Shade that folds down from the top of windows?
We live lakefront, and get a wonderful breeze with our attic fan on. We open our windows from the top down, and we want to keep the bottom part of the window covered. Curtains, Roman shades, vertical blinds, roller shades, and mini blinds don't work.
I started searching for roller shade hacks and I saw an IKEA hack of a 35" wide window with a cellular shade, but it won't work with my extra wide windows.
Here is an upside down roller blind with tensioner and strings.
I think I can sew a panel out of fabric or the material in the picture below. I thought maybe a flat shade that is attached to the side of the windows that would let us unhook the top and fold it down so the rest of the window is covered. Sort of like an upside down Roman shade. I thought a dowel rod could be used to hang it and lower it. Then I figured out I had never seen a dowel rod that long. Then, I thought a magnet could be used since we have aluminum windows. I could move the magnetic shade from up high to down below the open window, but I have never seen a magnet that long either.
I found these u shaped hooks on Amazon. I just need to figure out how to get an 89" long dowel rod that would be strong enough and not too thick. Maybe there is a piece of sturdy plastic that could be used instead. I thought about using a tension rod, but 89" would be heavy and would probably fall down. I worry that a metal rod would discolor the shade.
I have 5 windows to cover. My bedroom windows: two are 89" x 71" and 1 is 71" x 71". Living room windows: 71" x 71". I know I can put two shades in each window, but I would rather have 1 shade.
I know they have top down-bottom up shades, but I don't want any strings.
Does anyone have any ideas? Thanks.
Comments (11)
Peke
3 years agoRelated Discussions
magnavox 20mt1331/17 top of pic. folded over&shut down
Comments (0)the top 10% of pic. is folded over onto itself and the set turns off after an hour or so. I have to push the power button twice to turn it back on and about an 1/8" of rainbow colored lines appear about 25% down from the top befor the pic. comes back on but once it turns off it woun't stay on long. Thank you for any info....See Moretop down bottom up shades, how do they work?
Comments (19)You might want to look at Steve's Blinds. I learned of the website long ago here on GW and ordered several TDBU cellular shades. Steve's carries several manufacturers' products but we purchased "Steve's own" brand. I believe they are made by a subsidiary of Hunter Douglas but this may be incorrect. We already have several similar blinds in the Hunter Douglas brand and have found the Steve's product to be comparable in quality. Would definitely order from the company again. I am linking the results of a quick search on the website using made-up dimensions and specifying "Steve's own" brand. Please note that there are many other options available on the website, and you will need to carefully enter the particulars for your windows instead of relying on the numbers I used. There is an up-charge for the TDBU feature as well. The website is kind of junky and confusing but you can call and get some customer service assistance. Here is a link that might be useful: Steve's Blinds...See Moretop down shades - recommendations!
Comments (11)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....See MoreTop down/bottom up cellular shade in bedroom, two or one shade?
Comments (12)@suedonim75 I was wondering too about @Angel 18432 comment about her doubt anyone would open the window for ventilation because the window is in a porch or lanai. Actually, the roof in the photo is a second story deck. Perhaps @Angel 18432 was expressing doubt about guests opening the wiindow for ventilation because of security concerns, given that the window is located on the ground floor level....See MorePeke
3 years agoPeke
3 years agoPeke
3 years ago
PekeOriginal Author