Silhouette Blinds vs. Honeycomb Shades, Modern Window Coverings

Silhouette blinds and honeycomb shades are two very popular types of window treatment designs. But which one would work best for your windows? Silhouette blinds and honeycomb shades have their advantages and drawbacks and once you know what those are, you can make a better decision as to which of window treatment designs is best for you.

Silhouette blinds are distinguished by their capability to let some natural light shine through the window even when the blinds are closed. In essence, silhouettes combine the light control of mini blinds with the privacy control of honeycomb shades.

You can rotate the slats to whatever angle you wish to have the shade you need for yourself and your furniture. When raised, the blinds become completely enclosed in the head rail giving you a wide view through the window. The top down/bottom up feature of silhouette blinds is also helpful. With this feature, the blinds can open from either the top or the bottom which increases your control over light and privacy.

Silhouette vs Honeycomb Blinds, modern window treatment designs

The main down side of silhouettes is that when they are totally closed, you not longer have any view through the window.

Honeycomb (or cellular) shades have become very popular recently as they are known for increasing home energy efficiency.

This is because honeycomb shades are designed to avert heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. Not only is this good for the environment, it can save money as well.

However, the shades need to be installed a certain way to reap the full benefits.

If they are installed as close to the window as possible with both sides of the shade held close to the wall, it creates a sealed airspace that makes it very difficult for the hot or cold air to escape through the window.

There are a couple of disadvantages to honeycomb shades. The first disadvantage being that the accordion style of the shade may not mesh well with the rest of your home decor. The accordion style design is a major component in how the shade provides energy efficiency, so there is really no way around this. The other disadvantage is that honeycomb shades to not provide the same amount of light control as solar shades do.

Modern shades and blinds for large windows

When it comes down to it, the right shade for your windows really depends on your specific situation. Solar shades are best for windows that receive a lot of direct sunlight. But, to maintain privacy, they should not be installed on windows that face the street. Honeycomb shades are great for cutting energy costs, but do not provide the same amount of light control as solar shades.

A guest post by Richard Moyle of Horizon Window Treatments.