Roller Shades
Roller shades from Exotic Shades & Draperies are cut to the millimeter in our Fort Lauderdale workroom in Mermet and Phifer solar screens woven in the USA, light-filtering and blackout fabrics, including every Lutron colourway, with cassette, fascia or open-roll hardware and Lutron or Somfy motorization, installed by our own team from Miami Beach to Palm Beach.
The modern workhorse of window treatments
Roller shades are the quiet foundation of contemporary South Florida interiors: a clean tube, a perfect hem, and exactly the fabric your room needs - solar screens that tame glare while keeping the view, translucent weaves that glow with soft light, or true blackout for bedrooms and media rooms.
Every shade is cut to the millimeter in our Fort Lauderdale workroom from Coulisse and premium performance fabrics, with cassettes, fascias, or open rolls to suit the architecture - and motorization by Lutron, Somfy, or SDN whenever you want it.
Recently: a traditional oceanfront mansion on Bay Drive, Pompano Beach - every window motorized: Phifer SheerWeave blackout rollers on Somfy Sonesse ULTRA 30 and Roll Up 28 WireFree motors, coupled shades on one Sonesse ULTRA 50 in the family room, all on Control4.
Roller shades by the numbers
Openness and heat
Solar screens come in 1%, 3%, 5% and 10% openness. In Mermet E Screen charcoal, total solar transmittance is 3% at 1%, 5% at 3%, 7% at 5% and 12% at 10%; the view-through rating climbs from 25% to 81% across the same range. See the openness guide.
Width in one piece
Lutron solar-screen fabrics run to 124 in usable width (E Screen 120 in), blackout fabrics to 116 in and light-filtering weaves to 116 in. Wider openings are built as coupled shades on one motor line.
Motors
Somfy Sonesse ULTRA 30 WireFree: rechargeable lithium-ion, 2 Nm of lift, rated 42 dB, RTS radio with 656 ft open-field range. Lutron Triathlon: replaceable D batteries rated by Lutron at three to five years.
Price
One 72 by 84 in motorized roller shade, fabric and motor included: about $833 on our Essential tier, $933 on Somfy WireFree, $1,133 on wired Somfy with its power supply, $1,293 on Lutron Triathlon (battery), $2,287 on Lutron Sivoia QS wired, both Lutron figures at Lutron's list price. Full table on the cost by system page; every size, manual included, in the price table below.
Four roller fabrics, one number each
A roller shade is only as good as the fabric on the tube, and the mills publish what each one does with the sun. The big number in each tile is visible light transmittance: the share of daylight that reaches the room. The caption gives solar reflectance, the share of the sun's energy sent back out before it can warm the room, which is where colour does its work. Openness sets the view, colour sets the heat, and a blackout passes nothing at all.
Figures: Lutron fabric specifications for E Screen S0202-E-3 and S3001-E-3; Mermet USA spec sheets for Elba Daylight (Limestone) and Sparta Twilight (White/White). Retrieved September 2026.
Read next: Openness 1% vs 3% vs 5% vs 10% · Dark or light solar shade fabric? · The shade fabrics we stock
Fabrics, openness & hardware
Solar Screen Fabrics
1% to 10% openness factors that cut heat and UV while preserving your water view - the South Florida essential.
Translucent & Light-Filtering
Soft, diffused daylight with full privacy - beautiful in living spaces and baths.
True Blackout
Coated fabrics, side channels, and precise hembars for total darkness.
Cassettes & Fascias
Concealed rolls, architectural fascias, or minimalist open rolls - matched to your interior.
Dual & Day-Night Rollers
Solar + blackout on one bracket, both rollers hidden in one 5 x 5 in Vertilux fascia, for full flexibility in one window. Explore dual roller shades. Prefer the banded look? See our zebra shades.
Motorized Roller Shades
Our specialty - see motorized shades and Lutron shades.
