Smart Window Blinds in Los Angeles

Maximize energy efficiency, décor, and convenience with wireless motorized Somfy blinds and other shading solutions. Book an appointment for a free quote & consultation!

Month: April 2022

With the inception of remote control blinds, we’ve seen huge developments and advancements in the motorized shading solution field. Initially, a simple set of Venetian blinds with remote control was all you could hope to get for your windows. Those were cumbersome and inefficient, not to mention noisy and slow. Nowadays, we have motorized blinds and shades that can offer your Los Angeles property, whether residential or commercial, a wide variety of remote control window treatments that offer fantastic aesthetics and very efficient and convenient features.

Motorized Shading Solutions – Custom Made Size & Design

The beauty about automatic window coverings, besides the actual beauty of their designs, is the variety of combinations one can create. With custom-made blinds and shades, you can choose different décors to complement the interior designs of different rooms, and create made-to-size motorized blinds or shades that completely cover the designated spot. From skylight blinds to motorized Roman shades in a variety of unique looks, Los Angeles window treatments with remote controls are now easier than ever to find. As motorized shading solutions allow for a variety of remote control features, wireless and wired power sources, and all sorts of smart programs, you can truly optimize your use of natural sunlight diffusion and improve energy efficiency.

Introducing Smart Window Blinds

With the combination of wireless blinds motorized with silent opening and closing functions, new remote control features became available. With smart blinds, you can use smart devices (phone, tablet) to connect to the system, monitor, and control it. Use your smartphone to raise or lower your motorized smart blinds, adjust the vane positioning, or even set a timer to have them open or close automatically for you. You also have the option now to integrate motorized blinds with smart home systems like Alexa, Echo, Google Home, and others. That creates the ability to control motorized smart blinds with voice commands. This technological advancement makes everything even easier and more convenient to use.

Somfy Blinds and Lutron Motorized Shades

As two of the dominant forces in the field of smart shading solutions, Somfy and Lutron provide excellent choices for both indoor and outdoor coverings. With smart Somfy blinds controls, you can enjoy all sorts of unique remote control features that provide the utmost convenience with smart switches and wireless Wi-Fi connectivity. This creative ingenuity has made Somfy blinds and Lutron shades the go-to choice for many Los Angeles area properties. Lutron shades and their smart controls give you great dimmer options and excellent sunlight diffusion properties with sheer motorized shades, roller coverings, and even blackout curtains and drapes.

Smart Blinds For Los Angeles Windows

You can optimize your sunlight management indoors with motorized shade systems that let you control them from anywhere. With the excellent knowledge and expertise of Master Blinds shading solution specialists, customers near the Los Angeles area can spruce up décor and improve utility with motorized smart blinds and shades completely custom made. To learn more and find the specific combination of design and utility for your budget and needs, get in touch with us to book a free in-person consultation appointment on smart blinds, shades, or rolling shutters at your business or residence.

Finding a new set of covers for your living room windows can prove simple. After all, the selection of blinds or shades you can choose from is extensive and varied. But if you want the optimal choice for your specific Los Angeles home, you may need to do some contemplation. Do you want something with elaborate décor over high-tech blinds motorization features? Would you prefer enhanced sunlight control instead? Living room windows can sport all sorts of blinds and shades. But some may suit your needs better than others. And we’re here to explain the most popular choices.

Motorized Blinds For Fast & Simple Operation

Choosing to go with electric blinds or motorized roller shades for your Los Angeles living room is a no brainer. Many people opt for blinds motorization features for their blinds or shades. Why? Because the benefits are so many. Motorized blinds, custom made for your specific living room windows, will move fast and fit perfectly. That means no sunlight will shine through the sides or the top. With motorized blackout blinds, you can also allow for complete darkness. The overlapping vanes of blackout blinds, motorized, will adjust according to your setting. Choosing remote control blinds for your living room will allow for effortless operation and functionality.

