I Waited 3 Years for the Right Window Treatments — And They Completely Transformed My Space

Every room needs window treatments. Privacy is one thing — no one wants to feel like they’re living in a fishbowl. But I’m firmly of the opinion that curtain panels, shades, and the like are what truly make a space feel finished. They’re also a great opportunity for introducing another pop of pattern and texture into a design scheme. Simply put, a gorgeous window treatment can really make a space sing. 

As I’ve worked to decorate the rooms in my 1928 Craftsman meets Colonial home over the past couple of years, I’ve been really deliberate about waiting on window treatments. That’s because now that I own my home, I really wanted to invest in my forever shades, and I was willing to go the route of custom to do that, even though they can be a splurge. Which brings me to my sunroom turned home office, which has the most windows out of any room in my home (seven) and gets the most natural light (as it’s located at the front of the home and doesn’t have anything but a roof above it). 

I had inherited IKEA sheer rollers from the former homeowner — and no shade (I had to!), but they just weren’t getting the job done. I wanted the room to remain light and bright — and, frankly, energizing — for work, but I didn’t want the sun to be too intense in there either. And again, because this spot faces the street, I definitely wanted total privacy at night. All of this ultimately led me to The Shade Store. Here’s my honest review of the process.

When my search began, a design consultation at The Shade Store was a front-runner for many reasons. As a home design editor, I’ve known about the brand for years, and they’re all about custom window treatments that combine quality craftsmanship with timeless styles and on-trend fabrics. The Shade Store is where designers source window treatments — and big-name design celebs, from Nate Berkus to Shea McGee, have their own collections there. 

But the best part? You don’t have to be a designer to access The Shade Store’s offerings, and the company has over 150 showrooms across the country. My closest location was just a 10-minute drive, which made a visit super-convenient for me.  

Ultimately, you can purchase your window treatments from The Shade Store online, and it’s possible to get 20 of the company’s most popular swatch samples in hand by ordering them directly over the web. But trust me: A trip to a nearby showroom for a scheduled design consultation is 100 percent worth it (and, I think, necessary, even if you have to travel a bit to get there). That’s because you can see examples of all of the window treatment styles that The Shade Store can fabricate in person, from Romans and various other styles of shades (cellular, solar, wood, roller, pleated — many of which can be made blackout) and blinds (vertical, metal, wood) to drapery panels and even valances and cornices. Heck, The Shade Store can even fabricate pillows for you to match curtains and certain kinds of shades! 

They’re also able to create pieces that are “COM,” or from a “customer’s own material.” Truly, the level of service is almost as bespoke as you want it to be. But, of course, often the more custom a solution, the more expensive, so you just have to keep that in mind. A lot of The Shade Store’s products can also be motorized, too, for the ultimate ease in opening and closing your window treatments and that wow factor — raising your shades or opening your curtains with the touch of a button! Motorization, though, will also drive the end cost up.

Going to the showroom felt like a crash course on the popular styles of window treatments and a mini styling session with a store associate, all in one. My design consultant, Denene, walked me through each of the types of shades and showed me all of the drapery hardware finishes and styles (you’ll probably want to see examples of these in person, too). 

Then came the fabric and shade selections themselves. Drawer after drawer was opened, and I felt like a kid in a candy store with all the material possibilities. I couldn’t believe how many options they had, from woven wooden shades and simple rollers to more decorative fabrics you can have sewn into Romans or drapes. And, yes, there are blinds galore if you’re after that, too, and a honeycomb material if you’re looking to improve energy-efficiency with your window treatments. 

It’s probably a good idea to narrow down what kind of shade you want before you start looking at swatches, as the sky is almost the limit here. You can take samples of your favorite swatches home, and The Shade Store has a letter system of classification for material pricing, which I found helpful for knowing what ballpark I’d be in as far as cost went (think of it like “A” shades being your “good,” “B” shades being your “better,” and “C” shades being “best”).

Before I arrived for my design consultation at The Shade Store, I had an idea of what aesthetic I wanted, wood-look shades of some sort, because I love that designer trick of pairing drapery (which I already had existing) with bamboo or other woven shades. Then I asked myself a few key questions to arrive at what shade might be best for me (although I was totally open to suggestions, too, as far as function went — the design consultants are super-knowledgeable and ready to answer those kinds of questions specifically!). I think everyone should consider the following questions before even setting foot into a showroom:

• What quality of light-filtering do I need in a given room?
• What kind of style statement am I trying to make?
• How do I want the window treatment to open and close?
• Do I want these shades to improve insulation and/or regular interior temperatures?