Recent installations
Solar Rollers
Blackout Rollers
Bath Roller Shade
Roller shades, built to the millimeter
A roller shade is only as good as its tube, its hem and its fit. We fabricate on precision cutting equipment so a bank of five shades across a window wall hangs with identical light gaps, we finish hems by hand, and we size the tube diameter to the drop so long shades do not telescope. Fascia, cassette or open roll; reverse roll to clear a door handle; side channels where blackout matters; a manual clutch for a small window, a Lutron, Somfy or SDN motor for anything wide, tall or repeated.
Choosing the fabric for a South Florida window
Solar screens from Mermet and Phifer - including Mermet KOOLBLACK charcoal weaves - in 1% to 10% openness for glare and heat with the view kept; translucent weaves for privacy with a soft glow; coated blackout fabrics for bedrooms and media rooms; dual roller shades that pair a solar and a blackout on one bracket. Exposure decides openness: a west-facing Intracoastal wall in Fort Lauderdale or a bay-facing Brickell wall wants 3% or tighter, while a north-facing room can take 10% and keep the view almost untouched.
Every kind of roller shade, side by side
A roller shade, or roller blind as it is called in Britain, Canada and Australia, is one piece of fabric on a tube at the head of the window. Six choices turn it into a type: which way the fabric rolls, what covers the roll, how it mounts, how many layers, how it lifts and the fabric itself. Here is each one, what it changes and where we use it.
| Choice | Options | What it changes | Where we use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roll direction | Standard roll or reverse roll | Standard roll drops the fabric off the back of the tube, close to the glass. Reverse roll drops it off the front, away from the glass, so it clears a door lever, a window crank or a deep sill, and the fabric hides the tube when the shade is down. | Standard on most windows; reverse to clear a door lever or a casement crank. |
| Roll cover | Open roll, fascia, cassette, ceiling pocket, wood valance | An open roll shows the tube and brackets, the most minimal look in a deep frame. A fascia is a flat cover across the front of the brackets; a cassette closes the roll top and front; a pocket in the ceiling leaves only the fabric in view; a wood valance turns the roll into millwork. | One 5 x 5 in fascia over both rollers of a dual; ceiling pockets framed in new construction at Landmark Ranch Estates; a basswood valance where there was no depth at The Hemispheres. |
| Mount | Inside or outside the frame | Inside the frame is the cleanest line; outside overlaps the opening, which darkens the edges and suits a shallow frame. | Decided per window at the measure: inside vs outside mount. |
| Layers | Single or dual | A dual puts two rollers in one window, usually a solar screen and a blackout: the view by day, darkness at night. | The condo and oceanfront bedroom answer: dual roller shades. |
| Lift | Chain, cordless spring, battery motor, wired motor | A chain is the simplest and lowest cost, its loop anchored by a child-safety tension device; a cordless spring leaves nothing hanging; a battery motor needs no wiring (our Essential tier, Somfy WireFree, Lutron Triathlon on D batteries); a wired motor never needs charging and runs a whole wall from one power panel (Somfy Sonesse 50, Lutron Sivoia QS). | Manual on a small window within reach; battery in a finished condo; wired in new construction. See child-safe treatments and battery vs wired. |
| Fabric | Solar screen, light-filtering, blackout, designer textures | Openness sets the view, colour sets the heat, and a blackout passes no light. Lutron's Atelier textiles add texture or pattern, each paired with its own blackout. | Solar screens on view glass; light-filtering where privacy matters day and night; blackout in bedrooms and media rooms; Lutron Atelier where the shade is part of the decoration. |
How wide one roller shade can go
The motor is rarely the limit; the fabric roll is. A roller shade is one piece of fabric, so one piece is only as wide as the mill weaves it, unless the fabric can be turned sideways (railroaded) and the shade is no taller than the roll is wide. Past that, the glass is split into coupled shades that move as one, with the hembars in line. Every maker's published limit, the roll widths and the coupling rules: how wide one roller shade can be.
