Nice view! Want some privacy? (The living room of 200 E. 21st St. #20B, listed by AnneMarie Alexander of Douglas Elliman.)
Glass condo towers have become an iconic feature of the New York City skyline. Living in one of these glittering buildings provides many a perk — breathtaking views, for example — but all that floor-to-ceiling glass can make one feel…overexposed. Big windows and lots of light are great, of course, but unless you enjoy living your life on display, you need good window shades. And potentially a lot of them!
To find out the best solutions for these windows, which can sometimes be in awkward or non-standard sizes, we spoke to design consultant Julien Duprat of The Shade Store, a custom-window-treatment company with 10 showrooms in NYC (and many more across the country). “In general, we recommend window treatments that provide great coverage without taking up too much space,” says Duprat. “If you’ve invested in a property with incredible views, you’ll want to take advantage of those views! But also consider things like privacy and light control.”
If you love your windows but would like to discourage nosy neighbors, block too-bright or too-hot sunshine, or just sleep in without broad daylight blazing through the bedroom, here are Duprat’s top window-shade solutions.
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Solar Shades Regulate the Amount of Sun Shining in
Like sunglasses for your windows, solar window shades tone down the intensity of the sunlight coming through, which can make things more comfortable if nonstop pounding sunshine is making your apartment feel like an oven. They can also help protect your interiors — furniture, art, wood floors, etc. — from damaging UV rays. Low maintenance and easy to clean, solar shades come in both manual and motorized options and last for a long time, Duprat says.
Solar shades help filter harsh sunlight. (Courtesy of The Shade Store)
These shades offer different levels of protection depending on how opaque you go. But keep in mind that more opaque means less transparent: As opacity increases, the extent to which you can see through the shade decreases. For this reason, Duprat recommends taking home swatch samples (or order free swatches online at theshadestore.com) in different opacities. That way you can put different swatches up against your windows at different times of day to see how the material will work in your environment before committing.
Roller Shades Ensure Privacy When You Want It
Living in New York City, proximity to your neighbors is always a consideration. Roller shades can be made in a variety of privacy materials, from light-filtering to total-blackout.
Roller shades can range from light-filtering to blackout. (Courtesy of The Shade Store)
This style allows you to choose a material that lets some (or a lot of!) sunlight into your space while also minimizing visibility from the outside. They’re ideal for bathrooms, dressing rooms, bedrooms, and anywhere else you would like to maintain privacy — so that those snooping neighbors across the street never see anything you don’t want them to.
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Keep Your Options Open With a Combo of Shades & Drapes
For the most versatility, layering multiple window treatments gives you multiple options. This is especially useful in studio apartments, open-plan spaces, and bedrooms that also serve as home offices, where you will want different kinds of light-blocking capability depending on whether it’s daytime, nighttime, or bedtime.
A combination of shades and drapes offers the most flexibility. (Courtesy of The Shade Store)
Layering blackout, solar, and drapery styles on a single window gives you maximum flexibility. (Of course, it also gives you maximum prices, since you’re essentially buying three window shades instead of one!) A layer of drapery also brings softness and style to the room, whether you choose ripple-fold drapes for a clean, contemporary look or pleated drapes for a more traditional look. Drapery fabric can be unlined, privacy lined, or blackout lined, depending on your needs.
If complete darkness is important to the way that you sleep, or if you are putting window treatments in a nursery where a dark room is essential, Duprat recommends combining blackout roller shades with a blackout drapery for great coverage and decorative benefits.
Window Shade Buying Tip: Size Matters
Whatever type of shades you decide on, it goes without saying that knowing your windows’ exact sizes and shapes is of the utmost importance — careful measurements are crucial. But with some types, like roller and solar shades, it’s equally important to consider the path available to get the finished window treatment into your apartment. For example, if you have a window that’s 14 feet wide, it may not be possible to get a single solar shade of that length up your stairs or into your elevator.
Installing several small shades on one big window can be more practical than one very long one. (Courtesy of The Shade Store)
In these situations, Duprat suggests breaking the shade up into multiple, smaller versions that can be hung side-by-side. This way you can get the shades in and out of your apartment without problems and install them more easily. And also, you may not want to cover such a huge swath of window all at the same time! With multiple smaller shades, you can cover only the parts you want to.
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