I wanted a decent level of light filtering for the direct sun I get in my office before 11 a.m., and I had my heart set on rollers in a woven wood-look material of some sort as far as style. Motorization would have been amazing, but honestly it was beyond my budget. So it’d likely be pulling a chain to open the shades for me (but The Shade Store has luxe-looking metal ones that are mounted to pretty much be camouflaged). And I didn’t really need anything particularly energy-efficient, as we have solar panels and I’m already returning energy to the grid. 

I went to my consultation with these answers in mind, and I selected a handful of different wood-look shade samples across a variety of price points. All were compatible with the roller shade style, which Denene thought would work well for me based on what I already had — and the streamlined appearance I liked. I’d put up the samples on my window and live with them for a week or so, then it’d be full steam ahead into the second phase of custom window treatment shopping at The Shade Store: the measurement, ordering, and installation process.

Not going to lie: This part of The Shade Store’s window treatment shopping experience made me feel like a queen. Once you’ve decided on your window treatment style and fabric, the brand sends a pro to your home to measure each of your windows for free, even before you get your quote. The convenience factor is amazing, as you get to set the appointment window and date for this yourself.

If I’m being honest, the measuring service saved me more time than I realized because my windows weren’t actually all the exact same width (old house problems!). And if I were doing this on my own, even though I should know better, I might have either cut corners by only measuring one window because they all look the same (or I would have stressed out over the 1/4-inch deviations that I saw that clearly were there when I actually measured … and then just kept measuring over and over again to make sure I wasn’t making a mistake).

I felt much better having an actual pro complete this step. They’re so well-versed in how to measure for your specific shade and mounting style, too, so there are zero questions about what will go where and how much clearance a shade needs to operate smoothly. And a day later? I had a quote in my email that I could order the window treatments straight from! It was truly so fast.

At this point, you also pay for your product and set up your installation appointment, too. You can choose to do your own installation, but I found the cost of installation fairly reasonable (discounted to $175 for five windows, in my case, as I didn’t choose to cover the two interior windows in the room). Plus, if you ever need your drapery or shades removed if you want to paint or renovate, a pro can come back out to do that for you, so nothing gets damaged in the process.

My shades were created and shipped in just a couple of weeks (shipping is free and straight to your home), and I had an installation appointment set up shortly thereafter. Lead times might vary based on what type of product(s) you’re ordering and how many shades or items you need. But in my case, I ordered the shades the first week of October and had them up at the end of the third week of the month. In my experience, it was a pretty quick timeline for custom.

Ultimately, I selected The Shade Store’s Roller Shades in the Tahoe material in an Oak colorway, and I couldn’t be happier with them. They’re not inexpensive (I received an editorial discount of 30 percent, which brought them to about $287 per window), but trust me: You can see beautiful striations in the texture, which convincingly mimics wood (even though it’s an eco-friendly blend of paper and polyester).

The Oak colorway, in particular, feels like the perfect natural touch for the room, and it plays so well with my antique Biedermeier-look desk as well as the Farrow & Ball Green Blue wall paint and Anthropologie green and white drapery. The room has so much more warmth and coziness from this one change; they really transformed the space.

Just by feeling them and interacting with them, you can tell they’re 10 times nicer than the plasticky bamboo shades I had from Amazon back in my last apartment. They fit the windows so well, probably because of the precision in how they were measured and sized exactly for my space (and installed by the pro). Even with minimal maintenance, I feel like they’re going to look as good as they do today for a very long time and won’t fall apart or start sagging like cheap styles on the market. 

I went with an inside mount with gold finished brackets and chains, and these match my Annie Selke curtain drapery hardware pretty well, despite not being from the same brand. The chains are mostly hidden by the expert mounting (which took the technician all of an hour to do the entire job, if that), but they’re still easy to access for opening and closing. I honestly left my shades closed most of the time before because they were old and not super easy to pull up and down. But opening and closing and adjusting these shades actually brings me joy because it’s so easy to do, and they make the room look so much more polished and complete. 

As far as privacy and performance goes, the shades do exactly what I want them to do: Let in just the right amount of light when the sun is intense, and provide the privacy I need at night to not feel like I’m on display for passersby on the street. I just wish I had gone through this process sooner, but I wanted to save up for the right window treatments. 

Now, this room is my happy place — and I have the window treatments to set the right vibes, whether I’m working or just hanging out. I will absolutely be looking at The Shade Store for my next window treatment purchase.