| Fabric or system | One piece, or one motor | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Lutron solar screens | To 124 in usable width (E Screen 120 in) | Lutron fabric specifications |
| Lutron blackout and light-filtering fabrics | To 116 in | Lutron fabric specifications |
| Lutron Atelier designer fabrics | 108 in (Roseau 116 in) | Atelier collection |
| Mermet E Screen and T Screen | To 122 in | Mermet spec sheets |
| Phifer SheerWeave 7000 blackouts | 118 in (7001: 94 or 118 in; 7100: 63 or 96 in). Phifer does not recommend railroading them, so the roll is the limit. | Phifer blackout fabrics |
| A railroadable fabric (Lutron Natural Screen) | A 116 in roll, turned sideways to cover a wider opening in one piece when the shade is no taller than 116 in | Natural Screen |
| Lutron Triathlon (battery) | 19.5 to 108 in; Triathlon WIDR to 144 in on 6 to 16 D batteries, at roughly 2.5 times the price | Lutron shades |
| Lutron Sivoia QS (wired) | 20 in to 20 ft, with coupling brackets joining several tubes | Lutron shades |
| Somfy Sonesse ULTRA 50 | Up to six coupled shades on one motor, per Somfy; several on one motor in the family room at the Bay Drive mansion | Sonesse ULTRA 50 |
| Our widest shade in a shallow head | 110 in wide in two and a half inches of depth, on a special reinforced tube that keeps the span from bowing | The Hemispheres |
| Our price list | One shade to 144 in; wider openings are priced as two coupled shades | Prices below |
Width decides the tube: the wider the shade, the stiffer the tube it needs to stay flat. The drop decides the roll: the taller the shade, the fatter the roll of fabric at the head, and the deeper the fascia, cassette or pocket that hides it. Lutron gives a minimum mounting space of 3 in deep for its most compact wired roller, the Roller 20 (a small-window shade, about 20 sq ft of fabric per drive), 3.5 in for the Roller 64 and 5 in for the Roller 100, while many South Florida window frames are about 3 in deep. That is why we measure the head and the drop before choosing the system, and size the tube to the drop so long shades do not telescope.
What a custom roller shade costs, by size
Exotic Shades & Draperies published price list, October 2026: one roller shade per window, with the fabric, a 4 in fascia, the measure and installation included, budgetary and before tax. Manual is chain operated. Essential (a Dooya motor) and Somfy WireFree are rechargeable battery motors with a remote. Wired Somfy (Sonesse 50) carries a 24 V power supply per shade; the Lutron figures are Lutron's list price (MSRP) on E Screen 3% with the hub or processor counted once, so their per-shade cost falls as the count rises. Openings wider than 144 in are priced as two coupled shades. The table scrolls sideways on a phone.
| Window, width x height | Manual (chain) | Essential (battery) | Somfy WireFree | Somfy wired (power supply) | Lutron Triathlon (battery, Lutron list price) | Lutron Sivoia QS (wired, Lutron list price) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 x 60 ina bathroom or kitchen window | $225 | $601 | $701 | $901 | $1,085 | $2,020 |
| 48 x 72 ina bedroom window | $275 | $675 | $775 | $975 | $1,154 | $2,126 |
| 60 x 84 in | $334 | $762 | $862 | $1,062 | $1,246 | $2,231 |
| 72 x 84 inthe reference window | $382 | $833 | $933 | $1,133 | $1,293 | $2,287 |
| 84 x 96 in | $453 | $936 | $1,036 | $1,236 | $1,384 | $2,392 |
| 96 x 108 ina floor-to-ceiling condo bay | $509 | $1,018 | $1,118 | $1,318 | $1,475 | $2,497 |
| 120 x 108 in | $637 | $1,204 | $1,304 | $1,504 | $2,446 | $2,609 |
| 144 x 120 inthe widest size on one price line; two coupled shades on Lutron | $767 | $1,394 | $1,494 | $1,694 | $2,628 | $4,265 |
| 168 x 108 ina 14-foot slider, two coupled shades | $924 | $1,897 | $2,097 | $2,497 | $2,635 | $4,278 |
| 240 x 120 ina 20-foot glass wall, two coupled shades | $1,335 | $2,495 | $2,695 | $3,095 | $4,846 | $4,712 |
In plain terms: a custom roller shade for a 72 x 84 in window costs about $382 with a manual chain, $833 on our Essential battery motor, $933 on Somfy WireFree, $1,133 on wired Somfy with its power supply, $1,293 on Lutron Triathlon (battery) and $2,287 on Lutron Sivoia QS wired (both Lutron figures at Lutron's list price), installed and before Florida sales tax. A 36 x 60 in bathroom window is about $225 manual or $701 on Somfy WireFree; a 96 x 108 in floor-to-ceiling bay about $509 manual or $1,118 on Somfy WireFree; a 14-foot slider (168 x 108 in, two coupled shades) about $924 manual, $2,097 on Somfy WireFree, $2,635 on Lutron Triathlon or $4,278 on Lutron Sivoia QS wired. Figures from the Exotic Shades & Draperies published price list, October 2026; the Lutron figures are Lutron's list price (MSRP) on E Screen 3%, installation and programming included, 144 in and wider as two coupled shades on Lutron.
