Hunter douglas Silhouette® sheer shades

Silhouette® Sheer Shades feature S-shaped fabric vanes that float between two sheer panels, rotating in tandem to give a soft, glowing, diffused light—the more elegant, traditional-leaning option, available in 2", 3", and 4" vane sizes. Pirouette® Sheer Shades uses contoured vanes on a single sheer panel that rolls fully out of view when open, for a cleaner contemporary look when raised. For traditional and transitional Bay Area homes we often lean Silhouette®; for modern interiors, Pirouette®. We'll show you both side by side at your consultation.

It's mostly a visual decision based on window proportion. The 2" vane reads delicate and suits smaller and traditional windows; the 3" vane is the most versatile and works on nearly any window; the 4" vane is bolder and shows best on large picture windows and walls of glass, like the tall windows in many Los Altos and Menlo Park homes. We'll help you match vane size to your windows during the consultation.

They provide daytime privacy with the vanes closed, but like all sheers they turn translucent after dark with interior lights on, so silhouettes are visible from outside. For nighttime privacy we recommend the Duolite® dual-roller or A Deux™ option, which adds a coordinating room-darkening shade behind the sheers—raise it during the day to let the Silhouette® work, lower it at night for full privacy. This is what we install most often in master bedrooms and street-facing living rooms.

Silhouette® Sheer Shades come in fabrics that provide up to 81% UV protection even with the vanes open, and substantially more with the vanes closed, which helps protect hardwood floors, rugs, art, and upholstery from strong California sun. They're available in over 150 fabrics, including exclusive options from The Alustra® Collection, and the ClearView® sheer option sharpens view-through for rooms where you want the protection without losing the view.