PowerView Motorization From Hunter Douglas

Intelligent Shades...... That Simplify Your Life

 We didn't invent light. We just created a smarter, simpler and more convenient way to control how it plays through your daily life. Welcome to PowerView Motorization from Hunter Douglas!

The Modern Lifestyle

With PowerView Motorization from Hunter Douglas, the world's most beautiful window treatments are now the most intelligent. This innovative wireless system controls any powered Hunter Douglas window treatment in your home. Operate a single window treatment or all of them in perfect concert - all on your command.

Precise Operation: PowerView offers precise control of a variety of different Hunter Douglas products and styles whether up, down, tilt or traverse.

Flexible Schedules: With the PowerView App, you can quickly create customized scenes that control all the shades in your home to operate together or in any combination you desire. Then you can easily schedule those scenes to move your shades automatically so you don't have to.

Energy Efficient: Easily link schedules to sunrise and sunset time calculated by PowerView to control solar energy throughout the seasons or to wake up with the sun. 

Secure: Adjust your shades while you're away via the RemoteConnect feature on your smartphone or tablet.

Child Friendly: Simple, battery powered and cord free operation is aesthetically pleasing and safer for children and pets.

Diverse: With the widest array of innovative styles, colors and fabrics in the industry, your motorized window treatments are as beautiful as they are intelligent.

Battery Powered: Most PowerView window treatments are battery powered so they are easy to install, operate and maintain. The battery pack is hidden behind the headrail so there is nothing to mar the beauty of you window treatments. 

Here’s how it works:

Start Simple

Meet the PowerView Pebble, the stylish handheld control and the entry point for the entire PowerView system. With the Pebble Remote or wall mounted surface remote, you can quickly adjust any single powered window treatment or all the treatments in a specific room totally on your command. Enter a room and, like switching on a light, your shades operate at your command with the stylish surface remote. Or reach for the Pebble Remote and adjust your shades on the fly to block the glare on a TV set, open to the view or lower the shades for privacy without lifting more than a finger. The Pebble is the perfect union of form and function. Both simple elegant and elegantly simple.

Direct Control From Your Phone or Tablet

For more precise individual shade control or group control, use the PowerView App to send shades to specific positions with just the swipe of a finger. The PowerView App is available on Apple iOS and Android mobile devices and requires a PowerView Hub for operation. The innovative PowerView Hub, which east connects to your home's existing WIFI router, acts as the central nervous system for the entire PowerView Motorization System. It integrates all your motorized window treatments with the PowerView App, providing direct shade control and customized Scene settings from a single, central devise. Then, from the convenience of your phone or tablet, use the PowerView App to quickly, precisely and with endless variety control the positions of all the shades in the room. Simply create your Rooms, add your shades to those Rooms, make a selection and use product specific slider bars to adjust your shades to precise positions.

Set Your Scenes

If you prefer to have Rooms operate independently, or work together in total synchronization, you can use the PowerView App to create distinct Scenes that fit your daily life. Your unique collection of personalized Scenes is easy to set up, operate and manage. Name them, color code them and organize them in the way that is easiest for you and your family to use. For example, greet the day with the arrival of the sun by opening the shades in your Master Bedroom and Kitchen to the perfect position for your morning activities. In the evening, have the whole home gracefully close our the day and ensure your privacy. The choice is yours. Scenes can be created within individual Rooms and compiled into Multiple Room Scenes to activate a whole house of activity throughout the home with a single press of a button.

Bring Your Scenes to Life

Once you have your Scenes created, you can control them on command with the PowerView Pebble Scene Controller or on your phone or tablet from anywhere in the world using RemoteConnect.

The Smarter Side of Style

It is time to experience for yourself how our intelligent shades can simplify your life. PowerView Motorization is available with an unrivaled selection of sophisticated styles, fabric and colors from Hunter Douglas, the world's leader in window fashions. With PowerView, your window treatments will become such an essential part of the way you live, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them.

Contact Us

Give us a call today at either our Plano or Southlake locations! 972.608.4999 for Plano and 817.416.7164 for Southlake.

We gladly service all of Dallas - Fort Worth including McKinney, Frisco, Prosper, Celina, Gunter, Allen, Keller, Westlake, Garland, Richardson, Colleyville, Coppell, Grapevine, Lewisville, The Colony, Carrollton, Farmers Branch, North Dallas, Roanoke, Trophy Club and many more!

