How Woven Shades Complete Your Custom Window Treatments with Natural Elegance and Style
Why are Woven Shades So Popular?
Woven shades made from wood or natural grasses are the perfect solution for homeowners who want to find a look that balances textures from nature with an elegant, luxurious style.
It’s not an easy balance to achieve, and woven shades are a very popular choice in the Pacific Northwest for that very reason. They blend in with the beauty of our region while still making a statement all their own.
Woven shades are also incredibly versatile. They work in contemporary and traditional homes and every style in between. They also complement a wide range of furnishings and colors, serving as a calm, steady backdrop to streamlined and eclectic styles.
In a woven shade, you can feel the meticulous, handcrafted quality and see the uniqueness of the patterns in the weave, creating their most striking and whimsical feature. Light filters through their handwoven fibers in delicate, unpredictable patterns throughout the room.
What many homeowners love about them is how airy they look, and because they are so lightweight, their stack is minimal for a Roman shade. When it’s time to enjoy your view, they kindly step aside and allow you to enjoy the world outside.
Below, we’ll introduce you to the four finest sources of handwoven wood and natural grass shades we’ve discovered in more than 24 years in the industry.
Meet the Luxurious HANDWOVEN Grass Shades by CONRAD.
Some of my favorite woven shades are the soft, handwoven grass shades by Conrad Shades. Skilled artisans make these handwoven shades from wood, bamboo, reeds, and grasses. Along with the Hartmann & Forbes shades we recommend below, these represent the pinnacle of woven shade craftsmanship and are among the finest products you can purchase for your home.
Our client, Justin, chose Conrad Shades because the lightness of the weave and the pattern and color matched her velvet drapes.
Also, some of her windows needed a shade to fit inside the trim. In her home, a beautiful, historic Portland bungalow, we had only a 1" space to install the brackets within the framing. Older homes with narrow stair-stepping woodwork on their windows and doors generally do not allow enough room to mount a shade inside the openings. When that is the case, the compactness and lightness of a woven shade come into play, and fortunately, 1" x 1" wrapped header boards are standard with Conrad Shades. The header boards are neatly wrapped on all sides, so these shades look tailored from any angle.
Beyond the visual effect, Conrad Shades have many practical benefits as well.
This one-of-a-kind, handcrafted window shade can be used virtually anywhere, including angled, arched, and specialty windows.
For additional sun protection or privacy, lining them or choosing a double-density weave is an option, although it does mute the effect of the light passing through the shades.
Another reason Justin chose the Conrad Shades is because of the simple top-down/bottom-up lift feature. Because most of her windows face the street, she wanted the top of the shade to be open while keeping the bottom closed for privacy.
Meet the Meticulous Craftsmanship of Hartmann & Forbes Woven Shades
As mentioned above, Hartmann & Forbes leads the industry in quality, beauty, and elegance. Each shade is meticulously handwoven precisely to your window size, using lightweight natural fibers from grasses and reeds. They are naturally translucent, filter sunlight while softly preserving the outside view, and feature a minimal stack when raised.
Our clients, Rick & Carol, selected Hartmann & Forbes shades because of their airiness. They cover their windows, protect the interiors from the sun's harmful rays, and allow them to see into their beautiful yard.
Carol loves mixing pattern and color in her furniture, rugs, and draperies and decided the solid off-white texture would be a perfect backdrop to her various prints.
The couple also opted to motorize their shades. We used high-quality Somfy motors for their project, which run so quietly you can hardly hear them. They create an incredibly convenient, enjoyable experience.
In the morning, all nine of her shades can rise quietly and gracefully at the touch of a button.
They can also be custom-programmed to only open certain zones of windows.
We were able to hardwire the motors, carefully concealing the wires and ensuring she would never have to run about changing or charging batteries throughout the year.
Other Noteworthy Features of Conrad Shades and Hartmann & Forbes
Many patterns by these manufacturers are lightweight enough to come as roller shades if desired. Rollers require enough window depth to accommodate the diameter they will roll up to. Most weaves are available up to 155" wide without seams, which can cover many of the most dramatic, opulent picture-view windows you can imagine.
