Top 6 Covering Ideas for the Hot Arizona Sun

#1. Roller Shades and Sun Shades

Roller shades refer to the manner in which window shades operate. They are made to have clean lines and install inside of the window frames for a sleek design. Roller shades don’t have slats or veins like blinds, but instead, they have a solid sheet of material to cover the window. A roller type functional cassette is at the top and when you lower the roller shades it acts much like a roll of paper towels does in that as you pull the shade down, the tube in the middle of the fabric turns and the fabric grows downward in length to cover your windows and shut out the heat and sun. You can choose from thousands of up to date designer fabrics to match your decor seamlessly when the fabric is fused to a shade backing.

Sunshades are often referred to as solar or screen shades. They operate as a roller shade with the same type of mechanism. Solar shades are a great addition to large windows that can be a challenge when they face the rising or setting sun in the hot desert climate of Arizona. These types of shades are available in varying degrees of openness. Openness refers to how tight the weave is of the material and how much light it lets into your home. Blackout sun shades are 0 percent openness and don’t allow any light into your home. Other common openness amounts are 1 percent, 3 percent, 5 percent, 10 percent, and 14 percent–the higher the number of openness the more light that is let into a room while blocking the heat and still allowing you to have a great view of your beautiful sceneries outdoors.

#2. Roman Shades

Roman shades are a great option for large windows as you can choose the fabric that you love in the colors or design you desire to match any decor and any mood in a space. There are literally thousands of designer fabrics you can choose from in many different thicknesses. Since you are likely wanting something that is energy efficient to keep your home cooler in the dog days of summer, you can choose any fabric that you truly love the look and style of and add a backing or liner to help cut down the glare and heat in your home to increase the functionality.

#3. Flat Roman Shades

The flat Roman shade is completely flat and has clean lines when it’s closed. The folds will only show when you raise a flat Roman shade and the folds are uniform in size so that they appear neat and tidy when raised. Another variation of the roman shade is the knife pleat style. It sports horizontal panels of the same length that are seamed together so that the seams show when the shade is lowered. Knife pleat Roman shades give you an added feature of depth and texture to any window in any space.

#4. Hobbled Roman Shades

The hobbled Roman shades are also commonly called soft fold Roman shades. They have a unique style that is custom-tailored from high-quality fabrics for a luxurious look in natural tones and fashionable and modern patterns. This style boasts a soft flow that is created by hobbling or attaching the fabric on the front onto the lining at regular intervals to form soft fabric loops. When hobbled Roman shades are raised, they appear the same as flat shades, but when they are lowered, the evenly spaced horizontal pleats create delicate and beautiful loops of fabric that cascade on the shade.

#5. Transitional Shades

This style of shade has alternating stripes on them and functions in the same manner as a roller shade. Sometimes they are called zebra shades because of the manner and orientation of two alternating stripes on them. They come in gorgeous materials for a modern appearance that gives you the best of both worlds between standard roller shades and solar shades. The dual layering creates the visual effect of a blind with the vanes open and they appear as a shade when closed to allow great views outdoors as you can see through the softened view of a sheer shade. Transitional shades can transform from light filtering in the early morning and late evening when it’s not so hot to the total room darkening for the ultimate in blocking the sun’s harsh light from entering your home.

#6. Motorized Roller Shades

Motorization in roller shades is a state-of-the-art design for a modern home with large windows that are common in this area. They are specially made for either large windows or hard-to-reach windows to make opening and closing them a snap with only a touch of a button on any smart device you may have. Motorized shades are a great solution for all of your skylights as well to block the sun in the daytime and enjoy the view of the stars at night when they are opened. Motorized roller shades can be programmed into the existing security system of your smart home so you can program preset times for them to automatically open and close, reducing the need to walk to all the windows in your home and raise or lower your window coverings. Some types of shade motors even operate on voice commands with Google Home and Amazon Alexa for a no-hands required approach to your energy-efficient home.

Any style of fabric roller shades or sun shades is a great addition to your home to block out the sun in the heat of the day in Arizona. Since you choose the fabric for your custom window treatments, you will have more choices in how your shades appear in up-to-date and modern colors and patterns.