What is Duolite?

Duolite is a unique two-in-one shade. Using two different types of shade cloth for two options of light filtration. For instance, you can use a semi-opaque fabric or a room-darkening fabric and it could be mounted with a sheer fabric to gain two functioning shades to use for your windows! Hunter Douglas provides many color and fabric options for this product. This photo also shows a Duette Vertiglide that traverses nicely for a sliding patio door.


This photo shows the room darkening shade on the bottom half and the sheer option on the top half. This would be great for a room with a T.V. with a glare problem or a bedroom to gain total room darkening and yet still have the option to bring in the light with a sheer using the other shade.
Hunter Douglas Duolite shades can offer you many solutions on how you want the light to enter your home. LEARN MORE 
I think you'll love the way these shades work for you! Give me a call to set up an appointment to find out more!

All You Need to Know about Screen Shades

Check out this video below to find out more about these great Hunter Douglas Designer Screen shades!


Hunter Douglas Designer Screen shades are ideal to soften your view of the outdoors and diminish the glare entering your windows. They are available in a wide range of opacities to bring in just the level of light you want.



Screen shades also protect valuable furnishings such as your flooring and your pretty furniture that you would like to enjoy for years.


You can also get this shade with a dual roller system so you have an addtional shade behind the screen shade for added privacy. You get the best of both worlds with this option!


If you would like to learn more about this shade just give me a call and we can set up an in-home appointment to visit about this great shade option for your windows!

3 Great Solutions so Mr. Sun doesn't wake you before your ready!


Do you have an overly sunny bedroom in the morning that wakes you before you would like to be awoke? Sure, we all enjoy sunshiny days but really???? If you want that extra time for sleep wouldn't it be nice to have a blackout shade? Or maybe you have an annoying street light or yard light that is keeping you from getting a good nights sleep? Here are some answers to solve your problem.

This option is a Hunter Douglas honeycomb shade using a blackout fabric. It's also great that you can get this shade in what's called a top-down/bottom-up system. Which basically means you can lower it from the top or raise it from the bottom. This is an awesome solution when using a blackout fabric, you can gain the morning light when you want it just by lowering it from the top and yet still having privacy on the lower half of the window. 


This is a Hunter Douglas Vignette Roman Shade using a blackout fabric. It too can be made into a top-down/bottom-up shade. The roman shade is a softer look but adds a clean crisp look to your bedroom. The Vignette is also available as a cordless shade so you have no cords for kids to grab.


This last option is my favorite ! This is a Hunter Douglas A Deux Silhouette. Check out this you tube video on how this shade will work for you!  Hunter Douglas A Deux Shade

I have a shade like this in my master bedroom and absolutely love it ! We have a window on the east side of our home so YES it does keep out the early morning sunshine. We also have a pesky yard light that shines through at night so the Hunter Douglas A Deux Silhouette was the right fit!
Hey if you enjoyed this blog post about gaining a good nights sleep, I think you'll love learning more about these shades! I can take the guess work out of solving how to cover your window just give me a call at 712-786-3176 or email me at susieruhland@gmail.com for a one-on-one consultation in your home. Which one of these options did you prefer? Let me know in the comment section below.




It's All About Insulation

The Energy Smart Style savings event offers savings on two of the most enegy-efficient products from Hunter Douglas. Rebates are being offered from January 30 through April 11, 2016 on select purchases of Duette honeycomb shades and Solera Soft Shades. Below is an overview of these products offered with exceptional style and additional energy efficiency.




Duette Honeycomb Shades

Duette is the original honeycomb shade designed for insulation. It creates a single pocket of air an the window that helps save energy. These shades are available in many sizes and opacities.


Duette Architella Honeycomb Shades

This shade is basically a duette shade but a honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb design increases insulation and provides even greater energy savings than the single honeycomb.




Duette Architella Trielle Honeycomb Shades

These shades are the most energy efficient of all shades! Three honeycombs create five insulating air pockets.



