Blinds, shades and shutters — and how to choose
Five product families, one decision: how much light do you want, and how much do you want to think about it? Here's what each one actually does in a Treasure Valley home.
Plantation Shutters
The one that stays with the house
Shutters are the only window covering that reads as architecture rather than an accessory. They're the biggest upfront investment and the one buyers notice at resale — and in a valley that swings from 100° in July to single digits in January, that solid panel is doing real insulating work.
- Norman® hardwood and Woodlore® composite, built to your openings
- Hidden tilt rod for a clean face, or a traditional center rod
- Waterproof composite rated for bathrooms, laundry and kitchens
- Arches, angles and specialty shapes handled in-house
- Limited lifetime warranty — warranty claims handled by us, locally
Lead time 4–6 weeks Best for: living rooms, offices, resale
Wood & Faux Wood Blinds
Privacy and view, at the same time
A tilted slat is the cheapest trick in the trade: you get full privacy from the street while still seeing the sky. Real wood is warmer and lighter; faux wood costs less and won't warp where there's steam or a west window baking it every afternoon.
- 2″ and 2½″ slats in stained and painted finishes
- Faux wood for bathrooms, kitchens and high-sun exposures
- Cordless lift standard — no dangling cords near cribs or pets
- Matching valances to hide the headrail
- The value pick for bedrooms and secondary rooms
Lead time 2–3 weeks Best for: bedrooms, offices, rentals
Roller & Solar Shades
For the west-facing room you stopped using
Solar shades are a woven mesh rated by openness — a 3% weave kills glare and blocks most UV while you can still see the foothills through it. Blackout rollers do the opposite job in bedrooms and media rooms, where you want the room genuinely dark at 7 am in June.
- Solar screen in 1%, 3%, 5% and 10% openness factors
- Blackout rollers with side channels for true room darkening
- Dual roller: one solar, one blackout, on a single bracket
- Protects hardwood, rugs and leather from fading
- Cassette valances for a finished, hardware-free look
Lead time 2–3 weeks Best for: great rooms, west windows, bedrooms
Cellular / Honeycomb Shades
The best insulator we sell
The honeycomb cells trap a layer of air against the glass, which is why cellular shades outperform everything else on energy. Single cell for most rooms; double cell where a window is genuinely cold — north walls, bonus rooms over the garage, older single-pane glass.
- Single and double cell, in light-filtering or blackout fabric
- Top-down/bottom-up: light in at the top, privacy at eye level
- The strongest choice for cutting winter heat loss
- Cordless and motorized lift options
- Slim stack — nearly disappears when raised
Lead time 2–3 weeks Best for: cold rooms, bonus rooms, energy savings
Zebra / Dual Shades
Two shades in one, on a single roller
Alternating sheer and solid bands ride on one roll of fabric. Line the sheers up with the sheers and you get soft, filtered daylight with the view intact; nudge the chain so the solid bands overlap and the same shade closes down for privacy. It is the most flexible product we sell for a room that has to do both.
- Sheer bands for daylight and a view, solid bands for privacy
- Roll them so the bands align and it closes like a room-darkening roller
- No cords in the field of view — a clean, modern face
- Cordless, chain or motorized lift
- The usual pick when a room needs privacy at night and a view by day
Lead time 2–3 weeks Best for: living rooms, dining rooms, street-facing windows
Shutter, wood blind, roller shade and motorization photography on this page is Norman®'s own, supplied to us as a dealer. The cellular and zebra shades are our installs, and everything in the gallery is our own work.
Motorization & smart home
Set it once. Never touch it again.
Motorization stops being a luxury the moment you have a window you can't reach, a room that overheats every afternoon, or twelve shades to close every night. Schedules do the work.
Power that fits the house
Rechargeable lithium wands last most of a year per charge. Hardwired is cleanest during a remodel or new build. Solar-assist strips keep sunny windows topped up on their own.
Control however you like
Handheld remote, wall switch, phone app, or voice through Alexa, Google Home and Apple Home with a hub. Group shades by room so one command closes the whole west side.
Schedules and sun tracking
Drop the great room at 3 pm in July, open the bedroom at sunrise, close everything at dusk. Sun-tracking setups adjust automatically as the season shifts.
- Cordless by design — the safest option in homes with kids and pets
- We program every motor and walk you through the app before we leave
- Retrofit motors available for some existing shades — ask when we measure
Side by side
Which one fits your room?
| Product | Light control | Insulation | Relative cost | Best in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plantation Shutters | Excellent — tilt plus full close | Excellent | $$$$ | Living rooms, entries, resale value |
| Wood & Faux Blinds | Very good — tilt for privacy | Moderate | $$ | Bedrooms, offices, rentals |
| Solar Shades | Glare and UV, view retained | Moderate | $$ | West-facing great rooms |
| Blackout Rollers | Total darkness | Good | $$ | Bedrooms, media rooms, nurseries |
| Cellular Shades | Good — filtering or blackout | Best in class | $$–$$$ | Cold rooms, bonus rooms, energy savings |
| Zebra / Dual Shades | Sheer or private, on one roller | Moderate | $$–$$$ | Living and dining rooms, street-facing glass |
Free estimate, no pressure.
We'll come measure, talk through options in your own light, and leave you a written quote.