top down shades - recommendations!

5 years ago

I want to get some top-down-bottom-up honeycomb shades. decent quality, but that doesn't necessarily need to mean expensive. looking for recommendations on brands and reputable online stores (so many of the local blinds places in my area insist on in-home consultations and installation, extra expenses I don't need).

specific questions:

1. right amount of filtering: enough to block harsh sun beams out of people's eyes, while still allowing some light in. I'm worried honeycomb will block too much light, it'll be hard to tell from tiny samples.

2. these windows are 84" wide. I've read it's kind of hard getting the top part straight. I plan on opening / closing every day so I want this to be as hassle-free as possible. I imagine this is one of those places where cheap vs quality will make a huge difference.

Featured Answer

maryannekarren

5 years ago

We got Hunter Douglas cordless with a fabric honeycomb - they are beautiful and semi-sheer so they let in some light. Very sleek and the mechanism works great - I cringed at the price but they are worth it! Our windows are 68."

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Comments (11)

smileythecat
5 years ago
Yes exactly, 84 inches is kinda wide, everything works better if they are less wide, they will be $$$. I use to install but I can't recommend any particular brand, I usually installed HD or Bali, I liked them but they can be more problematic than regular top down only blinds. Uneven operation and saggy strings are the main problems beside outright failure.
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User
Original Author
5 years ago
were they corded or cordless? I heard that corded ones in particular were difficult to keep straight. one thing that I hope is that with the cordless extra wide, there are two handles to pull up, which will hopefully make it easier to keep even.
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smileythecat
5 years ago
I was specifically referring to corded, cordless shades that wide will come with two handles which logically should be easier to level when operating, however the cordless ones require a little bit of effort to get just right as well.
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JAN MOYER
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Top down /bottom up are pretty hideous, very utilitarian looking. This is a big window. Get an in home consultation, a professional install of ANYTHING you select. Personally, I'd be looking at Silhouettes by Hunter Douglas. They will look far more finished, can disappear totally, or be adjusted for any amount of transparent light, to total privacy.

I would not DIY on this. At all. Sorry.
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smileythecat
5 years ago
Silhouettes are beautiful for sure.
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Brown Dog
5 years ago
I agree with Jan. Poorly installed blinds are a waste of money. Window coverings for big windows are an investment. Do it right and they can last 20 years. Get a professional to help you out on this.
User
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
I just recently got these, but I got fabric ones. We looked for a long time and found that the honeycomb ones are, basically, a kind of paper...for the price I wanted something nicer.

I got lined, fabric, corded. They install at the top header of the window, so you could have more than one (which you really need to do, imho)

I used Select Blinds and they fit perfectly. They will send you samples, of course.
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User
Original Author
5 years ago
Jan, I happen to like the sleek modern look of the top down pleated shades. I've seen them installed in other midcentury homes like mine and think they look great.

Plus, they would serve a specific function for me: it's an east facing window. late morning sun hits the bottom 2/3 of the windows, but the top is shaded from the eaves. So what I want is to be able to have the tops of the window treatments open to see out. As the sun moves over the roof, the bright spot of light moves downward, so I would push the blinds down throughout the day. I find window treatments that are fully closed during the day to be very claustrophobic, especially since it would be covering up a beautiful view.

Hunter Douglas Silhouettes are really beautiful, so I might look into them. I actually happen to like the vertical version of those. I've seen them done in a way that they look like pinch pleated drapes. yikes they are expensive though.
dchall_san_antonio
5 years ago
My windows are standard 36-inch wide. The house came with mini blinds that were brittle and broken, but the mechanism worked. What I did was hack IKEA pleated blinds. I disassembled the mini blinds down to the strings. Then I connected the up-down strings to the top of the IKEA pleated blinds. It works perfectly and doesn't look any more clunky than normal top-down blinds.
smitrovich
5 years ago
I have Hunter Douglas cordless top-down-bottom-up honeycomb shades in my media room (blackout) and they are beautiful. I also have a light filtering top-down-bottom-up honeycomb shade in my master bathroom that I bought from an online retailer and it is semi-hideous—I'll be replacing that soon. So, you definitely get what you pay for.