Longtime industry lighting controls and motorized shades pioneer Lutron believes that the foundation of interior illumination is natural light. Connection to natural light improves our sense of well-being — and a room reveals its depth of color and textural richness when illuminated by daylight.

Accordingly, the company notes, an important part of lighting design is the management of natural light and its integration into home lighting systems. Installers aiming to address this crucial aspect of a home must consider the combination of both lighting and automated shades control on a project.

Layered window treatments offer great control of ambient light and privacy, and add depth and dimension to windows. When shades are layered, homeowners also benefit more from automation.

They might program roller shades in their living room to lower during the day, for instance — and Roman shades to lower at night for privacy. Or, add drapery over sheer shades to optimize a view on a regular basis, but with the option to block it out when desired. With this automation, they can maximize control of natural light in their homes.

Margaret Block, Luxury Shades Business Development Manager at Lutron, recently discussed these topics with CE Pro to offer more insights to integrators so they can optimize these types of requests from homeowners and designers, and provide stunning and soothing results on projects of any size and any amount of windows.

In fact, at this year’s CEDIA Expo, Lutron gave dealers great ideas of how they can apply lighting controls, lighting fixtures and motorized shades in concert via two excellent demo experiences. One was dubbed the Gallery, as it emphasized the role these technologies play in highlighting various room and architectural elements while the other, the Retreat, showcased how they can improve a person’s wellbeing with more comfortable lighting and controllable shades.

“We debuted a brand-new booth design, and so it really allowed us to accentuate the experience you have with Lutron when you combine the lighting and shading and controls all in once space,” Block enthuses about the Expo booth in Denver.

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Custom integrators can take advantage of innovative products, like wire-free shading solutions from Lutron, to open the dialogue with designers and offer automated shading for their most discerning clients.

Flexibility & Aesthetics Among Automated Shades Trends Lutron Addresses

One way dealers can learn and experience more about Lutron’s array of product solutions in these categories is through the company’s experience centers and working to establish their own lighting and shade vignettes or showcases in their own showrooms. Lutron’s newest experience center opened earlier this year, its Los Angeles Design Studio.

“We try to focus in our experience bases on how integrators can deliver that ‘wow’ moment. How do you really impress your clients and make them just so happy to come home at the end of the day? We think lighting and shades impact that, and on the shades side we’ve seen a couple of trends that have emerged in the last couple of years that we’ve really focused on to help our integrators be successful,” Block says.

One is flexibility, whereby integrators can address shades with both wired or wire-free solutions depending on when dealers get into a project or home design, so they can resolve either installation condition required.

Last year, Lutron introduced its Palladiom wire-free model, enabling installers “to mount a super-thin profile shade anywhere, so inside mount in the window, on top of the trim, across sliding doors – very easy to add to any room,” Block says.

This year, the company followed up by introducing its Triathlon Wire-Free Roman Shade Fabrication Kit. She notes that not only is it wireless with the same battery life of other Lutron wire-free products, but it speaks to another trend, which is a desire for more personalization, more customization and unique aesthetics out of window treatments.

“We’re seeing a lot more movement toward that in the last couple years, where as in the past it was a lot of clean lines, very simple kind of blending in with the décor,” Block adds, “and now we’re seeing folks looking for that drama.”

Hear more insights from Block about motorized shades opportunities and applications by watching the video above, and learn more about the latest in shading innovations from Lutron by visiting Lutron.com/whatsnew.

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