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Mirrors

Decorative mirrors expand the feel of a room and add drama.

Their beauty is a reflection of your design style. Ever thought about using mirrors as a design element rather than just as a functional tool to check your look before you leave the house? Mirrors look beautiful in almost any room, not just the bathroom or entry way. And sometimes they have no function at all; for example, if they’re composed of lots of small panes or have a distressed surface that’s hard to view a reflection from. 

Mirrors come in all shapes, sizes and frame styles to complement any décor.

The look of a mirror adds pizazz, while the reflective nature of the glass makes a room appear larger and can also make a room seem lighter and more airy. 

A mirror can be the focus of a room or it can be a point of side interest.

Sometimes you don’t even have to hang mirrors on the wall! A very large mirror that goes almost from floor to ceiling can be propped against a wall, but do make sure it’s secure and won’t fall down. You can also group several mirrors to anchor a wall. 

Then there’s the issue of the frame. 

A frame can be the major focal point of a mirror and take up a lot of the square footage or it can be very simple, letting the glass surface be the star. Frames can be made of wood, metal, ceramic, tile, lacquer or stone. Or a mirror can even be frameless. 

Think about adding mirrors to your décor this spring. They will literally be a reflection of your own design style!

Luminette Privacy Sheers From Hunter Douglas

Luminettes for Sliding Glass Doors

We are noticing here in the Dallas - Fort Worth areas that more and more home builders are using large sliding glass doors to the patio. These large expanses of window definitely open up the indoors and gives a full view to the outside. We have seen these doors in Robson Ranch, Plano, Prosper and Frisco to name a few. We recently did a Luminette Privacy Sheer for a client in Southlake. This turned out to be one of our favorite installations!

Southlake Luminette

Our client called the Southlake store asking for help on what to do with their sliding glass door that opened up onto their large patio. They use their outside living area all the time - in the summer for fun in the pool and now for football watching parties. They certainly did want their privacy so the area needed some sort of covering. The design of their home is a soft transitional look with a lot of color in the accents - particularly their art and throw pillows. They were concerned that the only option would be the traditional vertical blinds because that was not the look they wanted. We showed them the Luminette Privacy Sheers by Hunter Douglas and that was it! They fell in love with the soft look that easily opens up the whole area and just as easily closes for privacy with some light or completely closes for full privacy. 

What is a Luminette

Sheer inspiration...The joy of natural light, the benefit of UV protection.

Luminettes are a Privacy Sheer made by Hunter Douglas, the leader in Custom Window Fashions/ They offer subdued light with the privacy of a drapery. Fabric vanes rotate for privacy while controlling the light in a room. They can also open all the way for complete view to the outdoors. Luminettes are perfect for large windows and sliding glass doors, their superior UV protection meets both your decorating and practical needs.

The Southlake Design Plan

For our Southlake client we selected the Luminette in color Linen Flirt. We used the split stack option so the sheers open from the middle and the PowerView Motorization operating system for convenience. This way our client can easily open up their room to the patio. We also added side drapery panels to frame the windows and create a softening effect. Here we chose a fabric from Fabricut called Wow Lattice in color Slate. It has a large, neutral pattern that added the drama that was needed without a lot of color. This is one of our favorites! Soon we will be adding  a few throw pillows for their large sectional sofa in bright colors of orange, yellow, indigo and purple. These pillows will complement the room very well.

Call Read Design in Plano or in Southlake for Help with your Sliding Glass Door and Inspiration for you Winodws

Read Design has been a Dallas - Fort Worth leader in Window Fashions, Wallpaper and Interior Design for over 27 years. Our Hunter Douglas galleries have over 65 working sample products for you to operate and feel. We are here to help you discover the latest trends and current styles. Our goal is to design a home that is reflective of you as an individual and suit your needs whether you need a comfortable place for your young children or a pristine showcase home to host your parties. We have thousands of fabrics in our showroom that help us creative a one of a kind home for you.

