Our specialty
Window treatments for big windows
Walls of glass, two-story great rooms, twelve-foot sliders and the arch nobody else wants to quote. We build to the size of your windows, not the other way around.
Overview
Built for the other kind of window
Most window treatment companies are set up for standard windows. We are set up for the other kind: the ten-foot picture window pointed at the ridgeline, the row of transoms over the sliding doors, the great room glass that starts at the floor and ends somewhere near the rafters.
Big windows ask more of a window treatment. The fabric has to hang flat across a wide span, the lift has to move real weight without a fight, and the whole thing has to be reachable, which often means a motor. We bring samples sized for the job, measure every opening ourselves and install it all with our own team.
Light filtering roller shade: you cannot see through it, but daylight passes through the fabric and brightens the room. Norman Smart Motorization: tap up, down or stop, the same as the remote or the app.
Try it
Run a motorized shade
- Tap up, stop and down. That is the whole remote, and it is the same for one shade or a wall of them.
- Switch to PrecisionLift and drag the hem bar to see how a hand-operated shade feels.
- Tap the SmartDrape tab and slide your finger across the door to draw it. That is what we put on big sliders.
What fits
What fits big windows
Extra-wide roller shades
Norman Soluna and Alta roller shades run to widths most windows never reach, on heavy-duty tubes that keep wide fabric hanging flat. Past the limit of a single shade, we pair two on one headrail with a tight seam.
Extra-tall shades
Tall great room and stairwell windows take shades built to heights well past standard. A motor handles the weight and the reach.
Motorized by default
On any window you cannot comfortably reach, we quote a motor first. Rechargeable batteries mean no wiring, and you get a remote, an app and schedules.
Solar screens for the view
A 3% to 5% openness solar fabric cuts glare and heat on a west-facing wall of glass without hiding the mountains.
Shutters for wide and tall openings
Norman shutters with divider rails, T-posts and bypass tracks cover wide windows and sliding doors in panels that stay square.
SmartDrape for sliding doors
The fabric replacement for vertical blinds. It spans wide doors and walls of glass on one continuous headrail, and you can walk right through it. See SmartDrape.
Specialty shapes
Arches, trapezoids, triangles and circles get shutters or honeycomb shades cut to the shape, so the top of the window is covered instead of left open.
Exterior screens for porches
SunPro motorized screens turn a covered porch into a shaded room and keep the afternoon sun off the glass behind it. See motorized.
By window
What we recommend, window by window
Tap the kind of window you have.
A row of tall windows across one wall
Wall of glass
We usually run matched roller shades under one shared valance so the wall reads as one piece, motorized as a group so the whole wall moves on one tap. Solar fabric keeps the view during the day; a second room darkening layer handles night when the room needs it.
- Matched shades, one valance
- Grouped on one remote or schedule
- Solar fabric for glare and heat
Glass from the floor to the rafters
Two-story great room
The lower windows get a hand-operated or motorized shade. The upper windows almost always get a motor, because nobody wants to carry a ladder into the living room. Everything lands on one remote, and a schedule can close the high windows at the hottest part of the afternoon.
- Motors on the upper windows
- Lower windows by hand or motor
- One remote for the whole room
The door you use every day
Sliding and patio doors
SmartDrape, vertical honeycomb or one wide roller shade. The right one depends on whether you walk through the door all day or mostly look through it. SmartDrape wins when it is a real doorway, because you walk straight through the vanes.
- SmartDrape for daily use
- Wide roller shade for a view door
- Vertical honeycomb for insulation
Shaped to the opening
Arches and odd shapes
Norman specialty-shape shutters and honeycomb shades are built to the exact shape of an arch, a trapezoid, a triangle or a circle. We template the opening at the measure so the panel fits the curve, not just the width.
- Arches, half-rounds and eyebrows
- Trapezoids under a gable
- Templated at the measure
Transoms, clerestories, stairwells
Out of reach
Windows you cannot reach get motorized shades with rechargeable batteries. We charge them at install, and one charge typically lasts months. For a window that never needs to move, a fixed solar or light filtering shade is a simpler answer.
