A few months ago, I was asked to do window treatments for this combination family room/home office, located in a large basement. As you can see from the before photo, it is fairly bright for a basement space, with three large windows. You may be wondering what’s on the wall behind the desk, between the two windows: those are racks of collectibles. Along the wall opposite of the windows, there was a large TV over their brick fireplace. Both of these elements, along with the office furniture and paraphernalia, reveal the uses of the room. If you look closely, you can see the old, somewhat dated-looking vertical blinds on either side of each window. You can also see the metal rods that were used to manipulate them.
As a designer, my personal style is tailored and minimalist. Unless my clients have a different goal, I prefer the window treatments to be a backdrop rather than a focal point. For me, the life of the family who uses a room comes first, always!
We replaced those old vertical blinds with motorized shades in a nice neutral shade. We chose Hunter Douglas Duette® Architella® honeycomb shades in “Desert Sand” to let diffused light in and maintain the room’s brightness even when they are closed, while also giving them maximum energy efficiency.
For those who wonder about how our motorized shades work, here is a fun peek at the inner workings of the PowerRise® satellite battery packs. These are mounted underneath the top frames of the windows, out of sight. This allows the family to raise and lower the shades at the touch of a button. In this case, they have opted for both a handheld remote and a wireless wall switch. The husband, in particular, loves this technology. No more metal rods! This combination family room/home office has entered the 21st century. And the future looks bright!
If you’re interested in learning more about our options for automated window coverings, schedule a free consultation today to take advantage of our Fashion in Motion motorization savings event.
