Are you loving the burst of springtime sunshine we get this time of year? Full of much-needed Vitamin D, the rays of sunshine are therapeutic after the gloom of gray skies we experience throughout the winter. Now that the sunlight is filling your home again, besides improving your mood, are you unpleasantly frustrated with too much light during specific times of day? Do you avoid certain rooms due to uncomfortable glare and rising temperatures? It might be time for new window shades–but not just any window treatments. The innovation of top down bottom up shades can transform the atmosphere of your home and your life.
Transform Your Living Room & Entranceway
Large windows let in gorgeous amounts of sunlight. They brighten our lives and set a breathtaking scene in your living room and entranceway. But when that beautiful sunshine is flooding into your home, you can experience uncomfortable temperatures, harmful UV rays and relentless glare. Top down bottom up shades solve these problems and create the ideal atmosphere. Bringing down the top of your window shades allows you to let in an abundance of natural light for incredible daylighting while you protect the inside of your home. Simply raise the lower part of your top down bottom up shades just enough at the bottom for a custom experience with this innovative feature for your expanse of windows.
Transform Your Kitchen & Dining Areas
You want your kitchen and dining areas to feature the right amount of light based on circumstance. Breakfast might welcome sunshine and healthy, ample morning light, but by lunch, the temperature starts to rise. And dinner time? Cooking in the kitchen requires quality lighting, while enjoying dinner can use a range of atmospheres, from entertaining to intimate. Being able to customize your atmosphere across the day is a feat easily accomplished with top down bottom up shades. Depending on the location of your kitchen windows, top down bottom up shades can transform the way you use and function within the space. Being such an important room throughout your day, creating the ideal atmosphere is vital.
Transform Your Bed & Bath
If there is any area in your home that needs the perfect combination of controlled light and privacy, it would be the bed and bath. Waking from a restful sleep, top down bottom up shades can let in morning light when you decide, while concealing your privacy as you get your day started. And that continues into your bathroom, as natural light plays an important role to start your day off on the right foot. Shaving, makeup…even choosing your outfit–ample natural light and comfortable privacy combine for a successful beginning every day.
As much as we all love the sunshine of springtime, once we get used to this new light, we are easily reminded of the frustrations it can bring. Don’t block the light so you feel like you’re in a cave, missing out on rays of sunlight. And don’t flood your home. With top down bottom up shades, you can create the perfect atmosphere in your home to transform your life. Our design experts, at Metropolitan Window Fashions, know what you’re facing. And we’d love to help. Contact our team for a free, shop-at-home consultation today!
One of the most asked questions when dealing with skylights is “How do they Operate”? Typically, these shades are located in hard to reach areas, and you will need to be able to operate them easily to control when the light should come through, and how much. It’s all based on your preferences and how you want to use your space. For many of our clients, light-filtering skylight shades bring in soft light that provides all the daylighting they want–only adjusting the shades on rare occasions. A manual Extension Wand provides a simple and suitable option to open and close your shades. For those clients who need room-darkening skylight shades, access to sunlight on a daily basis becomes more important. 
Duette window shades feature cellular technology that gives you the insulation you need at the window. From single or double cell structure of the original Duettes, to the cell-within-cell design of Duette Architella, your home will feature the highest standards of energy efficiency. 
The organized pleats, the sophisticated colors, the custom opacities–it’s style you’ll love. Create the perfect look in your home with Duette window shades. Choose from a range of opacities to bring the atmosphere of your choice to individual rooms in your home, from light filtering to room darkening. The classic styling of colors offer you the chance to coordinate the decor of your home for a polished look. With a selection of pleats sizes, you can customize your shades exactly the way you want–including shades for patio doors, offered with VertiGlide.
Duette window shades can help your home reach its full potential with features that you won’t be able to live without. 
Your privacy is one of the most important design features of your bathroom is privacy. While some bathrooms are housed within interior rooms, most have at least one small window to let in natural light. You and your family need to feel the comfort of privacy in the bathroom, and that control should be simplistic enough for even the smallest members of the family to function. The blinds, shades and shutters that you choose for your bathroom can feature simple operating systems–like the gentle push-pull of a wand or the LiteRise system–that offers instant privacy. Privacy should be in your control–make sure the window coverings you choose offer simple function with high levels of privacy.
Getting ready for the day, there’s no question–you want to have an adequate amount of light. But once the abundance of light has entered the bathroom, what’s the atmosphere like? Do you struggle with the harshness of direct light bouncing off mirrors and other reflective surfaces? Is the glare making it hard for your bathroom to seem pleasant? The right amount and type of light is one of the most important design features of your bathroom. When choosing the ideal light fixtures, as the bathroom tends to be a smaller space, opt for those that have frosted glass to diffuse some of the light. Two separate sources of light are another option, allowing you to choose the amount of artificial light. For light control of entering natural light, top down window shades allow natural light to come in and disperse throughout the room without filling the space with an unlimited amount of sunshine. There are also window shades in light-filtering materials that can pull in the natural light, while still allowing as much privacy as you need.
There’s nothing quite as chilling as trying to get yourself ready in the morning–or taking kids out of the tub at night–in a chilly bathroom. One of the most important design features of your bathroom is temperature control. Be in control of the temperature in your bathroom by preventing those uncomfortable drafts. Duette honeycomb shades offer the insulation you need to keep the temperature of your bathroom comfortable throughout the year. Preventing drafts is an important function of Duette’s energy efficient features, while the cellular construction of these window shades prevents the cool surface of the window to lower the inside temperature of your bathroom.
Even in the most spacious bathrooms, real estate is limited. Counter space is often used for items you need to get yourself ready, and there’s no space for extras. Keeping the design features and decor of your bathroom on the low-profile side will ensure that the entire room is as functional as possible. That means when choosing side tables and shelving, keep in mind how much space you have to use, and be frugal with that space. Window coverings should honor the idea of limited space, as well, while still providing the essential functions of light control, privacy, energy efficiency and UV protection. Sometimes your windows are in a position that can make the function complicated. The intuitive technology of PowerView motorized shades offers you touch of a button control for convenience and ease.
Bathrooms are known areas of humidity and moisture. As you choose design features for your bathroom, keep in my the materials you are using must be created to withstand the elements. The moisture and heat of the bathroom can sometimes affect materials differently than other rooms within your home. Hunter Douglas has taken measures to ensure you always have window coverings that meet your needs. Depending on the style of your bathroom, plantation shutters may be the perfect choice for you–our Palm Beach Polysatin shutters will be the perfect choice, created for areas of high heat and humidity. If the look of window shades is more your style, our Applause shades have fabrics designed to prevent mildew. Our design consultants can help you select window coverings to make sure your bathroom looks amazing for years to come.
Starting out the day, the bathroom should be filled with the warm glow of natural light, while offering ample privacy. The bathroom is a place to peacefully prepare for the beginning of a new day and a sanctuary of relaxation at the end of a tough one. Bathroom design deserves high-end style with custom décor that adds valuable lifestyle function. Custom décor that brings in the essence of nature adds to the harmony and flow of the space. Custom window coverings with the top-down bottom-up feature are ideal for providing privacy while allowing the natural light needed for shaving, putting on makeup and starting the day with a positive, productive mood.