If you have a large bank of windows in your home, it can be a challenge as to how to cover them. In the video below, we used 2 shades to cover a bank of windows with a quantity of openings at 10. There are 5 lower windows with 5 smaller windows above them.
A rule of thumb to keep in mind is that 10 individual shades tends to be more expensive than doing large shades that cover a bank of windows. This is a rule of thumb though. There are exceptions. For this client we had some very specific needs to address. Please watch the video below with me having possibly the worst hair look of my life and then we can discuss the circumstances.
The Importance of Listening
My job is to listen to the needs of the client. They expressed to me specific desires and needs that they have for this room. It is a bedroom that has this bank of windows. Imagine what that must be like to be in that room in late June or early July. The sun comes up that time of year in Reno at about 5:30 in the morning. With a wall of windows that covers 19 feet by 8 feet, we are talking about 150 square feet of direct sunlight in your face first thing in the morning.
Banded Dual Roller Shades After Cornice Installation
So, you can imagine that the first need they had was having a shade that would block the direct sunlight from waking them up. But when you do a bank of windows with blackout shades, sometimes the room is just too dark if you want privacy, so we decided to put in a secondary layer of roller shades that would allow light to come in, but give them complete privacy. So far these are normal concerns. But, if you look at the bank of windows, you will see that there are gaps between the shades. Let’s discuss that briefly.
Banded Shades for Bank of Windows
Since there are 5 shades all side by side, we needed to come up with the best solution. Doing one shade all the way across would have been the easiest, but based on the size it was not realistic. The widest typical blackout shade material is about 9 feet wide and the widest tube for residential use is typically about 16 feet. So, based on this, it made more sense to split it into 2 shades. So, if you are using the clever part of your brain, you will notice that the left motor controls 3 shades and the right motor controls 2 shades. There are 5 bands for the overall bank of windows, but there are just 2 tubes and two motors running the assembly.
But, this was too easy. We had to make it more complicated by adding a second layer of roller shades. When you watch the video you will see that we have a room darkening and a light filtering fabric that operate independently. This requires a lot of engineering. Thankfully, this is the type of work I enjoy doing very much. So, in the end, the project on this bank of windows uses 4 Roller Tubes, 4 motors, 5 shades in blackout and 5 light filtering shades to give this client exactly what they want.
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.