Why Cellular Shades Are Perfect All Year Round
When you are considering new window treatments for your home, there are many factors you need to consider. Along with the decor style, features, and designs, one aspect you should keep in mind is seasonality. You want to make sure what you choose can work all year-round, both functionally and aesthetically.
With that in mind, you want to think about what rooms are prone to cold drafts during the winter or become warmer in the summer. Insulation year-round is key, and one window treatment that can help you with this is cellular shades.
Cellular shades are designed to trap air, making them one of the most popular window treatments for keeping the external temperatures outdoors.
What are cellular shades?
Cellular shades are window treatments made of honeycomb-shaped pockets in soft fabrics arranged in either vertical or horizontal cellular structures. They fold into themselves when raised, creating a tight stack exposing most of your window glass, allowing a nice view of the outdoors.
What are the benefits of cellular shades?
Year-round insulation
A cellular shade helps keep your house cool during the summer and warm during the winter. This is because their structure traps air in a way that reduces heat transfer between your interiors and outdoors or in the summer heat entering the rooms you are trying to keep cool.
Energy efficiency
Cellular shades are efficient in helping you reduce the costs you incur on energy. This is because they sync with cooling and heating, depending on the seasonal change. With cellular shades, you can balance the temperature level in your home.
Noise reduction
Noise, whether from outside or inside, can be detrimental to your productivity and overall well-being. Cellular shades are excellent at slowing the movement of sound waves. This noise reduction feature is particularly important for baby rooms, bedrooms, offices and living rooms.
What to consider when choosing the best cellular shades
Material and texture
Cellular shades come in various opacities ranging from sheer to light-filtering and room-darkening to blackout options; It’s important to note which fabrics are best for maintaining all-year insulation. For instance, cellular blackout shades are more effective in insulating heat and cold than the others. On the other hand, light-filtering fabrics are great at creating a warm, soft light in rooms.
Privacy
Your desire for privacy will also determine your choice of cellular shades. Light-filtering cellular shades provide some privacy but are not that efficient at providing guaranteed privacy. They’re perfect for office spaces, playrooms, and living spaces that don’t require complete privacy.
As the name implies, cellular blackout shades are great at preventing exterior light from entering a room. This is what makes them ideal for nurseries, bathrooms, and bedrooms.
Safety
If you have kids in your home, you should consider cordless cellular shades. Cordless shades are ideal for children’s rooms to avoid endangering them with drawstrings. Another option would be to use motorized cellular shades appropriate for tall or hard-to-reach windows.
Add-on features
To enjoy total privacy and still get light control, you could pair light-filtering shades with draperies or curtains. You can close the drapes when you want complete privacy and light control and open them whenever you desire filtered light.
Are cellular blackout shades more energy efficient?
Blackout cellular shades block sunlight from permeating your house, which reduces the quantity of energy your home would consume on heating and cooling. And so, they’re significantly more energy-efficient than other types of cellular shades.
Note: cellular blackout shades do not have to be dark to block out all the light. It is the added light blocking material in the shades honeycomb cell that takes care of that. Also, you don’t need to worry about a dark color absorbing heat or making your window appear like a black hole; most cellular shades are backed with a light color toward the exterior. This gives you curb appeal and energy efficiency no matter what color you choose.
In consideration of seasonal and temperature changes, cellular shades can be perfect all year round. If you want to get cellular shades but are unsure what opacity to select, schedule a free in-home consultation with our local design experts.
