Roller Shades

The answer to the question of what are the best roller shades is rather individual. The best roller shades are the ones that fit your needs and preferences. First and foremost you should think about the use of the room for which the roller shades are longed for.

We recommend going for Day & Night double roller shades for the kitchen and bathroom. What are double roller shades? They consist of two layers of opaque and translucent strips of fabric, where the opaque strips are wider than the translucent ones. This way you can decide for yourself whether you seek privacy through overlapping the opaque strips over the translucent strips or let the sun rays dance in the room by overlapping the opaque and translucent strips respectively. This also sheds light on the query of what are light filtering roller shades.

However for the bedroom or nursery we recommend choosing solar roller shades. What are solar roller shades and what are blackout roller shades? These terms can be used interchangeably. As the name suggests blackout roller shades consist of a fully opaque fabric in every color equipped with a reflecting coating on the outside that all in all allow for a full darkening as well as keeping the room pleasantly cool in summer and cozy warm in winter.

Yes. Roller shades have been on the market for a very long time. Justifiably so. But Are roller shades modern? As they can adapt to any interior decor, whether minimalistic, modern, boho etc. they are always in style and modern. Due to the wide variety of roller shade kinds offering different functions, there certainly is a roller shade for every room type. A timeless classic among window coverings!

Yes. If you rather prefer installing your roller shade on the wall or the ceiling above the window frame, it is no problem to mount the back of the roller shade, i.e. the rail, onto the ceiling with the bottom up. The roller shade mechanism automatically adapts to the position allowing for a smooth unwinding and rewinding of the fabric. This answers the question of can roller shades be top mounted.

But can roller shades be bottom mounted? As the roller shade fabric rewinds to the bottom, there is no possibility to mount the roller shade rail below or at the bottom of the window frame, because the function of the roller shade would be lost. However it is possible to attach the bottom of the roller shade to the bottom of the window frame with a mechanism made for this purpose preventing the fabric from sticking up when tilting the window.

Yes, roller shades block heat and uv rays, but the intensity depends on the chosen fabric. Maximum effects can be achieved with solar blackout roller shades. These types of roller shades have an opaque fabric additionally equipped with a silver coating that effectively reflects sun rays. Will these roller shades keep heat in winter in and do roller shades insulate as a consequence? Yes. Due to the mentioned additional coating, the fabric of these roller shades is thicker than other roller shade fabrics, which as a result slows down the escape of heat from the room, allowing for better temperature regulation. In a nutshell, solar roller shades are energy efficient and here to stay in order to meet the demands of tomorrow.

Roller Shades vs. Blinds is a never ending (love) story. But to be honest, there is no direct answer. If you pick roller shades or rather choose pleated shades or blinds depends almost solely on your personal preferences. Let us show you some of the benefits to each of them and make your life a touch easier:

Roller shades:
+ fully opaque or light filtering fabrics
+ only mounted at the top, no brackets at the bottom of the window
+ option to mount at the ceiling or wall, without assembly on the window itself
+ precise light control
+ both brackets – with and without drilling – always included in the package

Pleated blinds:
+ overall sleek and stylish design
+ rich assortment of fabrics and colors
+ a wide variety of brackets with or without drilling
+ capable with skylight rooftop windows
+ extremely sturdy due to double bracing & assembly at the top and bottom of the window

Feel the thrill of being the ultimate decision-maker!

Roller shades are window coverings that allow you to roll a fabric up and down – hence the name. The light filtering or opaque fabric is attached on one side to a hollow tube on which the fabric is wrapped around and rolled over. On the other end of the fabric there’s a weighting bar to keep the fabric, which is hanging down and covering the window, smooth and in a fixed position. Roller shades are raised and lowered by a pull on the beaded chain loop. And that’s how roller shades work.

Regardless of whether the roller shade will be clamped or screwn onto the window frame or wall and possibly inside a window recess, the measurement instructions are identical.
For the width simply measure the width of the windowpane and add 1 to 3 cm on each side. The ordered width refers to the actual width of the fabric. Don’t forget about the window handle: keep a space of minimum 0.5 cm between the fabric and the window handle. Keep in mind that the profile rail around which the fabric is wrapped is on each side about 1.5 cm wider than the fabric.
For the height measure the height of your window frame and add 2-5 cm in total.

