The interior mount I had hoped for wasn’t an option with my shallow windows, so we selected an outside mount waterfall shade. It was important to me to preserve visibility of my millwork as much as possible, which the design team was sensitive to—and I think the solution we landed on worked well. I also knew I wanted some texture and transparency, which nudged me toward the Shade Store’s wood weaves. My preferred material was on backorder until January, so I went for my second choice of unlined Somerset Teak. It’s a little tidier than the more rustic option I’d had my eye on, but I still love the look.
How did the installation process work? (Was it hard? Did you do it yourself?)
The shades shipped directly to my house a few days ahead of the installation date in a single box. A technician (arranged for by the Shade Store) handled all of the assembly and mounting—so my involvement in the installation was mercifully minimal. The entire process took less than half an hour, and, in white-glove fashion, he also took all of the packaging with him. Order to installation takes around a month.
Photo: Lila Allen
Photo: Lila Allen
What type of hardware did you choose, if any?
The hardware on this set of shades is concealed, outside of the continuous-loop chain that’s mounted to the side of the window.
What room did you put them in and why?
I recently moved into a new house, so all of my windows need shades. My living room is where I spend the most time, though, so getting a chic set there was a priority. Knowing that I’d have a custom, professional installation made it all the more appealing to test out the Shade Store—the last thing I wanted to do was screw up the room’s beautiful original millwork.
How do you feel about the shades now that they’re installed? (Are you happy with them? Are they serving the purpose you’d intended them to?)
They are still brand new to me, but I love them! I’m happy we were able to come up with a solution that worked for my difficult windows—and the shades are a perfect fit. So far the continuous-loop chain isn’t snagging, and the shades are remaining level. Because of the transparency, you can see a central lifting thread through the middle of the shade—but it’s subtle and doesn’t bother me. If I needed another set of custom shades and it was in my budget, I’d order from the Shade Store again. (Based on the emails I’ve been getting since I started this process, they do offer seasonal discounts—so factor that into your planning.)
