Alendel Contessa Fabric
5 colourways, sheer, 118 in wide, railroaded, NFPA 701. Every swatch and every Alendel specification, from the workroom that sews it in Fort Lauderdale and installs it from Miami to Palm Beach.
5 colourways of sheer from Linen to White, 118 in wide and railroaded
Contessa is one of the Alendel sheers we make up here, with 5 colourways on the card, in 100% polyester, at 118 in wide, railroaded. The card is Linen, Aluminum, White, Champagne and Winter White; Alendel files them under beige, grey and white. All 5 flagged in stock by Alendel. It sits in Alendel's Transparency Book.
The width is the reason to look at it: railroaded, the 118 in becomes the drop, so a wall of glass up to about 9 ft 10 in high runs seamless from end to end, which is how we sew sheers across an ocean wall. Alendel gives the repeat as vertical 2.25 in; we match it across every seam and every window in the room, which adds yardage and is part of the quote. Being polyester it holds a pleat, keeps its size through humidity and a wash or a dry clean, and takes the sun better than a natural fibre, which matters on unshaded glass here. Alendel lists the weight at 0.49 lb per yard, medium-weight for a sheer. Care is WA (washable); Alendel's own line reads: washable. It passes NFPA 701 and CAN/ULC S109, the drapery flame tests asked for on commercial and condo common-area work in the US and Canada. Every colourway is listed as Oeko-Tex.
What Contessa does at the window, and what it does not
Best use
Contessa is a sheer, so it goes where the point is daylight and the view: living rooms and dining rooms on the water, a wall of sliders, a bedroom by day with a blackout layer behind it for night. Railroaded at 118 in it runs seamless across a window wall on a ceiling track, ripplefold at 2.5 to 3 times fullness.
Light and privacy
A sheer filters hard sunlight into an even glow and keeps the view; it takes the glare off a white sofa without hiding the water. It gives no privacy at night with the lights on, so a bedroom takes a lined or blackout panel on a second track behind it, and it is not a blackout.
Cloth and care
100% polyester; 0.49 lb per yard; care WA (washable). Polyester keeps its size and its pleat in humid air and after cleaning, and holds its colour in the sun better than a natural fibre. Listed as Oeko-Tex.
Limitations
No privacy at night with the lights on, and no blackout; it is layered where either is needed. Railroaded wide-width goods are not cut into Roman shades; for a matching Roman we pick a 54 inch cloth from the same book. The seamless drop tops out at about 9 ft 10 in; a taller wall is seamed or turned back up the roll.
5 colourways of Contessa
5 colourways: Linen, Aluminum, White, Champagne and Winter White. All 5 flagged in stock by Alendel. The colour code and the FB item number are what we order by; click a swatch to enlarge it.
Colourways
Every Contessa colourway, as Alendel lists it
| Swatch | Colour | Code | Item no. | Family | Width | Content | Repeat V x H | Care | Fire listings | Weight | Alendel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linen | 0292 | FB004618 | Beige | 118 in | 100% polyester | 2.25 in x - | WA (washable) | NFPA 701, CAN/ULC S109 | 0.49 lb/yd | Listing | |
| Aluminum | 0401 | FB004617 | Grey | 118 in | 100% polyester | 2.25 in x - | WA (washable) | NFPA 701, CAN/ULC S109 | 0.49 lb/yd | Listing | |
| White | 100 | FB000701 | White | 118 in | 100% polyester | 2.25 in x - | WA (washable) | NFPA 701, CAN/ULC S109 | 0.49 lb/yd | Listing | |
| Champagne | 203 | FB000700 | Beige | 118 in | 100% polyester | 2.25 in x - | WA (washable) | NFPA 701, CAN/ULC S109 | 0.49 lb/yd | Listing | |
| Winter White | 101 | FB000702 | White | 118 in | 100% polyester | 2.25 in x - | WA (washable) | NFPA 701, CAN/ULC S109 | 0.49 lb/yd | Listing |
Width, content, repeat, care code, fire listings and weight per yard are Alendel's own listing for each colourway, captured from its trade catalogue; the stock flag is Alendel's public availability filter on the day we read it and is confirmed against the order before anything is cut. We bring the Alendel books to the consultation.
Where Contessa works here
Contessa is a sheer we would put on the ocean side of a Sunny Isles or Fort Lauderdale living room, floor to ceiling on a ceiling-mounted track, with the fullness set for the cloth so the wave is even from end to end. The 118 in width means the whole wall in one piece. Layered over a solar roller the room keeps its view by day; behind it a blackout panel on a second track takes care of the night.
For the same use, compare Contessa with Hopkins (sheer, 118 in railroaded, 8 colourways), Cassandra (sheer, 117 in railroaded, 6 colourways) and Diaz (sheer, 110 in railroaded, 6 colourways); the table on each page lists the width, content, care code, fire listings and weight side by side.
Contessa: frequently asked
How many colours does Alendel Contessa come in?
5 colourways by Alendel's listing, all 5 flagged in stock by Alendel. Every one is on this page with its swatch, colour code and FB item number, and we bring the shortlist to the consultation so the colour is judged in your own light.
Does Contessa pass NFPA 701?
Yes by Alendel's listing: Contessa passes NFPA 701 and CAN/ULC S109. NFPA 701 is the flame test a condo association, a hotel or an office asks for on drapery; where a project needs the certificate we request it from Alendel before the cloth is ordered.
Is Contessa washable?
Alendel gives it care code WA (washable), so yes: it can be washed, and dry cleaned as well where the code allows it. Alendel's instruction reads: washable. The code is in the specification table below for every colourway.
What does Contessa cost made up as sheers?
It is quoted from the yardage: the width and height of the window, the fullness, the repeat if there is one, the lining and the track or rod. The pricing page has real numbers for sheers, motorized tracks and blackout draperies, and a quote for Contessa follows from a measure. Ask for a price with the button above and we come back with a figure, not a range.
Compare Contessa with
Hopkins
A sheer at 118 in, railroaded to run seamless, in 8 colourways
Cassandra
A sheer at 117 in, railroaded to run seamless, in 6 colourways
Diaz
A sheer in 86% polyester and 14% acrylic at 110 in, railroaded, in 6 colourways
Clement
Wide-width sheer in 5 colourways, 118 in for seamless walls of glass
Shannon
5 colourways of sheer from Marble to Fog, 118 in wide and railroaded
Bevel
A sheer at 122 in, railroaded to run seamless, in 4 colourways
Contessa sheers in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Boca Raton & Palm Beach
We order Contessa from Alendel by the yard for any project from Miami to Palm Beach, cut and sew it in our own Fort Lauderdale workroom as sheers, and hang it with our own installers on the track, rod or headrail the window calls for. The Alendel books are at 4539 Powerline Rd in Fort Lauderdale (by appointment) and 500 South Pointe Dr #150 in Miami Beach, and we bring the colours you shortlist to the consultation.
See Contessa in your own light
Book a complimentary in-home consultation. Shortlist the colours you like and we bring the Alendel samples, the linings and honest answers about light, privacy and what your windows actually need.