Living Room Window Treatments
Walls of glass, softened - layered sheers and panels that keep the view and kill the glare.
The room the view was bought for
The living room is usually the hardest window in a South Florida home: the widest glass, the strongest afternoon light, and the view you paid for. Treat it wrong and you either bake at 4pm or curtain away the ocean. The answer is layers - a solar shade that cuts heat and glare while preserving the outlook, and drapery that softens the architecture and closes the room at night.
Scale is the second problem. Thirty feet of glass, double-height windows, corner glazing - these need engineered tracks, correct fullness, and stack planning that parks the fabric off the glass. That is workroom and installation work, not catalog work.
How we treat living rooms
Layered Sheers & Panels
Sheers for daytime softness, panels for evening - on one or two tracks, manual or motorized.
Solar Shades for Glare
Openness chosen per exposure so the TV is watchable and the view survives - see solar shades.
Ripplefold on Long Runs
Continuous S-waves across wide glass, with the stack parked off the window - see ripplefold.
Two-Story & Corner Glass
Engineered tracks, bent runs around corners, and motors for openings no ladder reaches. See two-story curtains.
Motorized Everything
One tap or one schedule moves the whole room - see motorized drapes.
Coordinated Upholstery
Sofa, cushions and drapery sewn in one workroom for a single fabric story - see upholstery.
The living-room fabric decision: view against heat
In a living room the fabric decision is view against heat, and the mills put numbers on both. A charcoal 3% screen gives the sharpest view, Lutron rates E Screen Charcoal/Grey at 42% view-through, but reflects only 10% of the sun's energy. A white 3% screen reflects 73% and keeps the room brighter, with the view softened to 17%. On a west or south wall with the ocean or the Intracoastal in it we usually land on a dark or mid weave at 3%, because the view is why the room exists; where the room runs hot all afternoon, the lighter weave earns its haze.
Figures: Lutron fabric specifications for E Screen Charcoal/Grey S3001-E-3 and White/White S0202-E-3, retrieved September 2026.
Read next: Openness 1% vs 3% vs 5% vs 10% · Dark or light solar shade fabric? · Solar shades
Frequently asked
How do I keep the view but stop the glare?
A 3%-5% solar shade preserves the outlook while removing most glare and UV. We test samples against your actual exposure.
What about two-story windows?
Motorized treatments on engineered tracks - it is routine work for us, including our 12,000 sq ft estate project.
Sheers or panels?
Usually both: sheers for the day, panels for the night. Layering is what makes a living room feel finished.
Can everything run on one button?
Yes - Lutron, Somfy, Control4, Crestron or Savant scenes move shades and drapes together.
Discerning homeowners, designers, and developers across South Florida trust Exotic with their most important spaces.
“As a contractor l've worked with a lot of window treatment companies and Exotic Shades is the best. Motorized sheers in a living room job, made the whole room feel bigger and tied everything together. Their own team, clean install, on time. Couldn't ask for a better partner”
“Exotic Shades& Draperies guided us through every step of the process, helping us select the perfect fabric for our living room sheers. I recommend”
“I wasn't thinking about motorized drapes at first, I just wanted some nice curtains foe the living room. But the team at exotic shades give me the right configuration and I can't be more than happy. Good job”
Make the best room work all day
One free hour with our team routinely saves owners thousands in avoidable mistakes. Book a private, complimentary consultation - we bring fabrics, samples, and honest answers.