Hunter Douglas Solera Soft Shades

A unique cellular shape helps keep rooms cozier in winter months and cooler in the summer months.





Winter is a great time to purchase these energy efficient products to help you save money all year long! 

Restful Guest Bedroom




A recent project was this guest room done with a 2" Hunter Douglas Silhouette for privacy and light control. Adding softness to the sides with pleated stationary panels using a soft textured sheer was what finished the look. Adding width and length to this window treatment made these windows appear larger. 


The panels were mounted on a Kirsch Hardware decorative pole in a brushed nickel finish, we used a glass finial at the ends of the pole to complete the hardware. We didn't want a dark looking pole to distract the eye from the rest of the window treatments so the brushed nickel with the glass finials was a great choice!


This bedroom had a definite angled ceiling so this had to be considered for the installation so the finials and pole would fit properly above the shade and on either side of the shade.  The completion of this project created a simple yet stylish guest bedroom.

Charming Office Space


This light and clean office space had an interesting shaped cove in this room. To add interest to the space, a shapely arched gathered valance was constructed to match the arch in the opening. The panels added a symmetric look to soften and complete the look.


 This room had been meticulously wallpapered several years ago so my client chose to keep the wallpaper. The light blue & bright green dainty pattern on the crisp white background was a pleasing look in the room. 

It's difficult to see in the photos but installed underneath the green top treatment and panels is a Hunter Douglas Silhouette. These shades are soft fabric vanes between two sheers that diffuse the light into the room. Tilting the vanes will achieve privacy. To find out more about these shades you can go to : Hunter Douglas Silhouette
Having an eye-catching office space such as this one would be an enjoyable room to spend lots of time.



Vignette from Hunter Douglas

Vignette Modern Roman Shades are clean, sophisticated and beautifully functional.

Consider Vignette Modern Roman Shades 
Instead of the Typical Roman Shade

What makes a modern roman shade?
  • Versatile: Choose from three styles that roll, stack or traverse. 
  • Safe: With no exposed cords on the front or back of any shade.
  • Beautiful: You choose a style , 4" full folds or 6" flat folds. 
  • Durable: Finely crafted woven fabrics are easy to clean. Over 100 different fabrics, all requiring low maintenance.
  • Innovative: An extensive selection of operating systems available only with Hunter Douglas
  • Handcrafted Quality: Every shade is backed by the Hunter Douglas Limited Lifetime Guarantee.

TALL Grommet Panels


 This is a before picture of the project. The height was close to 20' for the panels that needed to be installed. An extension ladder was used for the installation. This wall was really bare looking and needed some softness.


The pattern we used for the side panels was :
Greenhouse A3810 Twilight
Geometric prints are so popular now!


This was the solid woven fabric we used for
the center panels. Greenhouse A6411 Bark


On the extension ladder installing.... I was really relieved
when this installation was completed!


This is an after picture of the project. The panels were a grommet panel threaded through a 2" wood pole. We decided to go with the center panels in a woven solid colored fabric and the outside panels were a pattern to change it up a bit. The panels really made the room have a little more cozy feel.

What is a great solution to dress my sliding patio door ?

The Hunter Douglas Duette Vertiglide is a great solution !


The Duette Vertiglide is a cellular shade fabric ran vertically across the patio door. The vertiglide is available in many samples of color choices.  It opens and closes from side to side , ideal for sliding glass doors! Duette Vertiglide offers expansive widths and heights to fit any window size. Energy efficient fabrics keep out the cold in the winter and reduce heat in the summer. 


No cords, chains or wands make the Duette Vertiglide 
the perfect choice for child safety at the window. 
As with all Hunter Douglas window fashions, Duette Vertiglide 
is backed by the exclusive Hunter Douglas lifetime guarantee!

Inverted Box Pleat Valance


This valance was fabricated for a patio door and 
a window above the sink. 
The fabric blended well with my clients granite counter 
top that had muted khaki and black colors.


The inverted pleats, banding and buttons were 
done with a black fabric for a pop of color.


