Sheers are back!
Sheers are back! They’re versatile and provide a multitude of benefits. In this post, I share why you should consider sheer window treatments in your home.
Silhouette sheer shadings; Source: Hunter Douglas
You might think that sheers are only for traditional homes or that they’re outdated, but they are definitely back in style, thanks in large part to the return to more traditional window treatments.
Sheer window treatments are unlined and made from lightweight fabrics to make the curtains or shades translucent. They are a simple, stylish way to upgrade your home, and they work well with any design style, from modern to traditional to anywhere in between.
Today, I'm sharing more about sheers, which can enhance any home without overpowering the intended look and feel of the space.
London shade; Source: Red River Interiors
Benefits of sheer window treatments
You’ll appreciate the many benefits and versatility sheers have to offer.
They add softness to any room
Sheers create a delicate look, giving the room a gauzy, breezy feeling. The way they soften a space makes the room feel cozier and more welcoming. Sheers also greatly enhance the ambiance by softening the incoming light and framing the windows.
Sheers diffuse light without blocking your views
Sheer window treatments allow soft light to enter a room. This creates a dreamy, airy atmosphere that maximizes the natural light while allowing you to still appreciate the views outside the window. The soft natural light that streams through the window can make the room feel bigger, brighter, and more comfortable.
Sheer window treatments offer UV protection
Because sheers diffuse sunlight, they act as a protective barrier between your home’s interior and damaging UV rays. They filter out the full force of harsh sunlight, so your paint, flooring, furniture, and decor will last longer. This can also help keep your rooms cooler in the summer because you're not experiencing the full force of the sun's heat.
They can reduce dust
Blinds and shutters have surfaces that can gather dust. That dust can then spread throughout your room. But with sheers, there is no surface for dust to collect.
Types & styles of sheers
Sheer Austrian shades
When you think about sheers, you might assume curtains are your only option. But sheers now come in an extensive range of products to fit any room and design style.
Sheer curtains
Sheer curtains are a classic choice and can be fully customized. You can choose for them to be pleated, gathered, or have a ripplefold style.
There are also endless fabric options for your sheer curtains. Sheer materials are so thin that you can see through them, and a few of the most common options include:
Cotton and linen: These fabrics are soft and durable and can give a natural feel and look to your space.
Polyester: The most durable fabric for sheers. It’s stain-resistant and can be cleaned easily. It comes in different weaves and textures, from soft and thin voile to thicker, “nubbier” casement fabrics.
Lace and embroidered sheers: These can really add a decorative touch by creating visual interest and texture to your sheer curtains or shades.
Sheer shades
If you want the benefits of sheers but don’t want curtains, you can choose from many sheer shade options. Sheer shades combine the structure of more traditional shades with the softness of sheer fabrics.
Roman shades; Source: Magnolia Lane Soft Home Furnishings
Some of my favorite custom sheer shades include Austrian or London shades and relaxed Roman shades, but we can also provide custom light filtering roller shades like these from Arlington Shade by Pinnacle from United Supply and other specialized products from companies like Hunter Douglas and Lafayette.
Source: United Supply Company
Luminette® by Hunter Douglas: Luminette panels are vertical sheers that combine the beauty of sheers with the privacy of soft draperies.
Silhouette® by Hunter Douglas: These shades feature uniquely shaped S-vanes and are available in a wide range of beautiful sheer fabrics.
Pirouette® by Hunter Douglas: Pirouette shades are made of soft, horizontal fabric vanes attached to sheer backing to give you excellent light control.
Tenera® by Lafayette: These shades offer exceptional UV protection and can be customized to fit any size or shape window.
Source: Layfette Interior Fashions
Things to consider when choosing sheers
While sheers look fantastic in any style of home, they might not fit into your lifestyle on their own. Thankfully, you can usually still include sheer window treatments by making a few adjustments and choosing the right fabric.
Pirouette sheer shades; Source: Hunter Douglas
Do you have pets?
