Honeycomb / Cellular Shades

Buying Guide

How to Choose Cellular (Honeycomb) Shades

Cellular shades are the workhorse of an energy-conscious home. Their honeycomb cells trap air against the window, which helps in both directions: less heat escaping in a Cincinnati January, and less heat pouring in on a July afternoon. They're also soft, quiet and simple to operate. These are the choices to make when ordering them.

Single, double or triple cell

The number of cell layers sets how much insulating air the shade holds. Single-cell shades are the most cost-effective and work well in most rooms. Double-cell shades trap more air for better energy performance. Triple-cell shades give the most insulation and are worth it in rooms with extreme temperature exposure, such as sunrooms, rooms with large expanses of glass, or bedrooms that always seem colder or hotter than the rest of the house.

Choose the opacity room by room

Cellular fabrics range from sheer through light-filtering and room-darkening to blackout. Sheer and light-filtering fabrics soften daylight and give daytime privacy in living rooms, kitchens and home offices. Room-darkening fabrics dim a room noticeably without making it pitch black. Blackout fabrics block virtually all light through the fabric itself, which makes them the choice for bedrooms, nurseries and media rooms.

It's common to use two or three opacities in one house. You can usually keep the same color throughout, so the windows look consistent from the street even though the rooms behave differently.

Choosing a color

Lighter colors keep a room bright and let the most daylight through a light-filtering fabric. Deeper colors look richer from inside, but in a sunny window they tint the light that comes through, so compare samples against the window in daylight rather than under a lamp.

Top-down/bottom-up

A top-down/bottom-up shade can be lowered from the top as well as raised from the bottom. Drop the top of the shade a foot or two and you get sky and daylight while the lower part of the window stays covered. It's especially useful on street-facing windows, in bathrooms, and in bedrooms that sit close to a neighbor's house, where you want light without being seen.

Cordless and motorized

Cordless cellular shades are raised and lowered by hand from the bottom rail, with no cords for children or pets to reach. Motorized versions do the same from a remote, an app or a voice assistant, and can run on a schedule, such as lowering in the afternoon to keep a west-facing room cool, then rising again in the morning. Motorization is also the practical answer for high windows you can't reach. A cordless lift is also easier on wide windows, because there's no cord to pull the full height of the shade.

Cell size and appearance

Depending on the collection, cells come in more than one size. Larger cells mean fewer, bigger pleats, which look proportionate on large windows and tall doors. Smaller cells have a finer, tighter look that suits small and medium windows. When the shade is raised, it compresses into a slim stack at the top of the window, so it hides away better than most fabric shades.

Energy and comfort

Insulation matters most where there's a lot of glass: big windows, older single-pane windows, and rooms that get strong sun or none at all. Keeping cellular shades lowered on winter nights and through the hottest part of summer days is what delivers the comfort, so motorized schedules or simple habits help.

They won't replace a failing window, but they can make a room noticeably more comfortable and take some of the load off your heating and cooling. In a Cincinnati winter, lowering the shades at dusk helps hold in the warmth of the day; in summer, lowering them on sun-facing windows before the afternoon keeps the heat out.

Fit and light gaps

An inside mount sits neatly within the window frame, but any inside-mounted shade leaves a narrow gap of light at each side. That's fine in most rooms. In a bedroom where every bit of light matters, an outside mount that overlaps the frame, or blackout drapery layered over the shade, closes most of the gap.

Where cellular shades work best

Cellular shades earn their place in bedrooms and nurseries, where blackout fabrics and cordless operation matter; in sunrooms and rooms with a lot of glass, where extra cells pay off; and in any room that feels drafty in winter.

They're a less natural fit where you want to adjust light in small steps through the day, because a cellular shade is raised or lowered rather than tilted. For that kind of control, blinds, zebra shades or sheer shades are worth comparing.

Pairing cellular shades with drapery

Cellular shades pair well with drapery. The shade does the daily work of light control and insulation, while panels on either side add color and softness and, if they close, extra darkness and warmth. In a bedroom, a blackout cellular shade under lined drapery is about as dark as a room with windows gets.

Common mistakes to avoid

A few choices cause most regrets. Single-cell shades in a sunroom or a room with a wall of glass leave comfort on the table, where double or triple cell would make a real difference. An inside mount in a bedroom that needs to be dark lets light in at the edges. Skipping top-down/bottom-up on a street-facing window is common, and it's often the feature people end up wanting most. And a shade on a high window you can't reach tends to stay in one position for good, which is exactly where motorization earns its place.

Cleaning and care

Cellular shades need very little care. Dust them with a soft duster or a vacuum on a low setting with a brush attachment. Spot-clean marks gently with a damp cloth and let the fabric dry fully; don't soak the shade, because water can leave marks and flatten the pleats. If something stops working later, such as a stuck lift or a broken part, our repair team can diagnose and fix most problems, and can often source replacement parts.

Questions to think about before your consultation

Which rooms feel coldest in winter or hottest in summer? Which need darkness for sleep, and which only need daytime privacy? Are any windows close to a neighbor's house or the sidewalk, where top-down/bottom-up would help? And are there windows you can't reach easily? Rough answers to those questions tell us how many cells, which opacity and which lift suit each room.

What to expect

At your free in-home consultation we bring samples, measure each window precisely, and give you a detailed quote, with no obligation. Everything is made to order; most custom products arrive in three to six weeks, and most installations are finished in a single visit. Before we leave, we'll show you how to operate and care for everything.

Serving Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

We measure and install across Greater Cincinnati, including Hyde Park, Oakley, Mariemont, Madeira and Montgomery, and throughout Northern Kentucky from our showroom in Florence. Consultations are free, and we bring the samples to your home so you can judge colors and fabrics in your own light.