Can roller blinds be fitted outside recess? Yes. For best results, the measurement instructions should be slightly altered. As the window recess (window reveal) is wider than the windowpane and sometimes quite deep, the fabric of the roller shade should be in total about 2-6 cm wider than the window recess. This way any unwanted light gaps will be avoided.

There is no one answer fits all. It all depends on your personal preferences. Our advice is to either match the color almost identically to the window trim, wall color and overall interior or to pick a complementary (contrasting) color. This way you can either make the room appear bigger in a stylish way or add a captivating pop of color to your windows by accentuating them at the same time. If you can not decide or seek something universal, opt for neutral tones like whites, beiges or grays. Neutrals are always a safe choice.
But do these roller shades provide privacy? Yes. Whether choosing roller shades in darker tones or light colors like white and beige, they will always provide maximum privacy. This allows you to choose the color simply by the looks, as the function is always given in any color.

Installment made easy. All window shades, including roller shades, are almost fully assembled. The only thing that’s left is the assembly of the preferred brackets onto your window frame, wall or ceiling.

Assembly without drilling: slide the clamp holder brackets on the back of the roller shade rail, attach the adhesive straps onto the clamp holders (optional) and click the roller shade with the attached clamp holders on the top of your window frame.

Assembly with drilling: screw the brackets with drilling on the desired position of your window frame/ceiling or wall and click the roller shade rail on the mounted brackets. Done!

Can roller shades be outside mount? Yes. Roller shades can be mount outside the window recess. The installation is done with the provided brackets with drilling on the wall above the window recess. Also, roller shades can not be mounted outdoors as the fabric could get damaged due to various weather conditions.

Yes. If your roller shade does not roll up smoothly and unevenly, i.e. when raising the roller shade the fabric rolls up more to one side (called telescoping) instead of straightly up, there certainly is hope and your roller shade can be saved by following the steps and solutions below on how to fix roller shades:

1. Check whether your roller shade brackets are even and in line. Also, when mounting without drilling the clamp holders should not be too loose on the window.

2. Use a spirit level to examine whether the roller shade hangs horizontally on the window and is level. This is a common reason for telescoping on roller shades.

3. Unroll the fabric completely and roll it slowly up again.

4. If the above solutions did not provide the desired results, unroll the fabric completely up to the point where the tube to which the fabric is attached shows. Take some masking tape in hand and cut off a strip of about 5 cm (or 2 inches). Attach it (only) to the tube above and perpendicular to the fabric but on the side of the tube where the fabric does not align (e.g. the material rolls up to the left, then the strip should be attached at the end of the right side of the tube). Check if the fabric rolls up evenly now. If not, attach a second (or if needed third) strip of masking tape on top of the existing one.

By following the above solutions, your roller shade should run smoothly again.

In order to clean roller shades the first thing to do is to wipe dust off with a dry brush or vacuum on the lowest setting. For stubborn stains, use some lukewarm water with a mild dishwashing detergent and a soft non-fuzzy cloth to wipe and dab the affected area. Don’t rub. Leave it open to dry overnight.
Mild detergents are better than any kind of soap, because they remove stains more effectively and don’t leave watermarks.

But can all roller blinds be cleaned and are roller shades easy to clean? Yes and Yes, however the method used depends on the roller blind fabric. Double roller shades with a light filtering fabric can be cleaned all over. In addition, if needed, the fabric itself could be fully bathed in a mixture of water and dishwasher detergent. Blackout roller shades on the other hand have a special silver coating on the back of the fabric. This coating should not come in contact with any detergent or water as this could affect its functionality. Stains on the silver thermo coating should only be wiped with a soft dry cloth. The colorful front of the fabric can be cleaned with the above mentioned water-detergent-mixture.

Yes. However, the painting method depends on the chosen roller shade type. For instance the fabric of double roller shades is not smooth, which means that painting it with acrylic paint is possible but not ideal due to the nature of the surface, as an all over even application is close to impossible. We recommend using spray paint, because of the way a spray can works, the paint can be applied evenly. Make sure to spray from a distance of at least 30 cm (about 12 inches).
As for smooth fabrics like the fabric of blackout solar roller shades, it is possible to use spray paint and also acrylic paint. Keep in mind to apply thin layers and only apply paint to the colorful side, i.e. not on the silver thermal coating.

There are no limits to your creativity. You can use design stencils or make a design yourself with some measuring tape. For best results, lay your roller shade on the ground or table, clean the fabric and after painting it, leave it open to dry overnight. Painting roller shades is indeed possible and also a great way of upcycling.