If you just watched our brief video and have a very large patio door you might ask yourself, "How do I go about getting a roller shade for my door?" Well, the choices are varied and the information you may need to make the decision can be a complex one. But, here at Window Fashionista we've got you covered.
What to Consider When Choosing a Fabric for the Large Opening
Choosing a fabric can be difficult especially with such a large patio door. Not only is the door wide, but it is very tall. The fabric the client in the YouTube video chose is 118-inches wide, but the patio door is 151-inches, leading some to assume there would be vertical seams which would combine multiple panels together. This is not a good idea. Why? Because seams cause the fabric to skew to one side or the other. While we at Window Fashionista are not miracle workers we can pull a string or two in order to get the perfect designer look.
There is a design trick common in the industry called "railroading."
This is when the material is turned on its side. We get way more material and it will fit ideally without vertical seams. The height of the opening in the video is 96-inches and the material turned sideways is 118-inches, this makes everyone happy.
However, there will be a horizontal seam near the top to fill in the gap.
See the photo below. You can see a horizontal seam in both photos. Another thing to consider is that with railroading, there is the slight chance of a buckle in the material. We talked at length about this with the client and they were okay with it. We could search for a fabric that is tall enough in addition to wide enough to cover the opening without a seam, but that takes time to find, and time is what we give our clients so that they are aware of all the choices. We really do go over all the details!
On the left is the roller shade that is standard, but notice horizontal seam near the top. and on the right the fabric is railroaded, or turned on its side, notice slight buckle.
Here is something else to complicate matters: not all material can be railroaded. The fabricator of the fabric dictates that decision. In fact, this material was not intended for railroading, however our fabricator gave us the go ahead.
So, in the world of design, you just never know if you can design something unless you ask the fabricators for it. That is the complicated nature of fabric.
In this case we were able to do what we wanted for the client. Yay for us and them!
How Private are these Roller Shades Anyway?
Excellent question! The fabric looks sheer in the next photo. To get technical, this fabric is a 5-percent open screen shade. (What is the openness factor for solar screens? That is another blog topic which I will address in the future) But for now, this allows a transparent view through the fabric, while a smaller percentage provides a more opaque view.
This is taken from the balcony looking inside the patio door. All that can be seen is the reflection of the balcony and photographer ; ) This material will give the client daytime privacy. So, while at night with the lights off there will be privacy, however, with the lights on these will be sheer allowing a view to the inside of the home.
So many things to consider when choosing a fabric for a roller shade. But if you choose to work with us on your window covering project we can walk you through step by step, and troubleshoot all the complex areas of your window opening.
The client in this instance didn't feel privacy was an issue. You may feel differently depending on your window/patio door. Everyone of our jobs is unique to the client. No cookie cutter order takers here at Window Fashionista!
Window Fashionista provides window covering services across the country to many people. Please feel free to contact us if you need assistance with your project. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
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