Why Solar Shades Are Perfect For Your Sunroom
bwsit • July 5, 2017

If you  have a sunroom, you know the beauty of the space and all the amazing benefits that come with it. But perhaps you find that sometimes, the sunlight can be a little too much and cause your sunroom to get hotter than you’d like. Or, perhaps, you find that certain seats in the room just aren’t as functional due to the amount of light pouring through the windows. In that case, you need not worry. Instead, consider solar shades as your solution.

What are solar shades?

A solar shade is made out of tightly-woven fabric that works to block some sunlight that comes in, without impairing your view. This means that if you want to watch the birds at your birdfeeder, you’ll still be able to see them. At the same time, the light that had been blocking your view from behind the birds will be greatly reduced.

In addition, solar shades aren’t a one size fits all. Instead, they come in a range of opacity (ranging from 15 to 1 percent), so you can decide on how much or how little light you want to come through. The lower the number, the higher the opacity and the less you’ll be able to see through it. On the other hand, a higher number means more light coming through, resulting in a better view. A range of 3-5 percent is the most common.

A sunroom allows homeowners to enjoy the outside, without having to leave the house. That underlying purpose is exactly what makes this type of window covering ideal for the space. Traditional window coverings tend to block out 100 percent of the light, taking away your view. While solar shades can benefit other rooms in your home, they offer the perfect compromise of light and view for any sunroom.

You’re In Control

If you obstruct your view, you negate the main purpose of your sunroom. At the same time, constant and full sunlight can make the space so unbearable that you don’t want to spend time in it to begin with. Solar shades, on the other hand, place you in full control of the light you want and the comfort you can achieve in this special room of your home for you and your family at all times of the day.

Imagine the benefits if your sunroom fulfills a purpose separate and additional to lounging. Especially if your sunroom also functions as a dining room, full sunshine can make the room too bright for comfort during dinner time. On the other hand, these types of shades will be able to block the glare so that you and your guests will be able to eat in comfort.

Or perhaps you use your sunroom as an additional living space. If that space includes a TV, you may notice that the sun creates a harsh glare on the screen that impedes your view. Again, a solar shade can easily be pulled down, reducing the glare, while still allowing you to see outside whenever you want.

Open to the Outside Comes With Caveats

In short, solar shades work great in reducing glare and filtering the light that comes into your sunroom. But at the same time, because of their versatility, they will not block others from seeing into your room. So if you are looking for a window covering to not only block the sunlight but also provide privacy on an as-needed basis, you may want to look for different shades.

However, if your main priority is control over the light that floods your sunroom, then solar shades are the perfect fit. To learn more about this type of window covering, and to get the installation process started for your sunroom, please  contact us.

