CE Pro January 2023 - 48

5 TECHNOLOGIES TO WATCH
Design-Centric Solutions
Custom Made in the Shade
THE VERSATILITY OF motorized shade solutions make them a favorite among designers
who work with integrators. Automated shades, especially in tandem with lighting control,
can be timed to optimize natural daylight and save energy; they can resolve tricky
window treatment problems like skylights and high-ceilinged windows; fabric styles and
mounting hardware possibilities are vast; they can be programmed to raise and lower
when homeowners are
away to make it look
like a house is occupied;
and more.
For example, at CEDIA
Expo 2022, innovation
shown among shade
manufacturers included
Screen Innovations'
outdoor/indoor shade
and projection screen
solutions such as the
Solo 3 and Zen 2 that
can be used with pergolas,
patios, etc. " It's
a cost-effective way to
extend indoor living outside, "
says SI director of
training Sasha Osadchy.
Hunter Douglas previewed its Aura Illuminated Shades at
CEDIA Expo, which are anticipated this spring and will give
integrators a way to bring up wellness with designers.
Meanwhile, venerable window treatment provider Hunter Douglas previewed an
interesting implementation of shades with a wellness angle, the Aura Illuminated Shades.
" There was a conversation and a bit of a brainstorming session about, hey, we make all
these shades with beautiful textures and fabrics, and you really get the best view of those
when it's daylight outside and there's light coming through ... and then that goes away at
night, " explains Scott Stephenson, director, product management, motorization, Window
Fashions Division at Hunter Douglas.
How could they extend that aura so clients have an appreciation of the shades when
they are home in the evening? Hunter Douglas uses LED strip lights in a headrail to illuminate
the shades, offering different color temperatures depending on the circadian timing.
Meanwhile, many integrators might still think of screens before shades when they
think of Draper, but the company had its sights set on giving its brisk motorized shade
business center stage at CEDIA Expo. The
Draper@Home lineup offers FlexStyle and
FlexShade solutions covering window treatments,
outdoor pergolas, skylights and other
applications.
One reason Draper can appeal to designers
is through the ability to custom
color-match shades to official Sherwin Williams
and Pantone colors. The company can
use its in-house digital printing capabilities
to recreate those wide color ranges - in
the booth, noted Draper's Penny Sitler,
that was being illustrated with signage
showing " Very Peri, " the 2022 Pantone
Color of the Year.
Draper can assist with custom shade
requests thank to its color-matching
capabilities.
48 | CE Pro January 2023
and cut them down to
size, there's multiple places
you can cut, " says Proluxe
national sales manager Jennifer
Kirkpatrick. " Accent
walls are becoming more
popular. I have a dealer
that has a customer who's
putting up a Himalayan sea
salt stone wall, it's over 60
feet long and they're backlighting
it with this canvas.
It's a $90,000 job - but
the main place they're
using it is to underlight
countertops. "
Throw in some invisible
loudspeakers, voice
control, motorized shades
and lighting control and it
doesn't take much these
days to pull together a
compelling tech package
that satisfies homeowners
and designers especially
in frequented secondary
spaces such as kitchens
and bathrooms.
There's much work to be
done connecting integrators
and designers, as I
observed while attending
my first KBIS show last
year, and moderating a
session with integrator and
Home Technology Association
panelists in front
of an audience of curious
designers (HTA's Josh
Christian provides myriad
resources for designers to
learn technology basics,
budgeting and more). And
if CEDIA Expo 2022 is any
indication, the technology
makers are leading the
bandwagon to bring the
trades together - there
are head-turning products
across all categories of the
custom industry waiting to
be installed, so it's time to
get the word out. CE Pro
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CE Pro January 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of CE Pro January 2023