutters.  For example, coastal homes are required to follow approved hurricane installation guidelines, including the type of fasteners and spacing of fasteners as determined by the location’s pound per square food (PSF) calculations. Be sure to consult with your local laws to make sure your window shutters meet any and all installation requirements.

Finally, you need to pay attention to the size of the window opening when shopping for window shutters. Some window shutter materials are not suited for large openings, while others can cover great distances. For example, if you’re looking to add shutters to your sliding glass doors, you won’t want to install plantation shutters. Sliding doors are usually best covered by a roll down shutter because of their size. Or, if you want to cover attic windows that have odd shapes, you might need to invest in custom shutters to match the shape perfectly for a better fit.

It’s not as hard as you might think to find the right window shutters for your home. The best place to start is by focusing on location, style, and size. If you need a little more assistance choosing the best shutters for your home, McNeill Palm can help. We offer premium motorized shutter services along with a range of other motorized window covering services so your home can be the best it can be. Give us a call today to learn more about what we can do for you and your home.

Sometimes homeowners are tempted mix and match window coverings in the same room or around the house. Can you have everything from blinds and drapes to shades and window coverings with Hunter Douglas PowerView® Motorization in your home?

There really is no specific rule about mixing and matching window coverings. However, you should always use caution when getting creative with your window covering design, and keep these tips in mind:

• Watch Your Layering – You can definitely layer two window treatments on one window, but you need to be careful that they don’t drown out the room. If you layer properly, you can add lots of interest and texture to a space while maintaining function. For example, you can pair an opaque cellular shade with a sheer curtain to block out light when necessary but still have some privacy when the shade is up. The ideal way to layer on one window is to put decoration over a more permanent or custom treatment, like a window shutter. This way you can change the decorative treatment as you wish, but the function stays the same.
• One Treatment Per Room – You should not have different window treatments in the same room. Window treatments like shutters help define a space, so having more than one treatment can make a room feel disjointed or awkward. It may be tempting to interchange treatments in large rooms, but its still a better idea to keep things consistent. This can get tricky with modern open floor plan homes. If your intent is to break up the room into several distinct areas, using different coverings might define each space. But proceed with caution.
• Keep The Same Functional Coverings– One easy way to keep up your curb appeal is to layer all the windows in the house with the same permanent and functional coverings under more unique treatments. Many designers recommend a neutral looking treatment for all their windows, as they enhance curb appeal while being versatile enough to blend into the different styles of each individual room. Try pairing functional coverings with different curtains in separate rooms to keep your windows looking uniform from the curb while allowing each room to have its own personality on the inside.
• Be Aware of Curb Appeal – There are no rules about using different treatments in different rooms throughout the house. However, many designers recommend using the same or similar treatments all around the home to keep a cohesive design feel. You can use different treatments to make rooms stand out, but when in doubt, go for the same. This is especially true when you consider curb appeal. Homes with matching window treatments look much more uniform and appealing from the street. If you use the same window treatment for all street-facing windows, people see the home as an entity rather than having one window or room stand out too much.

McNeill Palm is here to help if you want more information on window coverings, including those with Hunter Douglas PowerView® Motorization. Call or visit us today.