If you have pets, they might damage long sheer curtains. Cats might play or climb your curtains, and dogs might rub on or lay up against them. Sheer shades may mitigate these potential issues.
Is there a vent near the window where the sheers will be installed?
Because sheers are unlined, they are incredibly lightweight and may billow if they are too close to a vent. If that’s the case, you can still get the softness and benefits of sheers by opting for sheer shades instead of sheer curtains or choosing a durable material that’s easy to clean.
Will the sheers be exposed to high humidity?
In the case of linen sheers, the humidity in the environment can sometimes cause the linen to stretch considerably causing a hem that once skimmed the floor upon installation to drag the floor 2” a month later.
Is there a need for privacy?
If the space calls for privacy, you might need another layer of window treatments over the sheers. An excellent choice is to pair sheers with draperies in front of them or shades underneath that can be closed for more privacy.
Luminette privacy sheers; Source: Hunter Douglas
If you want to brighten your home, add a layer of softness to your next design project, refresh your curtains, or add instant style to your space, contact me today!
Why are Roman shades and other soft shades so expensive?
When deciding which window treatments to install in your home, the cost may be a significant factor. Custom Roman shades and other styles of soft shades (like London shades, balloon shades, and Austrian shades) tend to be more expensive than other types, like roller shades. Just because they tend to cost more doesn’t mean they’re unattainable. There can be a wide range in price based on the size of the window treatment, trim, fabric, and more.
Today, I’ll share why Roman shades and other soft shades are so expensive and tips for keeping the price down to fit in your budget.
Factors that determine the price
Here are just a few of the elements that dictate the final cost of Roman shades and other soft shades.
Fabric & trim
There are countless fabric options available - from sheer, cotton, linen, or polyester blends to velvet and upholstery fabrics. Some materials just don’t work well as soft shades, but I have the knowledge and experience to recommend appropriate fabrics for your project.
If you’re trying to keep the cost down, you may choose a basic, lightweight cotton fabric because they tend to be less costly than natural linen, silk, velvet, or upholstery fabrics. It’s also important to remember that materials with a design (like a floral or geometric) usually require extra fabric for pattern matching, which can drive up the cost.
Workroom: R Garner Custom Designs
Designer: Cory Connor Designs
Besides choosing the fabric, you can customize your Roman shades with trim, like a fringe or flat banding at the bottom hem. Banding can also be placed along the side hems or mitered and stitched on both the sides and bottom hem. Adding trim details will add to the overall cost, but a beautiful trim can really enhance the look of your shade and create a truly one-of-a-kind design.
Read also: What Interior Designers Should Know About Difficult Fabrics for Window Treatments
Lining, interlining, & fabrication supplies
Unless you want a sheer, see-through shade, I’ll always sew a lining to the back of the Roman shade to create a finished look and give you more light control. There are several types of lining that can affect the final price of your window treatments.
You can choose a basic cotton lining if you want some light to come through the window treatment. Keep in mind, though, that shadows of any inner ribs and pull strings will show through. Because of this, I typically use blackout lining on the backs of most of the soft shades I make. Blackout lining is a little more expensive than basic lining, but it will protect your nice shade fabric from the sun's harsh ultraviolet (UV) light. UV light will fade and damage your material, so blackout lining is worth the extra expense.
Except for sheer shades, I also add an inner lining (called interlining) to all of my Roman shades. The interlining is flannel and has rib pockets to house thin fiberglass ribs.
Roman shades and other soft shades also have a weight bar, shade rings, and ring locks from Safe-T-Shade. These ring locks prevent dangerous loops from forming in the lift cord.
Style
There are many different types of soft shades, such as flat-style shades like flat-fold Roman shades (also called waterfall shades). There are also relaxed Roman shades and hobbled Roman shades, which still have folds when lowered. Other soft shades, like balloon shades, London shades, and Austrian shades, have more fullness.