Mounted behind the valance is a Hunter Douglas Vertiglide in a neutral color. The vertiglide treatment is a great option for a patio door. It is very energy efficient !

A Stylish Scalloped Valance


My client wanted a new look for her living room windows. This deep olive green fabric had a pretty brown leaf pattern embroidered on the face. The valance was lined with the contrasting brown color and then finished with brown piping.

Mounted underneath the valance is a Ado Wrap complete from Ado Corporation. My client purchased this a few years ago and it worked well yet so we decided to keep it on the window. An Ado Wrap is a vinyl vertical blind wrapped in a sheer. So, you get the best of both worlds! The versatility of a vertical blind to control the light and privacy and the softness of a sheer!


Here is a detailed look of the 'bell' or 'horn' placed between each scallop.


There were several other windows in this home so the valances had to be made in proportion with the size of the windows. This window was located in the foyer so one scallop worked well for this size of window.

To complete the room I fabricated a few throw pillows for the sofa to match the top treatments. My client was very pleased with the end result!

Ripple Grommet Ripple


Ripplefold or grommet panels are what these panels are called. They worked nicely in my clients dining room/living room area. We found a fabric with a linen looking texture that blended with the opposite wall at the end of the room.


The lined panels were constructed with large grommets to fit the Kirsch decorative rod.  The pole and finials had a antique bronze finish that matched the finish on the grommets.


The living room window also was dressed with the stationary grommet panels. The panels really dressed up the windows and added softness to both rooms. A simple tailored look that completed the room.

Hunter Douglas Silhouette A Deux Shade

Hunter Douglas combines a silhouette window shade with a room darkening roller shade mounted together in a single headrail.

Ideal solution for bedrooms and media rooms! The back shade can be raised completely into the headrail or positioned in the window to provide a view or completely lowered to provide room darkening.

This shade provides the dual benefits of translucent fabric and room-darkening features.



I've installed this shade in my master bedroom window with the Powerise 2.1 battery operating system for the back shade. I absolutely love this shade! It's the best window shade option to manage the light control and yet give room darkening capabilities. Here is a video on how easily this system works!








Earth Day, Saving Energy with Hunter Douglas Shades made with 40% recycled fibers


Here is one of the many ways you can save energy !
Hunter Douglas Applause cellular shades are great for the budget and energy conscious customer.
Applause is available with the fabric called , "Vintage". Vintage is made using 40% recycled polyester fibers and is available in a variety of colors, semi-opaque and room darkening fabrics. 
Reduce your energy consumption by having these cellular shades with 40% recycled fibers.

Master Bedroom & Bath Window Treatments



 This master bedroom had a soft sage green paint on the walls with a darker green wall behind the bed. I found a fabric that was similar to a linen look that worked really well for this window treatment. The shaped valances are board mounted. I used the darker green for the contrasting inverted pleats and the 1" banding on the lower edge of the top treatment.


 The side panels are just a stationary pleated panel to soften the sides of the window. My client purchased a Hunter Douglas cordless honeycomb shade that is mounted behind this treatment so it could be pulled closed for privacy.

This master bath window also had a matching valance over a honeycomb shade. Below this window is a cushioned window seat so a topper was sufficient. By choosing the same color as the walls for these window treatments it made a calming and not too busy feeling for the rooms.
My client was very pleased with the finished windows !

Hunter Douglas Solera Soft Shades

Solera Soft Shades is the newest product from Hunter
Douglas. They have a unique cellular construction.  
Solera Soft Shades from
Hunter Douglas offer non-
woven and woven fabric
options in five fabric styles and 31colors.
 Street side of 
the shade is
off-white. The 
headrail and
bottom rails are color-
coordinated fabric 
wrapped.

Solera soft shades are available as a light filtering shade that diffuses light. 
This shade
offers moderate privacy.

These shades are
also available in a 
room-darkening 
opacity. This method
provides maximum
privacy and light 
control.

The construction of these Solera shades traps air and increases insulating properties. Hunter Douglas window fashions are designed and custom-assembled in the USA.