Roman Shades – Sheer or Blackout

As far as window shades go, Roman-style covers have a claim for the thrown of most stylish and aesthetic. Roman shades have a wealth of different designs that give them elegance and class. The variety of Roman shade designs makes it easy to create something that complements the rest of your Los Angeles living room décor. From fishtail flourishes to hobbled, relaxed, or even flat Roman window shades, you can pick something that adds style but doesn’t take up too much space or decorative real-estate. Sheer Roman shades will let you diffuse sunlight and create a soft ambiance that won’t shine glares off the TV. With blackout Roman shades, you can darken the room completely, making it excellent for watching movies or shows whenever you want.

Sheer and Blackout Curtains and Draperies

As a natural choice for window coverings, curtains and valances or various draperies provide a classic shading solution. Curtains, blackout or sheer, can have a similar effect to Roman shades. Meaning, they can add style to the living room décor and create an ambiance according to their fabric opacity. Blackout curtains have become very popular for bedrooms, but they can serve you great on your living room windows too. Sheer curtains or drapes will soften and diffuse sunlight, creating an ambiance of comfort, without harsh glare. Most people prefer blackout curtains for their Los Angeles homes, due to the added privacy benefits at night. Either way, our professionals can craft custom made curtains or draperies for your living room or any other part of the property.

Custom Los Angeles Living Room Blinds, Shades, or Curtains

To truly understand which window treatments will best meet all your needs, talk to one of our experts. Our local team of window treatment designers and installers can help you pick and choose features, materials, and designs for your new living room blinds, curtains, or shades. Schedule your free estimate and tell us what ideas you’ve got. We guarantee you’d love to see what sorts of living room blinds and shades we can make for you.

There are plenty of choices when getting new electric blinds and motorized shades for a room. You need to decide on the color and design. You need to see how well certain patterns match and complement the décor. And after picking the ensemble of material and method, you still have choices to go. Mainly, how will you open and close your new blinds? When dealing with automatic window coverings, there are usually three different types of energy sources you can go with. The choice of which one is best for you depends on a few factors. It’s important you select the best power source for your electric motorized blinds and shades, to ensure their efficient and smooth operation.

Hardwired Electric Blinds

These automatic window coverings connect to the existing electrical grid directly. Because of this, they have distinct advantages and some potential downsides you need to consider.

Pros

Cons

Hardwired blinds are by far faster than other motorized window treatments. The direct connection really comes into play here.

The installation of hardwired electric blinds is more complex than the battery powered variety if you want to maintain maximum aesthetics. Unless you want to have cords exposed, some wall excavations may be necessary.

You can choose to connect a few sets of motorized blinds and open and close them in complete unison. The hardwired power source allows for smooth, even movement of multiple sets.

When the power goes out, it goes completely out. Your motorized blinds and shades won’t work, unless you have an emergency generator.

Minimal power source maintenance. With battery and solar powered options, you’ve got additional parts that capture and deliver the alternative power sources. Those need some upkeep every so often. With hardwired blinds, it’s the same as every other electric appliance or feature. No extra maintenance required.

Battery-Powered Shades

This automatic covering option relies on a changeable power source and not one that’s directly connected to the grid. The use of a battery distinguishes them in several ways.

Pros

Cons

Faster and much simpler installation process.

Less aesthetically appealing. The battery pack usually sits above or beside the motor of the electric blinds. Will require wall excavations or extra curtains if you want to hide it.

Operate independently from the rest of the house. That means that if the power goes out, your battery-powered blinds will continue to work.

Battery will require charging/replacement, which means more upkeep.

Easier to repair due to having easy access to the power source.

Not as fast as hardwired blinds. The battery-powered option doesn’t do as well when having to power the operation of a few sets of motorized shades simultaneously.

Solar-Powered Blinds and Shades

The main appeal of these motorized blinds is the fact that they get their power from a truly alternative power source – the sun. This eco-friendly option is definitely in-vogue with the ‘green’ energy movement at the moment.

Pros

Cons

Long-term investment. Solar-powered blinds are a great money-saving option that can end up being incredibly worth it.