What moves the number: the fabric line, battery or wired power, a recessed pocket, side channels and the shade count on a wired system - the five factors on our pricing page. Any size, any count: price your exact windows.
What makes a roller shade high end
Every roller shade is a tube, a bracket and a fabric. What separates a designer roller shade from a stock one sits in six places you can check before you buy, and on a custom shade all six are settled at the measure.
A fabric with a spec sheet
Mermet and Phifer solar screens woven in South Carolina and Alabama, and Lutron's own library, each with a published specification for light, heat and UV in every colour. Openness and colour are chosen for the exposure, not for the motor. Our shade fabrics.
Designer, patterned and natural
Lutron's Atelier collection puts 130 colourways in seven designer textiles on a roller, each paired with its own blackout: the looped Bouclé, the reed-textured Roseau, the fine Stria, and Pochoir, a stencilled pattern in seven colours. For a natural look, Lutron Natural Screen comes in Birch, Ash, Stone and Walnut at 5% openness, coloured to sit with linen; for natural woven materials, woven wood and natural shades.
A bottom line you can sight down
Across a bank of shades the hembars should read as one line: same fabric lot, tubes sized to the drop so long shades do not telescope, light gaps set identically, cut on precision equipment in our own workroom. Why hembar alignment matters.
Hardware you do not see, or see on purpose
A ceiling pocket that leaves only the fabric, a fascia or a cassette, or a basswood valance from our family's mill; or the reverse, Lutron Palladiom, whose hand-finished brackets are meant to be seen.
A motor you cannot hear
Lutron rates Palladiom under 35 dBA at 3 ft and Sivoia QS under 44 dBA; Somfy lists the Sonesse ULTRA 50 at 35 dB on 24 V and 38 dB on 120 V, and the battery Sonesse ULTRA 30 WireFree at 42 dB. Shade motors compared.
Wide glass without a seam
One piece as wide as the fabric allows, then coupled shades that move as one: several shades on one Sonesse ULTRA 50 in the family room at the Bay Drive mansion, a 110 in shade on a reinforced tube at The Hemispheres. Measured, installed and programmed by our own team, never subcontracted.
Which roller shade for which room
Living room
A solar screen keeps the view and cuts the glare: 3% to 5% openness for strong sun and water views, 3% or tighter on a west-facing Intracoastal wall, 10% in a north-facing room. After dark a screen turns see-through from outside, so a lit living room facing a street or a balcony takes a second layer for the evening. Living room treatments.
Bedroom
A blackout fabric passes no light; the edges decide how dark the room gets. Lutron lists the gap beside the fabric at 1/2 to 11/16 in, so we close it with side channels, a sealed top, an outside mount with overlap and the motor's lower limit set at the sill. At Turnberry Ocean Club the bedrooms run Sparta Twilight blackout rollers in side channels. Every remedy and its limit.
Media room
Blackout in side channels with the top sealed, so the screen is the only light in the room; or a dual, so the same window keeps its view in the daytime. Media room treatments.
Bathroom
A bathroom has to stay private after dark, when a solar screen turns see-through from outside, so it takes a light-filtering weave such as Mermet Elba Daylight (a soft glow, no view through) or a blackout. Phifer's Microban-protected weaves resist mildew in Florida humidity. A 36 x 60 in bathroom window is about $225 manual or $701 on Somfy WireFree, installed.
