Blackout Shades
Potentially one of the most requested items related to blinds and shades in the Coachella Valley is blackout shades. Each person has a different definition of “blackout shades”, so it is important to understand what that means in the window covering industry. The term “blackout”, or “room darkening” refers to the opacity of the fabric, not the darkening of the room as a whole. When we order room darkening products such as blackout roller shades or blackout honeycomb shades, the fabric will be 100% blackout, meaning zero light should be coming through the fabric. However, light can still seep around the shade, including the sides, bottom, and top of the shade. Realistically, it is very difficult to achieve 100% blackout.
Here are some products to consider when shopping for blackout shades in Palm Desert, La Quinta, Palm Springs and the rest of the Coachella Valley:
Blackout Honeycomb Shades: honeycomb shades have the smallest side gaps in the industry, providing less light leakage than other product types. For one of the best products for light-blocking, ask us about Hunter Douglas’ Duette with LightLock!
2. Blackout Roller Shades: blackout roller shades are one of the more common products that customers use when needing a dark room. The fabric is 100% blackout. One downside to the product is their larger side gaps. This is important to consider when choosing roller shades. In many cases it is best to do an outside mount with extra fabric overlapping the wall on the sides to help trap the light. This will still not create a “100% blackout” look however. For a true 100% blackout roller shade, ask us about our NEW framed roller shade collection!
3. Blackout Vignette Modern Roman Shades: for a more elegant blackout shade, Vignette shades by Hunter Douglas is the best choice. They offer the same type of fabric blackout as honeycomb shades and roller shades, but with a hobbled roman shade look!