- Rechargeable motors, no wiring
- Charge lasts months
- Fixed shades where nothing needs to move
Light control
Light filtering, room darkening or blackout
Tap through the fabrics. The right one depends on the room and the direction the window faces.
Glows and stays private
Light filtering
You cannot see through it, but daylight passes through the weave and brightens the whole room. It is the fabric most people choose for living rooms, kitchens and offices.
- Privacy day and night
- Softens glare on screens
- Wide range of colors and textures
Blocks most of the light
Room darkening
An opaque fabric that stops the view and most of the daylight. A thin line of light can still show around the edges of the shade.
- Bedrooms and nurseries
- Media rooms
- Street-facing windows
The darkest option
Blackout
Norman LightGuard 360 adds side channels and a sealed top and bottom to a room darkening roller shade, which closes the light gaps around the fabric.
- Light sleepers and shift workers
- Home theaters
- Nurseries
Keeps the view
Solar screen
An open weave that cuts glare, heat and UV while you still see out. Openness runs from 1% to 10%. Lower numbers block more sun, and higher numbers keep more of the view. On a big window facing the mountains, this is usually the first fabric we show.
- Walls of glass and west-facing rooms
- Rooms with a view worth keeping
- Less private at night with the lights on
Photos
Big windows we have covered
Swipe through recent work.
Good to know
Details worth deciding early
Measuring big glass
We measure wide openings in three places and tall ones in three more, then check the frame for bow and the corners for square. Big windows are rarely perfect rectangles, and the shade is built to the smallest true measurement so it never binds.
Splitting a span
When one shade cannot cover the width, two shades share one headrail and one valance. The seam between them is a thin line of light, and we place it on a mullion whenever the window has one so it disappears.
Battery or hardwired
Rechargeable battery motors need no electrician and recharge from a small plug-in charger. Hardwired motors make sense in new construction, where we can have the builder run low-voltage wire to each window before drywall.
Weight and lift
A wide room darkening shade is heavy. Past a certain size we recommend a motor or Norman SmartRelease rather than a hand lift, so the shade moves evenly and the fabric stays square on the tube for years.
The process
How it works
Three visits at most, and usually two.
We come to you
We bring the samples, so you can hold fabrics and finishes up to your own walls, trim and light. We measure every window while we are there, including the ones up the ladder. The visit is free.
You get a written quote
A clear price for each window, for exactly what you picked. Change it, trim it or take your time with it.
We install
Your order is built to our measurements and installed by our own team. We haul away the old blinds.
Do not forget the porch
The biggest opening on many mountain homes is not a window at all. It is the covered porch. SunPro motorized screens drop down on tracks to cut sun, wind and bugs, and roll away out of sight when the weather is good.
Answers
Big windows questions
How wide can one roller shade be?
On many fabrics a single Norman Soluna roller shade can be made close to ten feet wide and close to ten feet tall. Past that we pair two shades on one headrail under one valance, with the seam placed on a mullion when the window has one.
What is the best window treatment for a wall of windows?
Usually matched roller shades on one shared valance, motorized as a group. Solar fabric keeps the view and cuts the glare during the day. If the room needs to go dark at night, a second room darkening layer or drapery panels do that job.
Can you cover a two-story window?
Yes. The upper windows get motorized shades with rechargeable batteries, the lower windows get a hand lift or a motor, and everything runs from one remote or the app.
Do motorized shades need an electrician?
No. Rechargeable battery motors are standard, and one charge usually lasts months. Hardwired motors are an option in new construction when the builder can run low-voltage wire before drywall.
Can you cover an arched or triangular window?
Yes. Norman specialty-shape shutters and honeycomb shades are built to the shape of the opening. We template the window during the free measure.
How do you keep a wide shade from sagging?
Heavy-duty tubes, the right fabric for the span and a motor or SmartRelease lift that keeps the travel even. We also build to the smallest true measurement so the fabric never rubs the frame.
Also worth a look
Let us bring the showroom to you
Book a free in-home consultation. We bring the samples, measure your windows and help you choose what suits your home. There is no charge and no pressure to buy.