Whether you have just bought a new home or you’re simply planning on redecorating, you have a lot to consider as you transform your living space into something cozier and more stylish. Perhaps one of your goals is to replace your current window coverings and use shades that fit your color scheme and cover your windows in a more efficient way than standard curtains.
Window shades are an excellent option, as they come in many different colors and are highly versatile. On one hand, shades can either block light or allow it to pour in through the windows. Additionally, shades are designed to keep temperatures from permeating the glass. This means that shades, especially cellular shades, keep outside temperatures outside and inside temperatures inside. This feature can improve your home’s energy efficiency and lower your utility bills.
The choice might sound simple from here, but there are actually two different types of cellular shades to choose from: single cell and double cell. Knowing the difference between the two will make it much easier to decide which type would be the best fit for your home.
Single Cellular Shades
You may have seen standard window shades composed of a single thick piece of fabric. Single cellular shades differ from double cellular shades in that they are made out of fabric arranged in a “pop-out” cellular shape. This is why they are also known as “honeycomb shades.” To explain further: if you’re looking directly at the shades as they sit in the window, they almost resemble a pleated shade. However, looking at the part of the shade that fits against the window frame you will see the cells that resemble honeycomb.
With this design, single cellular shades are able to keep out more light, UV rays, and heat or cold than what’s expected with standard shades.
Double Cellular Shades
Like single cellular shades, double cellular shades are also designed to serve the purpose of improving energy efficiency at the same time that they neatly fit into a room’s color scheme. This type of window shade also has a cellular shape instead of being a single piece of fabric, but double cellular shades have an addition layer of cells. While single cellular shades have one pop-out layer of cellular shapes, double cellular shades have two. One layer closer to the room and one layer closer to the window. Another aesthetic difference is the size of the pleats. The pleats in a double cellular shade are typically smaller than the pleats in a single cellular shade.
Double cellular shades serve the same purpose as single cellular shades, but to a greater degree. They block out more noise, temperature, light, and UV rays than their single-celled counterparts.
Which Do You Need?
There are several things to consider when deciding which type of cellular shades you’d like to use in your home.
Single cellular shades are typically more attractive in appearance, so if you are looking for something sleek and stylish, single cellular shades are likely to serve you better than double cellular shades.
If you live in an area with extreme weather or a lot of noise pollution, double cellular shades might be a better choice. Their second layer of cells provides more light-blocking capabilities in addition to keeping the temperature of your home regulated by preventing hot and cold air from passing through the windows.
You may find that you have different visions for different rooms in your home. For example, you might want to block as much light and sound from your bedroom as possible but want to make sure that the morning sun floods your kitchen.
Depending on the way that your home is positioned, you might want to protect the sides of your home that see the most sunlight with double cellular shades, while the more shaded sides of your home only need singles. There’s nothing that says you cannot combine shade types. The decisions you see fit for your home are completely up to you. No matter how you opt to cover your windows, you’ll be able to choose an attractive, efficient option with shades.