Much more intricate installation. Obviously, it requires setting up and connecting solar panels to your motorized shades.

Works independently from the rest of your property. Power outages won’t affect the performance at all.

Relies on sunlight, which means that cloudy weather and night time will be considered ‘dead hours’.

Environmentally friendly and energy efficient. A great way to lower your carbon footprint while utilizing natural lighting and the all-so-available sun as an energy source.

More expensive, although only initially. Solar-powered blinds due have the potential to end up paying for themselves.

Your Source For Electric Blinds and Shades Near Sherman Oaks

That means that you can use our services to design a set of custom motorized shades, choosing everything from fabrics and colors to motorization and power methods. Contact us anytime to schedule a free in-person consultation appointment. Have an automatic window covering experts come to your home or office and introduce you to the world of motorized blinds and shades.

Somfy is possibly the biggest name in smart home and business appliances. At least regarding automated shading solutions. A huge amount of the world’s largest office buildings uses their products. Somfy blinds and controls aren’t just for multinationals, though. Local Los Angeles businesses and residential houses also have uses for these window shading control products. With Somfy, you can control motorized blinds and shades however you want. You can even have your automatic window coverings shift according to brightness/temperature levels or weather conditions. With their excellent products, you can create the perfect set of automatic window treatments to suit any part of your office or home. The ease of control, smooth movement, and enhanced features are just the tip of the iceberg.

Large Scale Management Software

Somfy’s Animeo series building management program offers a lot of utility. Why? Because it can synchronize various aspects of a single property to work together. It can coordinate fans, ventilation systems, and automatic blinds and shades throughout a structure of any size. The most inexpensive and residentially focused models can coordinate several dozen motorized appliances. On the other hand, the most powerful versions have a maximum of eight hundred or more devices under simultaneous control. These systems act on information pulled from the world wide web. A.k.a – online. They can also aggregate information received from local input devices as well as motors. This includes things like security cameras, motion sensors, and thermometers or photodetectors. They can even receive input from voice commands or keyboard interfaces.

Powered Curtains And Their Mountings

Somfy products work with blinds and shades of all sorts of materials and styles. From vinyl and plastic to cotton and velvet, from solar roller shades to pleated Roman style ones. Sliding curtains and other horizontally opening and retracting coverings have become especially popular. Take Somfy motorized rollers, powered curtain tracks, and electric vertical blind sliders for example. They are some of the most resistant to breakdown and wear and tear in the world. Their infrastructure and housing assemblies work great to secure window blinds in place. They ensure smooth and efficient movement day in and day out.

Smart Home Controls

Somfy is a pioneer of artificially intelligent or voice-activated home system controls. But apart from the standard wall switches and remote controls, they have more to offer. Take their Tahoma smart control system, for example. With it, you can instruct your blinds, shades, and curtains to open and close in response to various input devices. This includes sensor stimulates and online weather reports. In addition, the Tahoma system allows for remote handsets and smartphones or tablets to provide input commands. By syncing your Somfy blinds with an Alexa or another personal assistant program, you can open and close your powered window coverings with voice commands.

A Diverse Range of Input Data

Both Tahoma and Somfy’s secondary home management system, Connexoon, come with a smartphone app. This allows them to enable secure remote control and status updates regardless of distance. These products make for fantastic additions to any residential property. They can truly make your home smarter in terms of light control. Using your smartphone or tablet to control your blinds and shades offers a lot of benefits. Besides convenience, this can reduce your energy bill (long-term) and enhance your home security.

Somfy Experts and Installers In Los Angeles

Interested in getting new motorized blinds and/or shades that utilize Somfy products? Get in touch with the team here at Master Blinds Los Angeles for a free estimate. We’ve got experts on hand ready to provide all the info you need to choose the perfect custom made blinds, curtains, or shades for your property.

Which is better? That’s what the question boils down to. Do motorized blinds, shades or curtains serve you better? Well, as you can probably expect, that all depends. What are you looking to get out of the motorized window treatments? Because different answers will receive different recommendations. But to simplify things, let’s give each option’s pros and cons a short overview.

