Generating the Wow Factor in Interior Design

Motorized Shades Bring the Zing to Design Projects

As an interior designer, you are always on the lookout for the next trend. It doesn’t matter whether you do antiques, mid-century modern, or eclectic; you always look for the detail that gives your clients that extra custom touch. It could be an unusual accessory sourced from an exclusive vendor or the way you deftly mix the old and the new into a cohesive design.

That detail shows in various aspects of your work. You know how to take a basic electrical plan and customize it to ensure that unique lamp is plugged in just the right place. You work with electricians and other lighting professionals to ensure a room's lighting properly highlights your carefully conceived design.

When it comes to window treatments, you are an expert in creating custom designs that are both functional and stylish. And this is an area where you can add a custom touch as well - motorized shades and window coverings. How do they add that extra touch to your Lake Forest, IL residential projects? Read on to find out.

SEE ALSO: How do Motorized Shades Work? Avidia Tells All

Motorized vs. Manual

Manual window treatments can sometimes be finicky. Cords dangle on the sides, and sometimes they get stuck. With small children around, they can certainly be a hazard. With heavier drapes, cords or other pull mechanisms may be hard to operate.

As a designer, you have to love the clean look of a motorized shade or window treatment. There are no cords or twist bars or any other extraneous things detracting from the material of the design. You can put shades in hard-to-reach locations, like clerestory windows and even skylights if needed, where manually operated coverings would be difficult to reach.

Control is precise, easy, and varied. Wall-mounted wireless keypads can raise or lower shades and blinds, or open heavy drapes via a quiet motorized track. Alternatively, your client can use their smartphone or tablet with a control app. Motorized shades can be tied into voice assistants like Amazon Alexa and Google Home to offer simple voice commands for controlling windows treatments in a room or the whole house. With a home automation system like Control4, even more control options abound. Shades can be managed with dedicated touchscreens and AV remote controls, and sensors and timers can also trigger window treatments.

Setting the Ambiance

Motorized shades and window treatments can help create the ambiance for your designs. Automation lets you and your client create just the right amount of light in a space. With automated lighting, this feature becomes more powerful. A bedroom can have a programmed “wake-up” scene that slowly brings up lights and window shades to gently ease your clients into the day. An "entertaining" scene can create layered lighting with natural evening light or dim the lights and draw the shades to watch a show or movie. All these options can be accessed through the touch of a button on the keypad, a smart device, or a voice command based on your client’s preferences.

The Wow Factor

Other details about motorized shades can add to creating something special for your clients. There's the obvious convenience of automated window coverings for comfort throughout the year, keeping out excess heat in the summer or letting light in during the winter. There is the extra security offered by motorized shades that keeps the home private and prying eyes away when no one is home. There is the protection from harmful UV rays that will keep your selected furnishings and finishes looking new. The wow factor comes with how easy it is to do all that with a touch of a button or even on a schedule, so your client doesn't have to think about it.

Let Avidia be your technology partner for motorized shades and other home technology features that will add that last detail to your projects. Call us at (847) 868-9200 to get in touch, fill out our contact form, or use the chat box below to connect immediately with one of our expert staff. We look forward to serving you.