Month: August 2021

If you’re looking for new motorized shades for your home, you’ve probably done a lot of research, and have a long list of wants that most likely includes energy efficiency, safety, and affordability. It might seem impossible to find shades that have all those items, but its not. Cordless cellular motorized shades offer insulation, child and pet safety, style, and a wide variety of options. You really can have it all if you go with cellular shades.

Cordless motorized shades operate differently based on what kind of cordless function they have. There are a few different options, each with a different function:

1. Cordless Top Down Bottom Up Lift: Lift or Lower the bottom or top of your shade with the simple press of a button.
2. Cordless Lift: Lift your shade with the press of a button. Release the button to lock it into place.
3. Standard Cordless Top Down Bottom Up Lift: Just lift or lower the plastic lips on the top rail or bottom rail of the shade.
4. Standard Cordless Lift: Just lift the plastic lip on the bottom rail of the shade to the desired height.
5. Motorized: Pick your desired height using a remote control or even an app on your phone.

Cordless cellular motorized shades have a lot of great benefits. The first is superior insulation. When it’s hot outside, you want your house to be cool, but when it’s cold outside, you want your house to be warm. Cellular shades are built with cells that help trap air and create a barrier between the window and the room, helping you achieve this ideal temperature level all year round. You can find cellular shades made with a single cellular layer, or a double shade, which has two layers of cells for even more insulation.

Second, cordless cellular motorized shades are safe. Shade cords can be very dangerous for both children and pets, as the cords can get wrapped around necks, arms, legs and paws, potentially leading to choking or loss of circulation. Cordless cellular shades eliminate this danger because they don’t have external cords. Cordless shades still have cords, but they’re built to be on the inside of the shade, making them inaccessible for little fingers or paws.

Cordless cellular shades come in lots of different types, each with specific benefits. For example, top down bottom up shades allow you to have the window partially uncovered to let in light but still have privacy. Blackout shades offer complete darkness for sleeping or watching a movie, and light filtering let some light in but stops people outside from being able to see in. Finally, cordless cellular shades have great style options. Various shades have various cell sizes, and also different colors from white and cream to grey, black, green, blue and more. There is a cordless cellular shade option for every home.

If you want to learn more about motorized shades, just reach out to McNeill Palm. We’re happy to do whatever we can to help you find the best window treatment for you and your home.

Adding motorized shutters home is a great way to add style from the inside, boost your curb appeal, increase property value, add even more convenience, increase safety, and even lower energy consumption. However, some homeowners are put off from motorized window shutters because they have to get the correct window measurements to install their shutters.

This shouldn’t be such a cause of worry, as measuring for motorized shutters isn’t as tough as it seems. The following are frequently asked questions and their answers to give you guidance on measuring for your new motorized shutters:

1. Where Do I Start? – Your first step should be deciding if you’re getting inside mount or outside mount shutters, as this will determine how you measure. If your window has a recess that can fit a shutter frame, you can have an inside mount. If your windows have minimal depth or any kinds of obstructions like crank handles, you need an outside mount.
2. What Do I Do About A Sill? – A protruding sill or ledge at the bottom of your window doesn’t change anything if you’re going with inside mount shutters. However, if you want outside mount shutters, you do need to add the width of the frame once to your height (as opposed to twice to your width) to get an accurate measurement.
3. How Do I Handle Historic Windows? – A lot of historic windows have a colonial trim, making them hard to fit for a shutter. Hard, but not impossible. You can use an inside mount L-frame style shutter to fit your historic windows.
4. How Do I Measure Oddly Shaped Windows? – There is a shutter for every window, even oddly shaped ones. If you have bay, bow, circular, or another kind of window shape, get measure the height and width, and then take a picture of the window to send to your shutter manufacturer.
5. Can I Use a Laser Measure? – While new gadgets are cool, they are not always reliable. It’s a better idea stick with a standard measuring tape to measure your windows for your shutters. This is especially true because laser measures are not great for measuring small, confined areas like window openings. However, if you want to use your new laser, just double-check the results with a tape measure.
6. What About Windows That Tilt For Cleaning? – If you have windows that tilt in for cleaning, you should go for an outside mount, as it will not block the window from tilting. However, if you really want the look of inside mount shutters, you can order them as panels only so you can still tilt the window as needed. Another option is to get an inside mount frame and ditch the tilt.

It will be easy to measure for your new motorized shutters if you follow the advice of McNeill Palm. You can stop by and visit us or give us a call to get any of your window shutter questions answered.

Your window treatments play a big part in your décor and your home’s function. This is especially true when it comes to your kitchen window coverings. When cooking, cleaning, and washing dishes, you want to not only be pleased with the lighting or shading that comes from the windows, but also rest assured that the covering can hold up to the daily wear and tear that goes with a kitchen. If you’re getting ready to shop for kitchen window coverings, you should keep these questions, like considering if you want to add Hunter Douglas PowerView Motorization, in mind to give you inspiration and guidance:

1. Should I Add Hunter Douglas PowerView Motorization? Motorizing your kitchen window coverings can be really great! The technology offers a lot of benefits to your home. From extra security and increased privacy to simple convenience, you won’t regret motoring your window coverings.
2. Do I Want My Window Covering to Match My Molding? If you have painted walls with different colored molding around the ceilings, floors, and windows, you will probably want to match your window coverings to the color of the molding for a seamless and sophisticated feel.
3. Do I Want My Window Covering Match My Flooring? While you don’t want to go too far with matching, it’s a good idea to have your window coverings fit in with your floor coloring. For example, if you have white molding, dark blue walls and warm golden flooring, your windows would look great with warm, golden color window coverings. This seamless design helps tie the entire room together without being too ostentatious. Also, having corresponding window coverings and flooring will help the room look bigger as it will draw the eyes upwards.
4. Should I Match My Cabinets? This is another instance in which the secondary color of the kitchen space, like the molding or floor, should complement the window coverings. If you have cabinets with more than one color you should get window coverings that match the cabinet’s secondary colors. Be careful that you do not match your coverings to the main color of your cabinets, as that would be too overwhelming for the eyes. However, if you have neutral cabinets in browns, whites or black, your window coverings can be pretty much any color you want.
5. What About Countertops? Matching window treatments and countertops can be tricky. Theoretically, if your countertops match with your cabinets, they will therefore match your window coverings. However, if they are the same color as your cabinets, you do not want to have your window coverings be that color as that would be too much. But, if your countertops and your cabinets complement each other, then you can emphasize either color with your window covering.

Finding the right window coverings for your kitchen windows is really all about how you want the room to look and feel. Kitchens can get away with being busy or complex, but be careful you don’t go too far with it. You can always go simple with your main pieces, like the window coverings and cabinets, and add interest with smaller elements like artwork or countertop décor.

If you want more help or inspiration for the Hunter Douglas PowerView Motorization in your kitchen or in any other part of your home, please reach out to McNeill Palm.