First Thing First

Let’s talk about the difference between blinds, shades, and curtains before going over the pros and cons of each.

Motorized Blinds For Maximum Adjustability

  • Curtains – as you well know, curtains consist of sheets of fabric, pleated, flat, or otherwise stylized that cover the window in its entirety. The main distinction between them and drapes are length and thickness. I.e. drapes tend to be longer and thicker, in general. Curtains and drapes move laterally across a rod set up above the window.
  • Shades – somewhat similar to curtains, window shades also consist of fabric sheets, often stylized in various ways. Cellular and Roman shades are a good example of distinct shade designs. Unlike curtains, though, shades move up and down to cover or expose the window. Meaning, they move vertically instead of horizontally.
  • Blinds – people often misname shades for blinds and vice versa. But there’s a clear separation between the two in technical terms. Blinds consist of vanes (vertical or horizontal) made from more rigid materials than fabric. Wood, vinyl, PVC, and even aluminum are common choices. Blinds with vanes/slats allow you to adjust how much sunlight gets through the window without raising or lowering the whole sheet.

Ok, now that we gave you a short summary about each type of these window coverings, let’s delve a bit deeper. When it comes to motorization, window blinds have quite a lot to offer.

  • Maximum Light Control – no surprise, really. Especially seeing as how blinds already present a much more nuanced approach to controlling sunlight. Motorized blinds allow you to adjust the vanes with a remote control, smartphone, wall switch or voice commands.
  • Some Décor Enhancements – this depends on the type of motorized blinds you get, of course. Simple aluminum blinds probably won’t add a lot to the interior décor in terms of unique appeal. However, some options like bamboo or faux wood blinds, for example, can contribute a lot.
  • Easier To Clean – since window blinds are made from rigid materials and not fabric, they’re more durable. Generally speaking, they’re also easier to clean when they get dirty or dusty. With fabric, stains require special treatment, whereas aluminum or vinyl blinds completely minimize these efforts. Wood blinds, however, require more maintenance.

Motorized Shades For Décor & Simplicity

Moving on to the next option, let’s talk about what motorized shades have to offer. These relatively simpler window coverings bring some interesting qualities to the table.

  • Beautiful Décor Contributions – obviously, the designed fabric sheets can have all sorts of patterns and styles. From Roman shades to layered coverings and even simple roller shades. Whichever type of motorized shades you choose to get, they’re likely going to add a lot more décor to the room than blinds.
  • Simpler Light Control – although blinds offer more adjustability, motorized shades work in a simpler way. They go up or they go down. This makes them better than curtains at blocking sunlight quickly since they move vertically. Some options, like – again – Roman shades, also add décor while halfway opened or closed due to their folding pleated style.
  • Faster Than Curtains – motorized shades tend to be made from thinner fabrics than drapes and curtains. That means they can open and close with more speed.

Motorized Curtains For Pure Elegance

Now we’ve come to the old fashioned option, combined with a modern twist. Drapery has long been a key part of indoor fashion, and motorized curtains combine that old furnishing with new age technology.

  • Better For Blackout – there’s no real argument on this score. Blinds come in third place due to the vanes/slats leaving tiny slivers of lights between them (for the most part). And motorized blackout curtains take the crown over shades made from the same opaque fabric because they tend to be more encompassing. They can cover more than the width of the window, thus easily ensuring that no sunlight gets through the sides. The thickness of the material also allows for much better opacity.
  • Beautiful Designs & Elegance – while shades can also provide a sense of style and elegance, curtains and drapes do this much better. The variation of pleats and trimmings you can get make motorized curtains perfect for creating or complementing any type of style. Their larger size really brings a lot to the room, and can more easily cover wider sized windows.
  • More Accessories – apart from the drapes and curtains themselves, you also have other options. The rod and hooks/ curtain rings can also have a unique design that adds to the décor. You can also get all sorts of valances installed, although, to be fair, those also go with blinds and shades. It’s a matter of taste which window covering options “wears” them better, though. But in terms of chronological order, drapes and curtains “did it first”.

