How Motorized Shades Take a Few Chores Off the Host's List

The hour before guests arrive is when a host's list is longest. The roast is in the oven, and the table still needs one last look-over. Windows rarely make the list, but they have a way of demanding attention anyway, usually once the room fills up and you are too busy to deal with them. Motorized shades take that job off your hands. They move on a schedule or at the press of a button, so on-demand privacy and comfort are ready without you leaving the kitchen.

Keep reading to see where they help most during a gathering, and why it pays to plan them well before the next one.

SEE ALSO: How Proactive Monitoring Keeps Your Smart Home Humming

Game Day and Movie Night, Without Squinting

Holiday gatherings tend to gather around a screen. There is the Thanksgiving football game and the family movie after dinner. If the afternoon sun hits the TV, the picture washes out, and people start shifting seats or asking someone to close the blinds.

With motorized shades, a Watch scene on your Control4 system can lower the shades partway and dim the lights while the TV comes on, all from one keypad or your phone. Solar shades work well here because they cut glare while letting some daylight into the room, so it never feels like a cave at two in the afternoon. Our post on fall evenings in the home theater covers how lighting and shading pair with the audio and video.

When the Sun Sets in the Middle of the Party

Winter days end early, often before the main course is served. A room that felt open and bright at four turns into a lit-up display case by five, with the guests visible from the street and the windows reflecting the room back at them.

Shades programmed to lower at sunset handle this without anyone having to break away from a conversation to do it. Guests settle into a room that feels enclosed and relaxed. If you have a lit tree by the glass, you get to decide when it shows from outside and when it stays a private part of the evening.

Overnight Guests and Early Mornings

If family is staying with you, the guest room matters as much as the dining room. A blackout shade keeps early light from waking a relative at dawn, and a keypad by the bed lets them open shades whenever they are ready, with no remote to hunt for. In the morning, the main living areas can open on their own to filter in soft morning light before you have started the coffee.

A Warmer Seat by the Window

Cold glass makes the seats next to large windows less appealing in winter, and those are often the ones that fill up first at a crowded table. Cellular shades trap air in honeycomb-shaped cells, which slows heat loss at the glass. Programmed to open on sunny days and close at dusk, they help the room hold its warmth through the evening.

Plan for Shades Early in Your Design Process

Automated window treatments work best when they are part of the plan from the start. Pockets and wire runs are far easier to place while the walls are open, and a ceiling-recessed pocket can hide the hardware completely. That is why shading belongs in the same conversation as lighting control on a new build or major renovation.

If you are planning either, schedule a design planning meeting with our team. We will map out the shades and lighting scenes based on how you like to entertain, and coordinate the details with your builder and designer, so the house is ready for the next holiday season and every one after it.