I’ve always been a fan of floor to ceiling windows. Not only do they flood your room with natural light, but they can also give your home an open, airy feel. Plus, there’s no topping those amazing panoramic views. The downside, which very few people talk about, is you get zero privacy since anyone can look straight into your apartment day or night.
Earlier this year, my wife and I became homeowners and while we absolutely loved our new floor to ceiling windows, over time we found ourselves conflicted. On the one hand, we loved our oversized windows, but as the weather warmed up and more people ventured outside, we started looking for ways to add a little privacy to our home — without losing the larger than life views that came with our unit.
That’s where SmartWings came into the picture. The company offers a wide variety of window treatments including zebra, cellular, Roman, and dual shades. We settled on the dual shades because you can opt between a light filtering shade — when you want some light to enter your home — and a blackout shade — when you want complete privacy.
SmartWings Dual Shades:from $459 @ SmartWings
SmartWings offers a wide variety of high-quality and eco-friendly motorized blinds and shades. The dual shades allow full blackout or partial filtering, letting you adjust lighting, create ambiance, and reduce daytime energy use. They’re quiet, stylish, and blend into your room’s aesthetic. They also integrate seamlessly with popular smart home platforms like Apple HomeKit, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and SmartThings.View Deal
The pros
Like most of its products, the SmartWings Motorized Dual Shades are highly customizable. The shades are made to order and you can choose from a wide variety of colors and fabrics. When ordering dual shades, you get to pick the front shade and back shade. The latter one is closest to the window. I like that you can even customize how much light you’d like to block and/or allow into your home.
SmartWings lets you order fabric samples so you can see which patterns and colors work best for your room(s). You can also choose whether you’d like battery operated, solar powered, or hardwired shades. We opted for battery operated, which are rated to last for up to six months between charges. (You charge them
After choosing your preferred style, you’ll need to decide what type of motor you’d like powering your new shades. Options run the gamut from a standard motor (operated, Zigbee, Alexa, Z-Wave Plus, or a Matter Motor Over Thread. I love that SmartWings supports so many wireless platforms so you can choose the one that works with your ecosystem
Once you’ve gotten your basics down, you’ll need to measure your windows. You can opt to do this yourself or you can find a local contractoro’s familiar with SmartWings and can even show you the fabrics in person
Since I’m horrible with DIY home improvement projects, we settled on a local contractor to measure and install our shades. Because SmartWings shades are custom-made, I highly recommend this option because the slightest miscalculation means your new shades won’t fit properly. That said, the SmartWings website offers some tips and guidelines for installation if you prefer the DIY approach.
Once the shades were installed, we opted to control themwe can have the light filtering shade down during the day and the blackout shade at night when watching TV or when we want complete darkness
From the mounting brackets to the valance, SmartWings shades are heavy duty and designed to last for years. They feel and look like premium shades. I also like that the motor that operates the shades is very quiet and you can even program the speed at which you’d like the shades to move. If you live in an Alexa, Google, HomeKit, or SmartThings environment, you can even use voice commands to raise/lower your shades.
As I said earlier, measurements and installation can be tricky if you’re new to home improvement projects. If your windows are extra wide (my living room window measures 132″ x 105″), then you may have to split the dual shades into two sections, which can leave a small crevice in between your shades.
Depending on your window size, the shades can also be difficult to manage if you’re trying to install them yourself. So you may need a second pair of hands when installing them.
While there are a lot of ways to control your SmartWings shades, I do wish there was a SmartWings app that I could load from my phone. I’d also love it if there was a way for me to see how much battery life my shades have at any given moment.
My least favorite part of the setup process was pairing and calibrating my dual shades with the SmartWings remote. I found myself bypassing the included instructions and looking for YouTube videos to find out how to properly pair the remote to my blinds. My advice is take your time with the setup process because if you so much as miss one step, they won’t pair. This is especially tricky if you’re using dual shades. The fact that the pairing button is found on the motor also makes it a difficult process as you’ll need a ladder to reach the motor all while keeping the remote handy.
Bottom line
SmartWings shades are an excellent way to bring home automation to your home. I love that there are so many ways to customize it and that SmartWings supports so many wireless platforms. The shades easily blend into your room’s aesthetic, giving it a sleek and modern look without drawing too much attention or making too much noise.
Pricing varies based on your window size and the fabrics you opt for, but you can rest assured you’re getting a premium product that will last for years. After roughly six months of using them daily, I can attest that they’re an excellent pick for quality and performance.