Read Design proudly services Fort Worth, Trophy Club, Westlake, Southlake, Keller, Colleyville, Coppell, Robson Ranch, Grapevine, Arlington, Flower Mound, Lewisville, Highland Village, Little Elm, Frisco, Prosper, The Colony, Celina, McKinney, Allen, Plano, Richardson, Garland, Carrollton, Dallas, Irving, Preston Hollow, Highland Park, Rockwall and everywhere in between. Give us a call today!

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Pantone Colors 2016

Rose Quartz and Serenity are the colors of the year, according to the Pantone Color Institute.

Try using these calming shades of pink and blue in your interior plan.

The Pantone Color Institute has selected two shades – Rose Quartz and Serenity – as their colors of the year for interiors. Each year, Pantone selects a color that expresses a mood and an attitude for the year; and this is the first time the organization has selected two shades as color of the year!

These soft shades of calm blue and serene pink make us feel more secure and at peace. When used in home décor, they add to our sense of well-being, helping take away the daily stresses of life in our own home environments. 

“Joined together, Rose Quartz and Serenity demonstrate an inherent balance between a warmer embracing rose tone and the cooler tranquil blue, reflecting connection and wellness as well as a soothing sense of order and peace.”

— Leatrice Eiseman

Leatrice Eiseman is the Executive Director, Pantone Color Institute®. "Rose Quartz is a persuasive yet gentle tone that conveys compassion and sense of composure, while Serenity is weightless and airy, like the expanse of the blue sky above us, bringing feelings of respite and relaxation even in turbulent times.” 

Whether you use each color alone or use them together in your home environment, this year think Rose Quartz and Serenity for upholstery and drapery fabrics, rugs and carpeting, paint, tile and backsplashes, bed and table linens, and accessories. 

Soften your home environment this year by decorating in Rose Quartz and Serenity.

Making The "Dark Dallas Dining Room" Light Again

DINING ROOM BEFORE

We Recently made an appointment with a client in North Dallas. Her home was a little dated - especially the dining room. I could tell that the previous owner had invested quite a bit to make this room beautiful. The walls were faux painted a deep red with brown and gold highlights. They had plantation shutters on the windows and also a heavy drapery treatment in red. This was definitely the traditional trend that was popular a decade ago. But now it is dark and uninviting. 

Our client has a light and fun personality and this room definitely did not reflect that. She likes a more transitional look and definitely wanted to brighten up this room. 

The Design Plan

She loves her dining table and chairs, which have that transitional look, so we used those as our inspiration. We also kept her side board, plantation shutters and a few accessories. But that was it, the rest had to go.. starting with the heavy drapery. 

We began with a new window treatment - new fabric and a new design. We chose a fabric from Fabricut that has a beautiful neutral pattern and we knew it would hang beautifully. Because less is more for this type of design, we custom made simple drapery panels to frame the beautiful shutters. We raised the rod up to give the feeling of height and we also made the treatment wider to allow more light into the room.

We pulled out the light tan color in the fabric to paint above the chair rail. Paint can change everything and immediately the room brightened up. 

The Finishing Touches

This was the fun part! We took down the small framed mirror that hung above the sideboard and replaced it with a large arched mirror. This gave a lot of reflection to the room making it appear lighter and larger all while adding some character. I love this mirror by Guildmaster! Then we added two matching lamps and just a few accessories (some new and some old). We also removed the red runner on the table and replaced it with the large tray. The tray was the clients before and wanted to incorporate it into the new design so all we did there was rearrange the accessories. We suggested that in the evening she leave the chandelier off and turn on these two lamps and she let us know that she does this every evening and loves the way it looks and feels! She also commented on how beautiful our custom drapery panels are. 

This was a fun project from the very beginning to the end and I think we achieved the objective and made the room light, livable and a true reflection of our client's personality.

Call Read Design Plano or Southlake For Your Next Interior Design Project!

Read Design has been a leader in Window Fashions and Interior Design for over 25 years. With two generations of the Read Family working together, we are dedicated to making your home beautiful and a true reflection of you. We can help you not matter how large or how small your project is. Stop by either of our stores to see the latest in Hunter Douglas window treatments and to learn about PowerView Motorization. After all, smart homes are the future! Our designers can help you visualize and give your personal service to help you find the perfect solution for all of your projects.