The Bottom Line

It really comes down to what sort of window treatments you’re looking for. What you’re hoping to get out of them and what level of sunlight control you’d like to have. Different kinds of blinds, shades, and curtains will serve different home and business owners’ needs. The best way to decide is to consult with a professional. Master Blinds offers its services all throughout Los Angeles and all nearby counties. No need to pay for anything. You can schedule a no-obligation consultation with a blinds expert near you and get a free quote too.

One of the best news for anyone looking to install new window coverings is the ability to fit in motorized systems. With the help of smart, new technology, these shades can be controlled remotely by using a few different methods. You are no longer limited to a simple wall-mounted controller. With apps, sensors and smart home assistants all playing a part, you can easily make your home a tiny bit more convenient.

With that in mind, which type of control system will benefit you most? Our quick guide will cover and help you see some of the ways in which Somfy products can be effectively managed.

Remote Control Systems

The most straightforward and familiar way for controlling motorized shades is with a handheld remote. These offer a convenient way to take charge of your blinds without having to go over to a wall-mounted panel. Simply leave the window coverings controller near your living room sofa, and you can regulate the levels of natural light without ever having to get up.

Wall Mounted Control Panels

If your property is fitted with a range of Somfy products, it might be wise to invest in a centralized control panel. This is a great way to set the state of the blinds all over the home. This way, if you’re going out for the day you can easily close the upstairs windows on your way out the front door. The Somfy panels can be fitted to any number of systems, so if you’d prefer to have wall controls for each individual room that’s not a problem.

Smartphone App Controller

Somfy products can be regulated directly from your smartphone, no matter where you are. Simply download the app and sync it to your home system – you can even integrate it directly with a home assistant, such as Amazon’s Alexa. This makes closing or opening your window coverings from bed, or from the office, as simple as a few screen taps.

Automatic Sensors And Timers

Sometimes you don’t want to have to have to manage your window treatments directly. There are plenty of circumstances where Somfy products can simply automate themselves, instead of requiring your input. Timers allow the shades to lift and close throughout the day according to your desired timing and can even detect sunshine and adapt accordingly.

Controlling your newly motorized shades has never been easier. These coverings are a great addition to any home, ensuring your safety and being fully compatible with the busy, modern lifestyle.

The answer, to put it simply, is yes. That’s it. All done. No need to read any further. We’re joking, of course. While the answer is affirmative, there’s a more complex explanation. You might think, how can motorized smart blinds save me money on energy if they require energy to run? Well, we’re about to explain that, and in fact, there are different energy sources for motorized blinds that can be more cost effective, but we’ll get to that.

Smart Blinds Affect Energy Use

With the advancement of motorized window treatments and other shading solutions, we’ve seen great development in the fields of automatic window covering solutions. To put it simply, motorized blinds can now work to fit the ideal schedule for your Los Angeles residence or commercial space’s use of natural lighting. You can have motorized blinds installed to open and close at the right hours or when brightness and heat sensors tell them to. This helps you utilize the blinds automatically and helps you rely less on electrical lights throughout the day. The same goes for HVAC use. With smart blinds, you can achieve optimal indoor temperatures simply by increasing or decreasing airflow from the outside. The reduced use of these amenities results in lower spending on energy. That’s why energy efficiency is highly touted as one of the main advantages of smart motorized blinds.

How Do Smart Blinds Know When To Work

That will depend on the type of network device you connect them to and the system/app and features available. But generally, smart blinds open the door to utilizing weather reports and different temperature and brightness sensors to essentially tell the window treatments when to open and for how long. The use of different IoT features in the home can optimize the way you use your smart blinds with the smart home system.

Don’t Motorized Blinds Need Lots of Power?