Expert Advice by Just Blinds

How to Use Windows to Make Your Home Cozier

May 29, 2025
Windows give a home warmth, light, and a view of the outside world. But with the right treatments, you can also use your windows to make your home feel cozy. Coziness is a semse of comfort and familiarity. It defines a charm that feels like home, whether it's the coziness of a warm room in winter, your movie den in the summer. When we think of coziness, we often think of couches, candles, and throw blankets. But your windows play an equally important part. After all, it's your window treatments that frame the light, add softness to your walls, and set the mood for every room. The right window decorations can make your home feel warm and inviting. Using Windows, Drapes, and Shades to Create Coziness  Window treatements create a vibe for your entire room. Drapes, shades, and shutters can be used to create a backdrop of texture, color, and style. They also allow you to control the light levels in your home and even the color of the light. This means that your windows are the best place to start when making a room feel cozy. Layering soft drapes in rich colors is a great way to add that sense of comfort and warmth to a room, while cheerful blinds in soft neutrals can help a room to feel relaxed and welcoming. You can also use drapes or blinds to add a splash of color as a bold accent in any room. These touches combined with glowing sunshine during the day create a cozy and comfortable space. Plants as Cozy Window Decor You can use other types of decor to evoke a sense of coziness, too. We particularly love plants. Leafy green plants love the sunshine as much as you do and thrive when placed in a sunny window. Place an elegant snake plant in the windowsill or hang creeping ivy from a hook near the top of a window frame to make your room feel cheerful and alive with green energy. Plants make a home feel natural and vibrantly lived-in which is perfect for your cozy vibe. For a cozy kitchen, you can even grow fresh herbs in a box on the windowsill that add a delicious aroma and tasty fresh seasoning along with their natural visual appeal. Enhance Your Space with Aromatherapy Speaking of aromatics, you might be surprised how much your windows can take part in cozy aromatherapy. Window treatments like drapes and blinds are fabric that can help purfumes and essential oils linger in the room for days. Cozy scents are often warm aromas like cinnamon, vanilla, lavender, almonds, and coffee. But fresh fruit or floral scents that smell like "home" to you can also add a sense of coziness to each room. Simply spritz your curtains with your favorite scents and each room will subtly carry that comforting smell of home that makes you want to snuggle into the couch and relax at the end of each day. Moody Shade and Maximizing Light When we visualize coziness, light levels often play a role. Your minds eye may see a sun-drenched cottage or a gently lit library as your mental idea of a room that is perfectly cozy. Window treatments allow you to set the mood by reducing or maximizing light to the perfect levels. Well-designed shades and drapes can pull back attractively to maximize light, bathing your room in the warm welcoming glow of sunshine. Or if you prefer a more relaxed coziness, you can use translucent drapes or cellular shades to filter the light exactly the right amount. Diffuse and reduced light filtered through fabric of a warm color can make you feel safe and at peace. Increase Your Happiness with Window Design Your home should feel welcoming, relaxing, and cozy. The right window treatments can help set the stage for a delightful welcome home each night, rejuvinating weekends, and an overall feeling of at-home coziness when you are relaxing in your favorite place. To achieve this goal, you can experiment with home decor changes, including your windows, to achieve your ideal at-home bliss. Contact us today for custom drapes and blinds to complete your cozy room design.

What Your Window Treatment Says About You: A Personality-Based Guide

April 23, 2025
Your selection of window treatment products and services is not merely about getting a job done. Rather, if you look hard enough, you can find direct correlations between the type of person that you are and the window treatment that you select. We have created this personality-based guide to help you best discover what kind of window treatment truly matches your spirit. The Dependable Type: Wooden Blinds You are the person that all of your friends can count on. You are the type of person who truly sticks to your plans when you make them, and you are the type of person who will choose wooden blinds for your home. Privacy is important to you when selecting your blinds, and that is why you find yourself pulled into the idea of putting up wooden blinds. Besides that, they happen to be highly functional, and that's not something that you are willing to pass up either. The Planner: Blackout Curtains Those who value truly getting the most value out of their blinds or anything else that they install in their homes will think very carefully about their options. For those people, going with blackout curtains makes a lot of sense. They want to gain as much value as possible out of their options, and they know that they can significantly improve their quality of sleep and so much more when they opt for blackout curtains. These also happen to be a great option for those who work night shifts or other odd hours and yet still want to enjoy their sleep. They need blackout curtains to help increase the quality of that sleep and allow themselves to get their day started right. The Tech Enthusiast: Smart Shades They roam among us: The type of people who are quick to adopt any new technology and get to work figuring out how it can improve their lives. These people are great because they are not afraid to take a risk and because they help to move our society forward. They simply want to get more out of each day, and they often do so by adopting and using the latest technologies. These individuals will gravitate towards smart shades for the following attributes: Innovation - Who wants to stick with the boring old ways of shading one's house? Smarter options are now available, and you better believe that the tech enthusiasts among us are willing to latch on to them. Efficiency - These shades are a more efficient option for those who care about that kind of thing. They can be easily activated and set up to open or close automatically (how cool is that?!). Progressive - The "cool" factor is a big deal for people who fall into this category as well. They might not admit to it right off the bat, but they care deeply about what others think about them. As such, they want window shades that have that cool factor attached to them. The Dreamer: Sheer Curtains Finally, we land upon the dreamer. This is the person who views every day for the possibilities that it can bring. They are not scared off by those with a negative attitude. If anything, they believe that they can change those people! Instead, the dreamer wants sheer curtains because they bring in soft light, open spaces, and bring about a feeling of possibility all throughout the house. Sheer curtains are the ideal option for someone who classifies themselves in this way. They will receive plenty of compliments on their curtains, and they will appreciate how open they are to the world.  Which kind of person are you and which window treatment option makes the most sense for your personality? For more inspiration and ideas, reach out and contact us today.