Roller Shades vs Honeycomb Shades
Roller shades win on view, glare control and width: a charcoal E Screen 3% keeps the water view and passes 5% of solar energy. Honeycomb shades win on insulation and darkness, with Lutron cell fabrics rated R 3.5 to R 4.4. Exotic Shades & Draperies makes both in Fort Lauderdale and installs them from Miami Beach to Palm Beach.
Two different jobs, one window
A roller shade is a single sheet of fabric on a tube. Its whole personality comes from the fabric: a woven solar screen that you see through, a light-filtering weave, or a coated blackout. It stacks into a slim roll, covers openings up to ten feet wide in one piece, and is the shade behind most of our motorized work on South Florida glass walls.
A honeycomb shade (cellular shade) is pleated fabric bonded into hollow cells. Trapped air is the point: it is the only soft treatment that carries an insulation R-value, and its double-cell blackout versions are among the darkest treatments we install. The trade-off is that you never see through it, and the stack at the top is deeper than a roller tube.
Roller shade vs honeycomb shade
| Roller shade | Honeycomb (cellular) shade | |
|---|---|---|
| View through the fabric | Yes with solar screens: a 3% E Screen in charcoal is rated 42% view-through; 1% and 5% weaves shift that either way. | No. Even light-filtering cells diffuse the view completely. |
| Insulation (R-value) | Not rated. Solar screens work by reflecting and absorbing energy before it enters (E Screen 3% White/White: 73% solar reflectance). | Rated: single-cell light-filtering R 3.5, double-cell light-filtering R 3.6, single-cell room-darkening R 4.3, blackout cell fabrics up to R 4.4 (Lutron data). |
| Darkness | Blackout roller fabrics are rated 0% visible transmittance; true darkness needs side channels to close the light gap at the edges. | Blackout cells are opaque and the pleats seal against the frame better than a flat fabric; side gaps still exist on inside mounts. |
| Maximum width, one piece | Lutron solar-screen fabrics run to 124 in usable width; blackout rollers to 116 in. | Lutron honeycomb fabrics run to 96 in usable width. |
| Stack at the top | A slim roll: about the size of the tube plus fabric. Fits in a 4 to 5 in pocket or behind a fascia. | A pleated stack that grows with drop height; deeper than a roller on tall windows. |
| Motorization | Lutron, Somfy or Essential motors, battery or wired; the standard for glass walls and coupled runs. | Lutron Triathlon and Serena honeycomb, Somfy and Essential battery motors; top-down/bottom-up is not something we offer. |
| Cleaning and coastal life | Wipeable screens (fiberglass and vinyl weaves) shrug off salt air and humidity. | Fabric cells hold dust; vacuum brush only. Fine in air-conditioned rooms, less so on an open lanai. |
| Best rooms | Living rooms, kitchens, offices, any wall of glass with a view worth keeping. | Bedrooms, nurseries, media rooms, west-facing rooms where the AC struggles. |
R-values, view ratings, transmittance and width figures are Lutron's published values for the fabrics named, from the Lutron fabric library we carry in full; a different colour in the same weave changes the numbers. Measured comfort in a room also depends on glass, exposure and mounting.
Choose by the room, not the catalogue
Choose a roller shade when the view matters
If you bought the home for the water or the skyline, a solar screen keeps it. Charcoal and dark weaves give the clearest view-through; white and light weaves reflect more heat and glow brighter inside. Our openness guide explains 1% against 3%, 5% and 10%.
Choose honeycomb when the room has to be dark or cool
A double-cell blackout honeycomb in a primary bedroom does two things a roller cannot do as well at once: block light with fewer edge leaks and add measurable insulation at the glass. It is the shade we suggest for nurseries and for bedrooms with morning sun.
Choose a roller for wide and coupled openings
A 14-foot slider is priced and built as two coupled roller shades on one motor line; the fabric stays flat and the tubes hide behind one fascia. Honeycomb on that span means several separate shades and a deep stack.
Use both
Many of our Miami and Fort Lauderdale projects run a solar roller in the living areas and honeycomb blackout in the bedrooms, all on one Lutron or Somfy control. The motorization is the same; only the fabric changes.
What about dual rollers?
A dual roller puts a solar screen and a blackout on two tubes in one bracket. It is the roller-shade answer to the bedroom question, and it keeps the view by day. It costs two fabrics and needs a deeper pocket.
Cost
Both are custom, so size drives the number more than the type. For roller shades we publish real figures by motor system on our cost by system page; honeycomb is quoted per window after measurement.
Where these figures come from
- Lutron fabric specifications (lutronfabrics.com), values as published for each colourway, retrieved September 2026 - R-values for Rio, Monaco, Cyprus, Madrid and Kyoto honeycomb fabrics; view ratings, solar reflectance and usable widths for E Screen and the other solar screens.
- Product option facts (cordless Roman lift, no top-down/bottom-up, motor brands installed) are Exotic Shades & Draperies' own current offering, confirmed September 2026.
Frequently asked
Which is better for a Florida bedroom, roller or honeycomb?
For a bedroom that must be dark and cool, a double-cell blackout honeycomb: Lutron rates its blackout cell fabrics up to R 4.4, and the pleated cells seal the edges better than a flat fabric. A blackout roller in side channels is the alternative when you want a slimmer look or a dual shade with a solar screen for the daytime view.
Do honeycomb shades really save on air conditioning?
They are the only soft window treatment with a published insulation value: single-cell light-filtering fabrics at R 3.5, double-cell at R 3.6, room-darkening cells at R 4.3. How much that changes an electric bill depends on the glass, the exposure and how often the shade is down, so we do not promise a dollar figure.
Can I see outside through a honeycomb shade?
No. Even the sheerest cell fabric diffuses the view into a glow. If you want to keep the view, a roller shade in a solar screen weave (1%, 3%, 5% or 10% openness) is the right product.
Which one looks cleaner on a wall of glass?
A roller shade. It covers up to 124 inches in one piece of solar screen, the tubes couple across a slider on one motor line, and the roll hides in a 4 to 5 inch pocket or behind a fascia.
Can both be motorized on the same system?
Yes. Lutron, Somfy and our Essential tier all offer roller and honeycomb motors on the same remotes, app scenes and voice control, so a home can mix solar rollers in the living room with blackout honeycombs in the bedrooms.
Do you make both in your own workroom?
Roller shades are cut and assembled in our Fort Lauderdale workroom at 4539 Powerline Rd; honeycomb shades are custom-built to our measurements by the fabric maker and installed by our own team. Both showrooms, Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach, have working samples of each.
Weigh it in your own light
Bring a floor plan or a window list, or book the free in-home consultation - we bring the samples, measure, and put a written number on each option.