Lutron Skylight Shade Fabrics
250 colourways in 7 designs approved for Sivoia QS tensioned shades: the fabrics that cover a skylight, a sloped window or a glass roof.
Fabrics that stay flat when the window is not vertical
A skylight or a sloped window cannot take an ordinary roller: the fabric would sag away from the glass. Lutron's answer is the Sivoia QS tensioned shade, which keeps the fabric under constant tension on a guided system so it stays flat at any angle, including fully horizontal under a glass roof. Not every fabric can do this. Lutron lists 250 colourways in 7 designs as approved for tensioned shades: the fiberglass solar screens E Screen (including the THEIA and KOOLBLACK versions), M Screen and T Screen, the wide Basketweave 27 and Basketweave 90 (with 90 C), and two blackouts, Premiere and Standard.
That list is the reason to plan skylights early. If a house will run one screen fabric throughout, choosing one of these seven designs means the skylights match the windows exactly instead of nearly.
7 Lutron skylight-approved designs, 250 colourways
E Screen
The reference solar screen, in every openness Lutron makes
T Screen
A twill-weave screen with a softer, textile look
M Screen
A quieter neutral palette in 1%, 3% and 5%
Basketweave 27
The two-tone basketweave with a white or black back
Basketweave 90
Bright White and eight more, at 1% to 10%, up to 124 inches wide
Premiere
A fiberglass blackout for rollers and skylights
Standard
The basic PVC-coated blackout, for rollers and tensioned shades
Choosing the skylight fabric
Solar screen (E Screen, M Screen, T Screen, Basketweave 27, Basketweave 90)
For a skylight over a living area, kitchen or stair: the sky stays visible, the heat and glare are cut. 1% or 3% is usual because a skylight faces the sun directly for hours; 5% on a north slope.
Blackout (Premiere, Standard)
For a bedroom or media room skylight that must go dark. Premiere is the designer-grade fiberglass blackout in five colours; Standard is the basic PVC-coated blackout in six, at 70 inches wide.
Colour
Skylight fabrics are seen from below against the sky, so a light colour reads as a bright ceiling and a dark colour as a dark panel. White, Pearl and Oyster weaves are the common choice; Charcoal where the room is dark by design.
Skylights in South Florida
Skylights and sloped glass are common in older Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton houses and in newer homes with glass-roofed lanais and stair towers, and they are usually the hottest glass in the house. A motorized tensioned shade on a schedule (closed from noon until late afternoon, open in the evening) is the practical fix, and on a Lutron system it joins the same scenes as the rest of the shades. We measure the slope, the frame depth and the cable run on site; hard-to-reach skylights are exactly where a motor earns its keep.
Compare the skylight-approved designs
| Design | Colourways | Openness | Max width | Composition | PVC-free | NFPA 701 | Lutron price tier | Made up on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E Screen | 82 | 0.5%, 1%, 1.1%, 1.2%, 1.6%, 1.7%, 1.9%, 3%, 3.8%, 3.9%, 4.0%, 4.1%, 4.4%, 4.5%, 4.6%, 5%, 10% | 120 in | 36% Fiberglass, 64% Vinyl | No | Yes | $$, $$$ | Roller shades, Tensioned skylight shades |
| T Screen | 31 | 1%, 3% | 120 in | 36% Fiberglass, 64% Vinyl | No | Yes | $$, $$$ | Roller shades, Tensioned skylight shades |
| M Screen | 27 | 1%, 3%, 5% | 120 in | 36% Fiberglass, 64% Vinyl | No | Yes | $$ | Roller shades, Tensioned skylight shades |
| Basketweave 27 | 44 | 1%, 3%, 5%, 10% | 124 / 96 in | 36% Fiberglass, 64% Vinyl on Fiberglass; 34% Fiberglass, 66% Vinyl on Fiberglass | No | Yes | $$ | Roller shades, Tensioned skylight shades |
| Basketweave 90 | 55 | 1%, 3%, 5%, 10% | 124 / 96 in | 37% Fiberglass, 63% Vinyl on Fiberglass; 35% Fiberglass, 65% Vinyl on Fiberglass | No | Yes | $$ | Roller shades, Tensioned skylight shades |
| Premiere | 5 | 0% (blackout) | 92 in | 42% Fiberglass, 51% Acrylic, 7% Cotton Flocked Backing | Yes | Yes | $$$$ | Roller shades, Tensioned skylight shades |
| Standard | 6 | 0% (blackout) | 70 in | 25% Fiberglass, 75% PVC Coating | No | Yes | $ | Roller shades, Tensioned skylight shades |
Skylight on our Lutron installations
For skylights and sloped glass we specify Lutron Sivoia QS tensioned shades, usually in the same E Screen or Basketweave fabric as the vertical windows so the house reads as one specification. See our skylight shades page for the manual and Somfy options as well.
Skylight: frequently asked
Which Lutron fabrics can be used on a skylight shade?
Lutron lists E Screen (standard, THEIA and KOOLBLACK), M Screen, T Screen, Basketweave 27, Basketweave 90 and 90 C, Premiere and Standard for tensioned shades. Other fabrics in the library are roller-only.
Can a skylight shade be blackout?
Yes, with Premiere or Standard, the two blackouts Lutron approves for tensioned shades. Premiere is the designer choice; Standard the economical one.
Is a tensioned shade motorized?
Always, on Lutron: Sivoia QS tensioned shades are wired low-voltage motors, controlled from keypads, Pico remotes, the app and schedules. They are the practical way to operate a shade that is out of reach.
Can a sloped window and the vertical window below it match?
Yes, if the fabric is one of the seven tensioned-approved designs. We specify the same colour and openness on both and align the hembars.
Lutron skylight in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Boca Raton & Palm Beach
Every fabric on this page is ordered from Lutron for your project, made up in our Fort Lauderdale workroom on Sivoia QS, Palladiom or Triathlon, and installed and programmed by our own team from Miami to Palm Beach. Our showrooms in Fort Lauderdale (4539 Powerline Rd, by appointment) and Miami Beach (500 South Pointe Dr #150) have Lutron shades running so you can judge the fabrics in motion.
Choose the fabric in your own light
Book a complimentary in-home consultation. Shortlist the designs you like and we order the Lutron samples, bring demo motors, and give honest answers about openness, colour and exposure.