Doors and sliders
A reverse roll clears the door lever. A 14-foot slider takes two coupled shades that move together, about $2,097 on Somfy WireFree, installed; wider glass walls couple more shades on one motor line.
A condo with no depth above the glass
At The Hemispheres there were two and a half inches above the glass: slim Somfy Sonesse 30 motors and a basswood valance in place of a fascia. Battery motors need no wiring and, in most buildings, no HOA approval. The Hemispheres case study.
Frequently asked
Inside mount or outside mount roller shades?
Inside mount sits within the frame for the cleanest look; an outside mount roller shade overlaps the opening for better blackout and suits shallow frames. We decide per window - see our inside vs. outside mount guide.
Which openness factor should I choose?
For strong sun and water views, 3% to 5% solar fabrics balance glare control and view. We bring samples so you can judge in your own light.
Can roller shades be blackout?
Yes - blackout fabrics with optional side channels give true darkness for bedrooms and media rooms.
Can they be motorized?
All of them - battery or wired Lutron, Somfy, or SDN motors. See motorized shades.
Do you install in condos?
Every week - battery motorization means no wiring and no HOA approvals in most buildings.
Can you match a blackout and a solar in one window?
Yes - a dual roller puts a solar screen and a blackout on one bracket, so the same window gives you view by day and darkness at night.
How do you keep a row of roller shades looking even?
Same fabric lot, tubes sized to the drop, hembars aligned and light gaps set identically - fabricated on precision equipment in our own workroom and installed by our own team.
How much do roller shades cost?
Installed and before tax, from our published price list: a custom roller shade for a 72 x 84 in window is about $382 with a manual chain, $833 on our Essential battery motor, $933 on Somfy WireFree, $1,133 on wired Somfy with its power supply, $1,293 on Lutron Triathlon (battery) and $2,287 on Lutron Sivoia QS wired, both Lutron figures at Lutron's list price. A 36 x 60 in bathroom window is about $225 manual. Every size is in the price table on this page.
What are the types of roller shades?
Six choices make the type: the roll (standard or reverse), the cover (open roll, fascia, cassette, ceiling pocket or wood valance), the mount (inside or outside), the layers (single, or a dual solar and blackout), the lift (chain, cordless spring, battery or wired motor) and the fabric (solar screen, light-filtering, blackout or a designer texture). The table on this page sets them side by side.
What is a reverse roll roller shade?
The fabric drops off the front of the tube instead of the back, so it hangs away from the glass. It clears a door lever, a window crank or a deep sill, and the fabric hides the tube when the shade is down. A standard roll keeps the fabric closer to the window.
How wide can a roller shade be?
As wide as the fabric roll in one piece: 116 to 124 in on Lutron's fabrics, 122 in on Mermet E Screen, 118 in on most Phifer SheerWeave blackouts, wider with a fabric that can be railroaded. Wider glass takes coupled shades that move as one: Lutron Sivoia QS couples to 20 ft, and one Somfy Sonesse ULTRA 50 can lift up to six shades.
What are the best blackout shades for complete darkness?
A blackout fabric passes no light, so complete darkness comes down to the edges: side channels at the jambs, a sealed top (fascia, cassette, valance or ceiling pocket), an outside mount with overlap where a channel will not fit, and the motor's lower limit set at the sill. Turnberry Ocean Club's bedrooms run Sparta Twilight blackout rollers inside side channels.
Are roller blinds the same as roller shades?
Yes. Roller blind is the usual name in Britain, Canada and Australia, roller shade the American one: one piece of fabric rolled on a tube at the head of the window, lowered and raised by a chain, a spring or a motor.
Which roller shade is best for a bathroom?
One that stays private at night: a light-filtering weave such as Mermet Elba Daylight, or a blackout, because a solar screen turns see-through from outside once the lights are on. Phifer's Microban-protected weaves resist mildew in Florida humidity.
What makes a roller shade high end?
