Window Treatment Idea: Motorized Shades Added to the Basement Windows

In our finished basement, we have two egress windows. They previously had blackout curtains hanging on them. We would have to open and close them often, more often than other windows in the house, for privacy because of their location or to prevent glare on the tv screen. They looked fine, but I was never really in love with the look of them. Our electrician who installed everything when we finished the basement had recommended these motorized shades in the beginning. We passed on it at first, thinking it wasn’t necessary and that we’d be getting curtains instead. He decided to wire it up for them in case we changed our minds later. Now we’re glad he did! After living without them for several years and having curtains instead, we finally realized we actually did want them. So we decided to go with this awesome window treatment idea and had motorized shades added to the basement windows.

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Why Motorized Shades?

Motorized shades are installed into window frames and go up and down on their own with the touch of a button! These were wired in and can be used with a remote control as well as a switch on the wall. They are available battery operated as well using a remote only if you don’t want to or are unable to have them wired in.

Especially if you have windows where you’d open and close curtains or shades often, these motorized shades are so convenient. It’s great to sit down to watch a movie and close the shades from the couch to block the glare. We use this space as a guest room, too, so it’s nice that guests can easily get privacy or let in sunlight with ease. They’re so much fun and look great!

The Basement Windows Before the Shades

Here are the curtains we had before we went with the motorized shades.

This is how the basement looked with long curtains before we replaced them with motorized shades.

Because these egress windows hit the wall higher than other windows, it was hard to know what length curtains to get. Before these I had curtains that hit at the bottom of the window, but they didn’t look right to me. Getting shades took care of this problem, too.

Here’s what the shorter curtains looked like.

This is how the basement looked years ago with short curtains

The Motorized Shades Installation

If you are local to the Syracuse, NY and greater surrounding areas, we highly recommend LAVA Integrated Technologies to guide you to select which motorized shades would be perfect for you and to install them. You can learn more and contact them here. Otherwise you can find a Crestron dealer near you here.

The Basement Windows After Shade Installation

They are so convenient to use, but I also love how they look. They can go all the way up, but when they are open I like to leave a little bit out. I think they look great! It looks more clean and spacious. I love the simplicity.