2-on-1 headrail
Two honeycomb shades on a single headrail, each with its own control. One clean rail across the window, and you can lower half of it.
Blinds for Large Windows
Blinds and shades for large windows: one opening, one look.
View homes and great rooms come with glass that is wider or taller than any single blind. The answer is a product built for the span, or two joined so they read as one. Shades up to 144 inches wide, SmartDrape™ to 189 inches, and shutter banks with posts, measured and installed by PAPABLINDS across the Greater Seattle Area.
How a wide window gets covered.
Past a certain width the fabric or the panel is joined. Done right, the joint disappears into the look; done wrong, it is the first thing you see.
Coupled roller shades
Two Soluna™ rollers side by side, controlled together, so a wall of glass moves as one shade. The narrow gap between fabrics lines up with the window mullion.
Shutter bank with posts
Panels hinged in pairs along the opening, divided by posts where the frame needs support. Every louver in the bank tilts together or in sections.
Width limits, product by product.
Norman® publishes these limits for single treatments; past them the shade is joined or the opening is split. We confirm the number for your fabric and mount at the visit.
| Product | Single unit up to | Past that | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soluna™ roller and solar | 144 in wide | Coupled rollers, controlled together | The cleanest look on a wall of glass; solar fabric for west views |
| Portrait™ honeycomb | 144 in wide | 2-on-1 headrail with independent controls | Insulates the biggest heat-loss surface in the house |
| SmartDrape™ | 189 in wide | Two tracks with a center opening | Vertical vanes suit tall glass; walk-through on doors |
| Synchrony™ vertical blinds | Wide spans on one track | Split into two headrails | The budget option for a big opening |
| Shutters | Panels sized to the window | Multiple panels with posts | The built-in look; tilt in sections |
Tall glass has its own limits by product, and openings taller than a single shade are split at a transom line. See blinds for high windows.
Big glass loses heat and takes glare. Cover it for both.
A wall of single-pane or older double-pane glass is the coldest surface in a Seattle house from November to March. Honeycomb shades put an insulating layer across all of it and, on a 2-on-1 headrail, still let you open half of the wall for the view. In summer the same window faces a low western sun for four hours; a solar roller fabric cuts the glare without giving up the lake or the mountains.
Motorization belongs in this conversation. Four to six shades on one wall move together from one remote channel, and a schedule drops them at three in the afternoon on the west side.
- Honeycomb for insulation, solar fabric for glare, or a dual shade for both.
- Joins aligned to the window mullions.
- One remote channel for the whole wall.
- Room-darkening options where the big window is in a bedroom.
See motorized shades.
© 2021 Norman®. All Rights Reserved.Large windows around Seattle.
Lake and mountain glass
Solar roller shades, coupled, so the view stays and the glare goes. Clear when the weather is worth it.
Two-story window walls
Split at the transom: reachable shades below, motorized above, same fabric so the wall reads as one.
Floor-to-ceiling panes
Vertical products suit tall glass: SmartDrape™ or vertical honeycomb, stacking to the side.
Wide sliders and picture windows
Shutter banks with posts for the built-in look, or a 2-on-1 honeycomb headrail with independent halves.
Options on large windows.
- Shades to 144 in wide as a single unit
- 2-on-1 honeycomb headrail, independent halves
- Coupled roller shades, one control
- SmartDrape™ to 189 in wide
- Shutter banks with posts
- Motorized, several shades on one channel
- One shade wider than 144 in
Large window questions.
Will I see the seam between two shades?
A narrow gap, yes, and we place it on the window mullion so it reads as part of the window. On a 2-on-1 headrail the rail itself is one piece.
What is the widest single shade?
Norman® lists shades to 144 inches wide and SmartDrape™ to 189 inches. The exact limit depends on the fabric and the lift, and we confirm it for your window.
Are wide shades heavy to lift?
Cordless lifts are rated for the size, but on the widest shades and the tallest windows we recommend motorization so nobody has to reach the middle of a 12-foot rail.
Can shutters cover a whole window wall?
Yes, as a bank of panels with posts between sections. Norman® makes the posts so the bank reads as one unit.
Blinds and shades for large windows in the Seattle area
PAPABLINDS covers wide and tall windows in Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Mercer Island, and the surrounding communities with Norman® products built for the span: Soluna™ roller and solar shades and Portrait™ honeycomb shades to 144 inches wide as single units, coupled rollers and 2-on-1 honeycomb headrails past that, SmartDrape™ vertical fabric shades to 189 inches, Synchrony™ vertical blinds, and shutter banks with posts.
Insulation and glare on big glass
A large window is both the coldest surface in the room in winter and the source of the glare in summer. Honeycomb shades handle the first, solar roller fabrics the second, and a dual shade does both on the same window. Because these walls usually hold four or more shades, motorization with one remote channel per wall is the option most of our large-window customers add.
What to have ready for the visit
- A rough width and height of the opening, and whether it is one pane or several.
- Which direction the window faces and when the glare hits.
- Whether you want to open part of the wall on its own.
Request a free in-home visit and we will measure the span, show you where a join would fall, and quote the single-unit and joined options side by side.