A fabric with a published spec sheet, hembars that line up across a bank of shades, hardware hidden in a pocket, cassette or valance, a quiet motor (Lutron rates Palladiom under 35 dBA at 3 ft), wide glass covered without a seam, and installation and programming by the same team that measured.
Woven in the USA. Specified by the numbers.
A roller shade is a tube, a bracket and a fabric, and only one of the three decides how it looks in year five. Ours come from Mermet, woven in South Carolina, and Phifer SheerWeave, woven in Alabama, in their best grades only - sourced directly, so the same weave rides a Lutron motor, a Somfy motor or a manual chain.
Mermet
E Screen, M Screen, T Screen, Satiné and the GreenScreen weaves, with KOOLBLACK for dark screens that reflect heat - woven by Mermet USA in Cowpens, South Carolina and listed by the mill as Made in USA. Mermet fabrics
Phifer SheerWeave
The SheerWeave family, including PVC-free styles and Microban-protected weaves that resist mildew in Florida humidity - woven by Phifer in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where the mill has made fabric since 1952. Phifer fabrics
Best grade only
A core chosen for the window - fiberglass-core screens that stay flat on 10-foot glass, polyester where its lighter weight or PVC-free construction serves the room - an openness woven to tolerance, and a published spec sheet for UV, heat and light in every colour, with GREENGUARD Gold and NFPA 701 listings behind it. Never anonymous screen.
On any system
The same fabric on a Lutron, Somfy or Crestron motor, or a manual chain. Both mills sell through distributors, and the ranges we specify are kept on the shelf by our authorized South Florida distributor, so the fabric is chosen for the window and its exposure, not for the motor brand - and it is ready to cut when the measurements are. Our shade fabrics
Discerning homeowners, designers, and developers across South Florida trust Exotic with their most important spaces.
“We had roller shades before, but too much light was still coming in from both sides. Exotic Shades & Draperies recommended adding motorized blackout drapes with Sonfy motor, and it was the perfect solution. They made the drapes wide enough so they could fully clear the window when opens. Very happy with the recommendation, the installation and the final result!!”
“Alexandre was great to work with super responsive and kept us updated throughout the process. Our custom blackout shades for the master bedroom came out perfect. David handled the installation and did an outstanding job quick, clean, and professional. We’re thrilled with how everything turned out. The shades look amazing and the service was top-notch from start to finish!!”
“Beautiful blackout Roman shades for bedroom. Exactly what we wanted. Alexander helped us choose the fabric install was quick and clean. The room is pitch black now, love it. Highly recommend Exotic shades.”
Control systems these shades answer to
Every motorized system we install runs from a remote, an app or the home's control system. Which one depends on the motor family, so we settle it before the shade is made.
Lutron
Sivoia QS, Triathlon, Serena and Palladiom shades: Pico remotes and the Lutron app, with native integration to Crestron, Control4, Savant, Apple Home, Amazon Alexa and Google Home through Caseta, RadioRA 3 or HomeWorks. Lutron motorized shades.
Somfy
Sonesse, Glydea and WireFree motors on Somfy RTS or Zigbee: Telis and Situo remotes, the TaHoma app for scenes and schedules, Amazon Alexa and Google Home through TaHoma, and Control4, Crestron and Savant through the TaHoma integration. Somfy motorization.
Crestron
Crestron shade motors and drapery tracks commissioned into the home's Crestron processor and keypads with your integrator, with the fabric, hems and hembars still made in our workroom. Crestron shades.
Roller shades in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Boca Raton & Palm Beach
Roller shades in solar, translucent and blackout fabrics, hand-finished hems, cordless or motorized on Lutron and Somfy - the quiet foundation of contemporary South Florida interiors. Our workroom and showroom are at 4539 Powerline Rd in Fort Lauderdale, our second showroom is South of Fifth in Miami Beach, and the same in-house team measures and installs from Miami to Palm Beach.
The right roller shade for every window
One free hour with our team routinely saves owners thousands in avoidable mistakes - wrong fabrics, bad mounts, missed motorization. Book a private, complimentary consultation - we bring the fabrics, the samples, and honest answers. Start with the free guide: 10 costly window treatment mistakes.