They sure do. But guess what? You don’t have to get motorized smart blinds installed with wired connections. You have different options for blinds power sources that include batteries and even solar power. Each option presents its own set of pros and cons, of course. But some offer a lot less costly options than the others. Somfy blinds power sources can give the ability to install new motorized window treatments that don’t necessarily take up huge chunks of wattage to run. And combining that with an improved energy efficiency thanks to better indoor temperature control and use of sunlight, and smart blinds have no choice but to save you money as time goes by.

Can Smart Blinds Work For My Los Angeles Property?

Since we don’t know you (yet) we can’t really answer that blindly. But we have a great solution for that. Schedule a free estimate! With an in-person consultation from highly experienced motorized blinds and shades specialists you can have an expert examine the spaces you want to add smart blinds to and see what sorts of designs, power sources, and features can work. Get in touch with us to book your free quote appointment and learn more about how smart motorized blinds can benefit your Los Angeles business or home.

The bathroom is usually one of the most compact rooms in the house and one that frequently deals with moisture and steam. Bathrooms should always be fitted to make the most of your space and be equipped to deal with moisture. Here we take a look at the designs of window blinds that we think are ideal options for the bathroom.

Designs With Headrails

Shades that open and close from a Headrail can include roller shades, cellular shades, and roman shades. In comparison to curtains, these types of shades are perfect for smaller winders with tight space restrictions. Curtains can be too cumbersome and overcrowd your window.

Roman Shades for a Classic Touch

The biggest advantage of Roman style shades is the aesthetic they bring. They have a period look about them that would be perfect within a period property. The multi-layer folding of Roman shades is not only very effective in terms of space saving, but it also delivers a character that sits perfectly in line with modern interior design.

Cellular Shades Offer Great Efficiency

Not only are cellular shades efficient in terms of space, they also offer great insulation benefits. The material used in their hexagonal structured sheets is usually a waterproof polymer, which is great for dispelling moisture. This means less time cleaning or replacing them like you would with fabric curtains that absorb moisture and decay faster.

Most Roller Shades Are Cheerful

If you’re looking for the most sensibly priced options, roller shades are the style to aim for. They are very simple in terms of their design, are incredibly easy to use, and are one of the most widely used styles available. The fact that they are easy to use is a huge advantage if you host guests frequently. The sheet used for the shade is easy to cut to the perfect size at a low cost and a range of waterproof fabrics can be used to ensure the shade is ideal for the bathroom. By selecting one of the most common designs, you’ll have access to a wide range of colors, which will make it easier to find a set that matches your current decor perfectly.

Choosing the right blinds for your bedroom can be tricky. The array of modern blinds on the market is huge and can be somewhat overwhelming. Here we want to explain why we think roller shades make such great options for the bedroom.

Excellent Blackout Capability

The world of you select roller shades with a solid sheet that do not allow any light to pass through it, If you select roller shades with a solid sheet that do not allow any light to pass through it, you’ll have the option of reaching near blackout conditions during the night and day. This can be especially important if you often sleep in daylight hours or live next to a busy road where the lights from passing traffic can be an irritating issue. You can have custom blinds in this style that are cut to a certain width to ensure your windows are sufficiently covered.

Ease Of Use

One of the best things about this design is how simple and easy they are to use. This can be an incredibly useful trait when you’re having to use them first thing in the morning each day, or late at night. It is possible to buy them with strong reinforced “brakes” that are made to withstand greater pressures from firm use.

Easy To Clean and Maintain

For many people, the bedroom is one of the rooms that you’re likely to spend the most time cleaning and tidying. It’s one of the spaces in the house we usually feel the most compelled to keep as presentable as possible, so the shape and design of the window shutters you choose are important. Because of their simple design, blinds within the roller style tend to be very basic in terms of shape and functionality. This makes them easy to clean.

The Right Shading Option For You

Roller shades are also one of the more versatile styles, so Master Blinds’ designers can create exactly the shade system you’re fantasizing about made custom to your needs. There are no parts on the most basic roller designs that are dangerous or particularly fragile, so you can give them quick thorough cleans without having to worry too much about causing them any major damage.

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