Window Shades

There are four main types of window shades: honeycomb, Roman, woven wood, and the traditional window shade.

Within these four categories, there are unlimited choices of fabrics, textures and opacity, all offering different aesthetics and varying degrees of both light control and privacy. Depending on the fabrics chosen, shades can create most any type of feel in a room, from formal or traditional to modern and casual.

The privacy and light control needs for the room will dictate which of the many fabrics is right for the room. The more sheer fabrics can filter light, while the opaque options can darken the room.

Shades can be installed with an inside or outside mount depending on the window molding and sill construction.

Honeycomb Shades
These shades are available in a wide variety of sheer, semi-sheer, semi-opaque and opaque fabrics, as well as hundreds of colors. And thanks to their honeycomb construction, these window shades are highly energy efficient.

Honeycomb window shades get their name due to their construction, which creates a pattern similar to honeycomb when viewed from the end.

They are made of soft textured, woven and non-woven fabrics with crisp, even pleats. Many shades are available in single-, double-, and triple-honeycomb designs, and a variety of pleat sizes which provide varying degrees of light control and privacy.

They can fit almost any window - including specialty shapes - and stack neatly with minimal space at the top of the window when raised.

Roman Shades
Most Roman window shades are simple, flat fabric shades that draw up in neat, even folds, giving them a tailored look.

They are available in various types of fabrics ranging from smooth semi-sheer polyesters to highly textured semi-opaque polyester/rayon blends, as well as room-darkening fabrics.

Sleek and sophisticated, modern Roman shades consistently present a clean, neat appearance.

Woven Wood Shades
Woven wood shades are made with a combination of wood and bamboo, reeds, grasses or jutes, creating warmth and dimension in any room.

These shades hang flat in the lowered position and then have overlapped folds when raised.

Their unique texture and all-natural materials cause these shades to be commonly used in casual settings, bringing nature inside the home with traditional styling.

In addition to casual family rooms or dens, woven wood shades are also strong choices for contemporary or tropical-influenced designs.

Woven wood shades may have knots, slight surface cracks, variations in paint and stain, grain and pattern irregularities and slight distortions. These are considered normal and only enhance the beauty of the natural product.

Window Shades
A vast improvement to the traditional roller shade, window shades come in hundreds of fabrics, colors and styles. In many cases, you can even order select fabrics separately for designing room accessories such as pillows.

The fabric on these shades can be made from durable polyester to high tech dyed screened fabrics with an array of opacity options.

At America's Floor Source, we are dedicated to helping you make the most informed decision about your window treatments. We have provided helpful resources for measuring window space as well as design ideas to consider before buying window coverings. You may also want to browse our selection of window treatment brands.