If you are in a big hurry for your window shades, there may be better options than handwoven-to-size shades. These custom shades can take 12 to 16 weeks to be handcrafted by skilled artisans. But as they say, "The best things in life are worth waiting for."
Environmentally, at the end of their life, you can toss the handwoven shades into a compost bin to biodegrade naturally. It’s lovely to know the environmental impact of the materials will be minimal.
Choose the High-Quality, Consistent Beauty of Hunter Douglas Woven Shades
Hunter Douglas is a leading manufacturer of quality woven shades. Unlike Conrad Shades and Hartmann & Forbes, they aren't handcrafted to the window size. They are, however, cut to precise custom specifications by machine from rolls of woven material. Then, Hunter Douglas offers to finish the edges of their shades with sewn-on banding to prevent fraying.
Though still an excellent, industry-leading product, Hunter Douglas woven woods are a less expensive option than the other options above, and their shades arrive much faster. Hunter Douglas shades are usually delivered in 3 to 5 weeks when the fabric is in stock.
Our client, Bonnie, chose Hunter Douglas Provenance woven grass shades because their pattern perfectly matched her existing bedroom draperies and room accessories.
She also liked Hunter Douglas’s LiteRise lift system, and since she was so happy with the shades she selected for her main bedroom, she and her family decided to do the three guest bedrooms the same way.
Explore the World of Exclusive Designer Woven Shades
We also have access to exclusive, industry-insider manufacturers unavailable to the public. Generally, these Designer Woven Shades fall between the high mark of Conrad Shades and Hartmann & Forbes and the more affordable Hunter Douglas options in price.
Our preferred manufacturer crafts these shades from soft, handwoven natural materials. But instead of the shade being woven by hand to your window size, they cut the lightweight fabric from a large roll of woven material, and then the edges are nicely finished so they won't fray easily. These features are crucial for an elegant visual effect that lasts for years.
Our client, Linda, chose Designer Woven Shades because of the pattern and featured lift system. She has many large windows and felt that a continuous loop control worked best for her needs. Continuous loop control allows for easy lifting and precise shade positioning.
Because of the large windows in her dining room and great room, the pattern and color she chose was a soft cream. It is the perfect backdrop at night, softening the empty, “black hole effect” that dark windows often leave. In the daytime, especially when the sun rises in the summer, the shades offer protection while keeping Linda's house cooler throughout the day.
Understanding How Woven Wood Shades Operate
It is important to consider how you want your shades to operate. It's a crucial part of the experience, affecting your enjoyment of your shades if not aligned with your preferences.
There are generally two main options.
In the "Old Style," the fabric drops off the front of the headrail that they are attached to.
In the "Traditional Style," the shade drops off the back of the headrail, and then a front valance is required to conceal the lift system.
The "Old Style" has a cleaner look. However, it may be more difficult to reach behind the shade to operate if manually controlled.
Our favorite woven shade installation uses one of these beautiful, lightweight shades with a motorized honeycomb shade mounted behind it. In this combination, the soft woven grass shade filters light and allows you to see outside, and the honeycomb shade can filter light and provide privacy to a room that faces the street. The shade combo can even be room-darkening and, in a bedroom, give you the best of both worlds: the woven grass's sheer, delicate texture and the honeycomb shade's room-darkening benefit.
Work with Portland’s Premiere Custom Window Covering Designers to Add Woven Shades to Your Home
At Adrette Window Coverings, we aim to help homeowners create moments of inspiration and joy at home. Woven shades create an atmosphere that celebrates natural beauty while creating a peaceful haven in the home.
We like to say we are one of Portland's "Best Kept Secrets." Our boutique design firm serves a finite number of clients throughout the year to preserve the quality of our highly personalized, fun design experience.
Marlys guides our clients with decades of expertise and genuine investment in their hopes and dreams for the home. Schedule a design consultation here to begin a joyful journey of transformation through custom window treatment design.