Window shades and curtains are so underestimated. Which is crazy because they can completely transform a room but, more importantly, they make a room feel complete. We’ve been renovating our home one room at a time so I’ve had a lot of time to collect window treatment inspiration and window shades are everywhere. I know that I want to do shades and then layer with drapes/curtains but one of those options alone can get expensive, quick!
I knew I wanted something that looked clean and modern but still felt cozy and would give us privacy when we needed it—without spending a fortune. I see so many designers using The Shade Store so that’s where I started. I ordered tons of samples and collected tons of inspiration shots of their window shades in real spaces. I had a hard time because I could easily say what it was that I wanted based on what I liked and the samples I had in hand but I needed at least 3 shades for every room. After doing the math I couldn’t fathom spending that kind of money on shades along. Especially when we had to renovate the room and add shades. And let’s not forget the one-day drapes, yikes!
After lots (and I mean lots) of online searching, I found Select Blinds, and honestly… I’m so glad I did! I ordered a ton of samples from them too and wouldn’t you know it, some of the samples were identical to those from The Shade Store. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t know what the quality of The Shade Store’s shades are like so I can’t say whether one is better than the other. But I can say that I’ve been very pleased with the window shades I’ve bought from Select Blinds and I’m going to share with you what I have in case you are in the place I was in and in search of something that is designer style but at a cheaper price point.
The Best Window Shades
Ordering Custom Shades Online? It’s Easier Than You Think
One thing that made me nervous was measuring and ordering custom shades online—but Select Blinds makes it super easy. They provide step-by-step measuring guides, free fabric samples, and customization options so you can choose exactly what fits your windows and style.
You get to start out with the style of shade you like and then throughout the process of choosing your preferences the price increases based on your selection. For example, if you want to go with a blackout liner compared to the standard liner then you pay a little more. Select Blinds will actually run sales or promos on the upgraded selections – I’ve seen the blackout liner upgrade at no additional charge on a previous sale!
Classic Roman Shades
I have their Classic Roman Shades in our breakfast nook and guest bedroom. I like these a lot and will probably end up with these in our dining room and formal living rooms too. I love their casual yet elevated look. I went with no valance and a pleated fold. These are the color White Linen. It’s the perfect neutral. I did a standard liner for the breakfast nook because this bay window faces the golf course and is south facing so it gets a lot of light and has a nice view. I only wanted to be able to pull these down to block out light when necessary.
Now these window shades are unique in that they do not have a pull string of any kind. They push up and pull down manually. This was the option I chose but you can choose your preference. You may be able to tell they each have a pair of plastic protectors on the bottom which is to be used to pull these down. If someone reaches to pull these down to block the sun from beaming in they’re likely to reach for these. This is perfect considering these are placed at our breakfast nook which is where we eat all of our meals. I call them protectors because they’ve prevented a many of dirty little fingers from tugging directly on the fabric! Here’s a close up of this particular fabric…
We went with the same style and material in the guest bedroom but our windows are larger throughout the house and it wasn’t really feasible to push them up to open. We decided to spend a little bit more for the motorization option and it was the best decision thus far! I mean how neat is it to just hit a button and your shades open and close automatically? It’s luxurious.
The motorization is just an add-on that you can get when customizing your shade. Everything else is the same. With our first purchase of a motorized shade we added on their bridge system which is a device that you can get to link multiple motorized shades together. And even better…you can link them to your Alexa devices. So if you have your Alex on a schedule, like we do, your shades can be programmed to open and close at certain times each day on a set schedule. We chose this so that bathroom shades would go down as the sun is setting so we don’t have to manually close the shade when we flip on the light.
Here is a view of one of the guest bedroom WINDOW shades (with temporary curtains):
The standard liner blocks out a fair amount of light. I’ve yet to purchase a shade without a liner because I’m personally someone who likes to be able to block the sun out on hot days or keep the room dark at night or while sleeping. This is why I go with the blackout liner on the south facing walls that get the most sun. I like for it to be dark when I sleep and our bedroom has south facing windows that get a lot of light!
This is a shot of the motor and how that looks. The shade completely covers it and it’s thinner than the window so it’s hidden. You do have to charge this every so often but it’s easy to disconnect to charge and replace. We have not had to charge these yet but again, they’re in a guest room that doesn’t get used often. If they’re used daily I believe I read that you’ll need to charge every few months.
Designer Series Woven Wood / Premier Modern Natural Wood
The woven wood shades were my first purchase and my first love! However, I bought these in 2022 and they’ve since changed the name and color options. They’re still woven wood shades but they’re the Premier Modern and no longer the Designer Series.
These are practically identical to the shades that Shea McGee put in her master bedroom that she bought from The Shade Store. I had to have them but could not afford the price. I also had to buy 7 to match because my 2 toddlers have a Jack-n-Jill bedroom setup so it really warranted the same shade in their bedrooms and the bathroom. I plan to layer with different drapes in their bedrooms so it made sense for the shades to be same since the rooms sort of ‘connected’.
This is the shade in my son’s room. I went with the color “St. Lucia” but since that looks to be their current option with the name “Raleigh”. We’ve replaced all of our windows one by one ourselves (aka my husband) but we’re still working on putting the stops back in, so disregard the brown insulation foam. I just had to show off the shade. It’s truly my favorite but is the most expensive. Well worth it to me but not everyone feels that way (aka my husband). Here’s a close up shot of that material so that you can see the difference.
Select Blinds offers a warranty on all of their products which is great. Sometimes they run promos that include a warranty “upgrade” from 3 years to 5 years at no additional charge. Personally, that’s a big bonus and I’ve selected that upgrade each time it is offered free. I mean why not?! I’ve actually had a few hiccups with my shades but Select Blinds has done a fantastic job in terms of resolving my issues so I’ve been pleased with their customer service. I had a shade stop working and after sending them a video and photos of the issue they quickly started production on a whole new shade and I had it within a few weeks. I was thankful for the warranty! I’ve also received a shade once that was made with a weird tag sewn between the liner and the shade fabric. You only saw it when the shade was down and it was still light outside. I notified them right away after hanging the shade and again, with a few photos and chats, they agreed it was their mistake and they sent me a new one! This is why I continue to go back for more and ensure I get the warranty because I know they will work with me if there are ever issues.
Their products are made to order, of course, because they’re fully custom. So just know that it does take a few weeks before you’ll get your shades. You can get a sense for when they will arrive during the checkout stage. I always look for shades in advance of finishing a room.
If you have questions I’m happy to help answer whatever I can. If you’ve gotten one of their other shade options and are just as happy with it, please share! I still have 20+ windows to cover in our home and I’m itching for an opportunity to branch out and go with a dark color or pattern. I’d love to see yours!
This post was all about window shades and which options I chose for our home. I hope this has inspired you and answered some questions you may have had on shades and where to buy.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only share products I truly love and recommend!
