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Can Large Window Roman Shades Be Motorized?

In the past, motorized roman shades had to be hardwired to lift products that were very heavy. It was possible, but it usually required an electrician to create an outlet or a junction box that was close to the top of the motorized roman shades. But things have changed, due to technology. Please watch the video of a recent job that we did in Reno, NV using the Rollease Acmeda Motors.

I have shot a lot of videos in the last year or so using this new technology for window treatments. The bottom line is that the new Lithium-Ion batteries are working out really well for handling large windows effectively. These motorized roman shades actually use two different models. Since the center window is actually about 10 feet wide and five feet tall, we had to use a motor which would be able to handle that amount of weight. But this raised another issue.

Some Bay Window Techicalities That We Handled

The windows on the side of the bay window are only about 2 feet wide and the motor that went into the center shade tube is far too wide to fit on the smaller motorized roman shades. So, we had to go with a smaller motor. I am attaching a picture of the two motors side by side so you can see what this would look like if we didn’t design a valance to hide the hardware.

Two Different Motors for Motorized Roman Shades On A Bay Window

Please take a look at the photo so we can get a little more information about how this works. Doing custom motorized roman shades takes some thought in order to make sure things function and look great. Even though the motors certainly don’t match in their visual analysis, they function perfectly together.

We also had to make choices about how the shades would look. Notice how the material is coming down behind the motors. This is because we wanted to made sure that there were minimal gaps at the left and right edges of the bay window. I’ve seen many installations from other companies where they didn’t take this into consideration and there is a gap of about 3”. In my opinion, this is a design mistake that we accounted for in this design.

In order to make this work correctly, we needed to miter the headrails. This would bring the gaps in the fabric, at the points where they join, as close as possible. Believe it or not, there were other considerations too, but this blog is long enough already. The bottom line is that we make sure your window treatments, in this case motorized roman shades, are well designed for both looks and function. Thank you for reading our blog post.

About Us

Kempler Design is located in Reno NV and serves the northern Nevada and Lake Tahoe regions with a mobile design showroom. Paul Kempler, its founder is considered a window fashions expert. Kempler Design has been featured in many prestigious projects, including the HGTV dream home in Lake Tahoe. Kempler Design works with homeowners as well as interior design firms looking for a local contact in the Reno/Tahoe area or is available for travel.

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If you are looking for helpful window treatment information and tips, then please call 775-857-3100, or complete our online request form.