HUE HINTS

•Consider the lighting in the room before finalizing color selection. Fabric colors can change dramatically when light is passing through. Be sure to view color swatches at the window and at various times of the day to see how the color is affected.
-Denise Schenck, Lafayette Interior Fashions

•Coordinate with the wall color or furniture color, especially when you want to make the room look bigger.
-Ian Chen, Chicology

•Remember that with solar fabric, lighter colors control temperature better and darker fabric colors control glare better. Consult with the client to know which option will better suit their needs. Also, the lower the openness factor the more UV rays are blocked, which is important if the room is a heavily-trafficked area.
-Kim Sloey, Graber

•Light colors are more energy efficient, while the darker tones offer better visibility and cut the glare so they are easier to look out of. There are some products available today which can provide a dark color to the interior and a light tone to the exterior (Phifer SW2700 series and Alkenz 3000HT), thereby offering the energy efficiency and a good view. The silver back fabrics (SilverScreen from Mermet) are excellent materials that offer a charcoal or bronze to the interior while the silver back gives excellent energy efficient properties.
-Sandee Young, Skyco Shading Systems

•Be bold and pick a color that complements the overall décor. Be inspired by other colors in the room-such as a pillow, wall art, rug or other accessory. Roller shades are very practical and easy to use. Their simple lines can be enhanced by choosing interesting patterns or adding finishing details.
-Carol Santos, Kensington Window Expressions

•The less popular colors tend to be the bright and bold primaries (blue, yellow and red). Really, there isn't any color that a designer should avoid since the window covering experience is all about consumer preference. As long as the designer is willing to work with the consumer and incorporate the shade into the overall look, any color is suited for the job.
-Kim Sloey, Graber

•"Designers need to remember that green is becoming the newest 'neutral' color to reflect an enhanced eco-consciousness. White and ivory also continue to be the most popular selling colors, but brown will continue to be important. Blue is emerging, and black and white used in contrast also is coming on strong. With eco awareness being the resounding theme, we're going back to nature. Colors in general are warming up in tone."
-Denise Schenck, Lafayette Interior Fashions

•A sunscreen is typically chosen because there's a large section of glass to cover that was really never intended to be covered because of a great view, but the customer has a problem-the sun. When you put a darker sunscreen in that opening, the view is preserved, it's gentler on the eye, and when it's not in use, it's raised and out of the way. A white sunscreen is pretty much the opposite of all these things, not to mention it looks like a white sheet in the window from the exterior.
-Christopher Taylor, Vasa Window Coverings

•Solar shades in the window take on a much different appearance than in a swatch form. It is important to look through the fabric to make sure the color density is desirable. Shades, with the sun shining through them, appear to be light, medium or a dark tone-not necessarily a specific color. And remember, white or light colors, when used with clear glass, can become very obvious from the exterior. A mid tone or darker shade fabric tends to blend better with the overall lightness of the building and is not as obvious. This is not just true for solar shades but for all window coverings.
-Sandee Young, Skyco Shading Systems

•Whites create a veil effect, so if a crisp view is desired, designers should gravitate toward darker colors. Many consumers choose solar shades to keep the view-if so, recommend a darker color.
-Anna Mullen, Hunter Douglas

•Your color options affect what you are going to view out of the windows, as well as the heat gain in the space, so be sure you determine with your client that the color and weave of the fabric captures what your client is looking for.
-Laura Gabriel, Lutron

For more great color ideas, read the August edition of Window Fashions magazine.