

You might have seen them gracing windows, but what is a honeycomb shade, really? Honeycomb shades also called cellular shades have risen to gain popularity because they can offer this elusive blend of style and practicality. But are shades perfect for your house? Let’s discuss everything in this highly detailed buyer’s guide to make sure you’ve just got the right essential information well in advance of buying.
A Deep Dive
Honeycomb shades, also known as cellular shades, are named after their cellular structure. The fabric folds into honeycomb-shaped cells and acts like an accordion. Those cells trap the air and add some insulation to the window.
This design helps in regulating indoor temperatures. This, in turn, makes your home cooler during summer and a bit warm during winter. They are made from pleated cellular structures and can offer single, double, or even triple cells. Single-cell shades measure ¾-inch wide, while double-cell shades use two layers of ⅜-inch cells.
Benefits of Honeycomb Shades
Beyond their distinctive look, honeycomb shades offer practical advantages for any living room:
- Energy Efficiency: These shades are energy-efficient in nature and would reduce your energy bills by minimizing heat transfer through your windows.
- Light Control: Honeycomb shades have different opacities to enable one to choose the best amount of natural light. They range from sheer, allowing gentle light filtering, to blackout, which blocks out the light completely. Think of light-filtering cellular shades, or even blackout cellular shades.
- Noise Reduction: Trapped air mutes the outside noise-noise reduction-effectively relevant in street side windows.
- Privacy: Honeycomb shades enhance privacy, especially for windows facing streets. The blackout shades are even more protective; they block nearly all the incoming light and are also great when sleeping.
- Style and Versatility: Honeycomb shades lend a clean, polished look to the window with their sleek lines. With plenty of fabric, color, pleat-size, and other customization options, honeycomb shades can complement any style of decor. We offer Custom Window Treatments in the Main Line and can help make your current style mathc perfectly with your blinds.
Considerations When Choosing Honeycomb Shades
While honeycomb shades offer many benefits, consider these points:
- Cleaning: Due to their special construction, they attract dust easily. For normal cleaning, light dusting or gentle vacuuming is done. You can try blowing into the honeycomb cells.
- Limited Light Flexibility: While some shades offer more light control (like tilting wood blinds), options are less robust with honeycomb shades. Top-down/bottom-up models offer more flexibility.
- Cost: Honeycomb shades fall in the mid-price range. They are more expensive than budget options yet less than top-tier choices. Single vs. double cell options can influence cost.
Choosing the Right Honeycomb Shades: A Buyer’s Guide
Selecting the right honeycomb shades is a personalized decision. Consider these points:
Light Control and Privacy
Consider how much light is desired. For bedrooms or media rooms, the room darkening or blackout honeycomb shades are perfect. For living rooms or dining rooms, light filtering works nicely.
Cell Size
The size of the cell impacts energy efficiency and insulation. Single-cell shades will do if energy efficiency isn’t a huge factor. Triple-cell shades provide even more insulation. Single-cell shades provide decent light filtering while double and triple cells are more energy-efficient.
Fabric and Color
There are many different fabrics and color options in honeycomb shades. Lighter fabrics will provide an airy look while darker styles create depth. Consider other popular window treatment options like vertical blinds or metal blinds.Our interior design services are here to help!
Recap
Honeycomb shades are more of an investment than a window treatment. Get the perfect match in options such as light control, cell size, material, color, and operating system. They offer a bunch of improved energy efficiency, light diffusion, modern looks, noise cancellation, and a world of customization possibilities.
Questions? Contact our team today!