Read Design Services All Of the Following Areas:

Carrollton, Lewisville, Westlake, Southlake, Dallas, North Dallas, Fort Worth, Roanoke, Keller, Coppell, Colleyville, Irving, Las Colinas, Denton, Argyle, Allen, Sachse, Wylie, Benbrook, Hurst, Euless, Addison, Farmers Branch, Frisco, The Colony, Plano, Parker, St Paul, Prosper, Celina, Little Elm, McKinney and many more!

Child Safety Is Serious Business

Hunter Douglas Vignette with LiteRise (cordless) lifting system for child safety

Hunter Douglas, along with us here at Read Design, believe it is our duty to bring awareness to the hazards or hanging cords. All of our products are designed with safety in mind — a responsibility we take very seriously.

Children are innately curious about the world around them. So, even basic household items like window coverings can turn into potential hazards. Making our window fashions safer for homes with infants, young children and pets is a top priority at Hunter Douglas. That's why we developed a wide range of products to help reduce the risk of accidents. From cordless and motorized operating systems, retractable lift cords, cord tensioners and wand controls, we offer a wide array of lifting system options for enhanced child and pet safety.

October is Child Safety Month and hanging cords from window coverings is one of the top seven hidden dangers in the home. Help us spread awareness about this very real hazard. Always take extra precautions and opt for the safe window treatments in all environments where children and pets interact with shades. We recommend cordless or motorized window coverings because they really are the safest choice for all of your windows. We love our kiddos, whether they be two legged or four and want to make sure every person knows about the alternatives to keep our loved ones safe. Any chance to remove a potential hazard from a home is a win for us because we all know one accident is too many.

“I have a 2 year old and a dog at home. Growing up in the window covering industry, I’ve always been aware of the dangers of hanging cords. When I found out I was pregnant with my son, I immediately got rid of my blinds with cords and invested in Roller Shades with PowerView and Silhouette Shades with UltraGlide. Watching my son and dog play around the shades and moving them to see out the window, I know I made the right decision.”

— Kate, Read Design

The window coverings industry uses warning tags, labels, and other methods to communicate the potential hazards of corded window coverings. The warning labels communicate the important message about cords being a potential strangulation hazard and suggests choosing cordless or inaccessible-cord alternatives. Together with the Window Covering Safety Council, Hunter Douglas encourages you to install only cordless window coverings in rooms where young children play and sleep. For more info and repair kits for other window covering products, visit the Window Covering Safety Council website.

A detailed chart of safety options across our products can be found in our Safety Reference Chart.

Vintage Design

With the instantaneous nature of social media, many interior design trends are here today, gone tomorrow. That’s not necessarily the case with re-purposed and distressed design stories, however. Rather than being shiny and new, and therefore destined to a limited shelf life, accenting a room with antiqued-themed accessories and themes often create such a one-of-a-kind aesthetic that it presents a design with staying power.

“People are drawn to vintage looks because of their uncommon uniqueness,” remarks Kim Pheiffer of KP Designs, based in Columbus, Ohio. The firm is home to 14 designers and currently is working on more than 50 projects ranging from window treatments to full kitchen and bathroom makeovers.

“Often times a vintage design approach incorporates a nautical or farmhouse feel. Even in a brand new home, clients can bring that vintage look to a room, for lived-in feel with striking architectural details. In that sense, you can take what would otherwise be a ‘cookie-cutter’ home and give it a truly custom look and feel.”

On a broad scale, KP Designs has installed shiplap over drywall and reclaimed barn wood, which can be painted or stained. “It adds tremendous depth and dimension to a room,” Pheiffer explains, adding that their firm has also achieved the same effect using brick facing on walls. “It’s unexpected casual, for a relaxed treatment that really stands out.”

On a smaller scale, hints of the nautical and aquatic looks can, likewise, achieve the same carefree feel. “It’s not about full-fledged anchors or starfish everywhere, but just a few seafaring touches in soothing greys and blues,” she says. “One color we’ve been loving is called seasalt—it’s almost a green-blue with just a hint of grey.” Additional elements that pull the look together are rope textures and colored glasses, such as lamps that incorporate touches of muted blues and greens.

Other accessories Pheiffer and her team seek out are those that traditionally have served one function in days gone by, but that can be repurposed as an eyecatching embellishment. For example, KP Designs has made beautiful use of unconventional mirrors that are more artwork than looking glasses. On another project, the firm purchased corbels in Paris that were originally used at a train station and used them to flank a doorway opening. 