Some of these styles are more expensive than others because they’re more labor-intensive and require more material. For example, the fuller shades need more fabric and lining.
Operating mechanism
I use some type of headrail system for all of the operational shades I fabricate, whether the shade is manually operated (with a bead chain lift or spring lift) or motorized.
Credit: Workroom Tech (student project)
Details: Coulise spring lift system & Safe-T-Shade cord locks
Manual soft shades
Manual shades that use a bead chain lift are operated by pulling a continuous loop bead chain. This turns drums inside the headrail, which lifts the cords of the shade (much like blind headrails that you may be familiar with). The bead chain can be made of basic plastic in white, off-white, grey, or black. Or, you can upgrade to a metal finish, like nickel, brass, antique brass, copper, or stainless steel (which doesn’t rust).
You may also choose a spring lift. A spring lift headrail has an aluminum roller tube with clips to which the shade cords are attached. There’s a spring on one of the tube, which can be wound to the desired tightness. It can easily be adjusted with a tension wheel by the installer or even after installation by the homeowner. Shades with these cordless spring lifts are a little more expensive than ones with a bead chain lift.
Credit: Somfy
Motorized shades
Motorized shades operated with a remote control are naturally more expensive than manual shades. But if it’s within your budget, I highly recommend choosing them. If your windows are hard to reach, motorization is truly the best option. Motorization offers a lot of conveniences, even for easy-to-reach windows.
I am a certified Somfy motorization expert, so I can help you decide which motorization hardware is best for your project.
For example, Somfy offers a TaHoma hub, which can integrate all your shades, draperies, and even outdoor shades or awnings so you can operate them through an app on your smartphone from anywhere. You can also set a schedule to automatically open and close your soft shades.
The Tahoma hub allows you to group your shades so they operate together. Additionally, you can add solar sensors to your windows. These let you program the soft shades to raise and lower at the times when the sun tends to shine straight into the room.
Stationary soft shades
You may also choose a stationary shade. Stationary shades will give you the look of a soft shade but are not functional. These are a little less expensive because they require less fabric and materials and don’t need an operating headrail. They can be installed over roller shades, blinds, or plantation shutters if you need to add privacy.
Labor
Roman shades are meticulously crafted and require a tremendous amount of time, skill, and attention to detail to ensure the finished product is excellent.
For instance, I take great care to ensure the fabric design placement is considered before fabricating the shades. For all shade styles, I make sure the folds fall at the same point in the fabric pattern or give a pleasing design. For fuller shade styles, like balloon or London shades, I make sure any fabric design motif is placed in separate sections to allow for a beautiful design when installed.
My preferred fabrication method is to place hidden ribs in the folds to give crisp, straight folds when the shade is raised. I also add an interlining with rib pockets and thin fiberglass ribs between the face fabric and lining. This inner layer with the fiberglass ribs is hand-tacked to the face fabric with matching thread. Then, I hand-stitch the cord rings through the lining and interlining just behind the ribs. By only stitching the cord rings behind the ribs, I can eliminate pinholes that allow light to shine through the shade when installed in the window.
I hand-stitch all the side and bottom hems on all the shades I fabricate. I also stitch on all the rings by hand and usually cut and assemble the headrails myself. This is time-consuming and requires a great deal of skill, but it ensures that the final product is something you’re proud to own.
Are custom soft shades worth the price?
Yes, custom soft shades are typically worth the price. Ready-made shades come in limited sizes, fabrics, patterns, and trim. Because they are mass-produced, they also often have issues you may not notice until you install them.
On the other hand, custom-made shades are fabricated to fulfill your exact needs and tastes. They’re made to your windows’ precise measurements, so the final product will fit your window perfectly, even if it’s an odd size.
Although expensive, custom soft shades are an excellent investment and can be a stunning design element in any room. I understand that everyone is on a budget, and I take that into consideration when fabricating all of your window treatments. If you’re ready to add soft shades to your home or next interior design project, contact me today!