Asked why vintage and subtle nautical themes have remained so popular over the years, and Pheiffer offers a simple explanation: “I think it’s retail stores that drive it, but in the end it allows people to take something they may have admired during vacationing or travels and bring a bit of that feeling and memory home with them.”

Blog by Uttermost

Make The Modern Choice With Vignette

Vignette Modern Roman Shades

Vignettes are more than just a Roman Shade. They are clean, sophisticated and beautifully functional. Because they come from the world's leading manufacturer of window fashions, you know your Modern Roman Shades are built with attention to every last detail. That's just the start of the many reasons to choose Vignette Modern Roman Shades.

What Makes A Modern Roman Shade?

Versatile: Choose from three styles that roll, stack or traverse. There's a style for every window in the house. 

Safe: With no exposed cords on the front or back of any Vignette, these shades enhance safety in your home.

Beautiful: You choose a style - 4" full folds or 6" flat folds. Either way we've made sure they retain a consistent appearance with every use. 

Durable: Finely crafted woven fabrics are easy to clean. Choose from five fabric collections and over 100 different fabrics - all requiring low maintenance. 

Innovative: Discover an extensive selection of proprietary operating systems available only with Hunter Douglas.

Quick: It is easy to order and the delivery is fast. 

Handcrafted Quality: Every shade is backed by the Hunter Douglas Limited Lifetime Guarantee.

One look and you will instantly see how the beauty of Vignette Modern Roman Shades transforms a room. These shades are functional with long lasting fabrics specifically designed to handle extreme weather. They offer enhanced safety features, ideal for home with young children and pets and are backed by the Hunter Douglas Limited Lifetime Guarantee! Who could ask for more?

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Vignette Modern Roman Shade

We recently helped a client in Trophy Club, Texas with the windows in her master bedroom. She wanted a transitional look, clean and simple, but with an element of exquisite design. Her walls were painted a medium, almost dark, gray so we suggested a the versatile Vignette Shade in the White Satin fabric with the top down - bottom up feature. She loved the idea of top down - bottom up shades because these windows were located on the side of her home and faced the street. This was the perfect solution to optimal privacy and light control and how our client says she leaves them in the pictured position all the time because she loves the way it looks. 

Design Studio Roman Shades

Another Hunter Douglas Roman Shade option is the Design Studio. These shades are customized through pattern and texture. Expertly crafted to order, these soft Roman Shades offer elegant window coverings in more than 300 exquisite fabrics - from sophisticated designs, textures and stripes to simple solids in blends of cotton, linen, silk and synthetics. 

Design Studio Roman Shades in North Dallas

We recently helped a couple with the remodel of their North Dallas home. This was a fun and challenging project with a few areas where we really had to give a lot of thought to the windows. In the family room and breakfast room the windows were removed and large sliding doors were installed to give a large open view to their patio. Our client wanted complete privacy at night, but keep the view during the day. Vertical shades were not the look of this home so we considered Luminette Privacy Sheers, but we lacked enough room on the sides to stack the fabric. We finally decided to use Design Studio Roman Shades and layer them with a custom fabric covered cornice board. This was the perfect look and solution for this home! For the shades we used a neutral fabric called Destination in color Ecru and the PowerView Motorized Operating System for convenience and a clean look with no hanging cords. The shades completely cover the doors and can stack all the way up under the cornice as if it is not there at all. Our client prefers the layered look and so has the controls set to stop in her desired position. For the cornice board, we used a textured fabric from Kravet that really tied the room together.

Our customer did love the Luminette Privacy Sheers though and we were able to use one in the upstairs game room. This is also powered by the PowerView Motorized Operating System. 

Call Read Design For Your Window Covering Needs

Read Design Plano and Read Design Southlake are the premier Hunter Douglas Galleries in the Dallas - Fort Worth area! Our Designers are ready to help you find the perfect solution to your window covering needs. We can show you the latest trends and current styles including the innovative PowerView Motorization. We can also help with custom drapery, wallpaper, reupholstery and more! We service all of DFW including Allen, Denton, Frisco, Plano, North Dallas, Highland Park, Lakewood, Southlake, Trophy Club, Westlake, Coppell, and every where in between!