Plantation Shutters

Custom Plantation Shutters... and best of all - Made In America!!!!

Yes, Plantation Shutters are still as popular as ever and are still a great way to add value to your home. Shutters for your windows will last for generations and is one window treatment that is seldom changed if you sell your home. This is especially true with Wood Plantation Shutters. The beauty of wood is classic, will add warmth to your home and will last a lifetime. And today their are many different choices you can make including louver size, trim design, hidden or standard front tilt, divider rails, custom paint or stain color, and hinge color.

Introducing Heritance Hardwood Shutters by Hunter Douglas.

The simple elegance of rich, hardwood shutters gives lift to any room. Now, the maximum strength and durability of our Heritance Hardwood Shutters make them a wise investment in many ways. They feature dovetail construction and a vast selection of frame choices, specialty shapes, and louver sizes- and a variety of paint and stain finishes, as well as custom colors. Also available in six Handcrafted Series Techniques to enhance the inherent character and color of the genuine hardwood and making your shutters truly one of a kind.

Six Techniques

The first technique is textured, which enhances the woods natural grain and creates a contrast and depth of the natural wood grain. You can also choose glazed which enhances the richness of the stain finish with a hand rubbed glaze. The Glazed and Burnished technique creates an antique effect. With the Rustic technique the natural characteristics of hardwood are arranged so you will have your own unique shutter. The Heirloom distressed technique will give your shutters an Old World effect with the addition techniques. Including burnishing,, rasping, and flyspecking. An finally the Classic Technique give the wood a beautiful worn finish with the techniques including glaze, dents, cracks and wormholes.

Or you can choose any of our paint selections including Custom Paint Match.

So how does it work? Give Read Design Plano or Read Design Southlake a call and schedule an appointment with one of our Designers. We will gladly meet with you at your home and check out the windows where you would like shutters. We will suggest louver size keeping in mind scale of the window and room. We will also help you decide on the trim and which tilt system is best for your look. And finally we will help decide if paint or stain is best for your design and walk you though the different techniques.

Read Design is a leader in Hunter Douglas Window Coverings with 2 Gallery locations, one in Plano and the other one in Southlake. We offer personalized service that you will only find with a locally owned store. This is our family business and we are here to help you personalize your own design. Stop by and see over 60 working displays including PowerView, the latest in home automation. Our designers can also help you with drapery and window treatment selections as well as anything you might need for your home including furniture, rugs, lamps and home decor items.

Here is one of our projects which includes Custom Plantation Shutters. We had the walls painted and then came back and designed drapery panels to finish off the look. Next we will be moving on to the Dining Room.

And at our Plano Store you will see our new displays of our RD Home Collection where you will find anything you might need for you home. New products are coming in weekly! 

Don't miss out on Hunter Douglas rebates going on now (shutters excluded). Give us a call now to learn more about all our different products and features and benefits of each. We look forward to working with you!

Draperies & Shutters

Do you need to add draperies to windows with shutters? ........Answer.......... that is up to you.

We are asked this question all the time. My answer is "it is up to the individual." Plantation Shutters do stand on their own. Most of the windows in the Dallas/Fort Worth area are sheetrock windows - no framing around the window. So when framed shutters are installed all of a sudden the window is squared and looks like an expensive wooden window. And because the framing is beautiful, it really dresses up the window all on it's own. Some windows will work wonderfully with drapery panels, while others have too little room or are at an unusual angle. Drapery panels certainly add softness, texture and color and real accent any design. 

NewStyle Shutters by Hunter Douglas

Here is a great example of how Framed Plantation Shutter create a Finished Look. These Shutters are New Style by Hunter Douglas. We used the Classic "Z" Frame with the 4 1/2" louvers and the Hidden Tilt to give a modern and clean look. This is exactly the look this customer wanted so we did not add a drapery treatment to these windows. These shutters dramatically change a room while providing the function of keeping the home cool in our harsh Texas summer.

Heritance Shutters by Hunter Douglas

These Shutters are Heritance Shutters by Hunter Douglas. They are made of North American Basswood. We used the Classic Frame and they completely finish the look. Here is also an example of where you would not use draperies because there is not enough room on the right side. Adding drapery would crowd the look and cover too much of the window losing light in the room. When we think about draperies is a room we always look at the window placement and spacing and think about stacking and amount of glass that would be covered. You do not want to add draperies if it creates a crowded look. In this room the shutters using a 4 1/2" louver really opens up the room, gives a lot of light, and beautifully finishes this Dining Room.

Draperies With Shutters

Here is an example of where we added drapery panels to NewStyle Shutters by Hunter Douglas. This is a Dining Room and the customer wanted to add a touch of elegance to the room without giving up the light. There was plenty of room between the window edge and wall so we added Drapery panels made of a neutral Grey Velvet. The drapery panels frame the windows with softness and add a touch of sophistication. Perfect for a Plano dining room. The finished look was what the customer wanted with out giving up light.

Sheer Drapery

We recently finished a project where we installed New Style Shutters by Hunter Douglas  in the customer's Master Bedroom. They turned out beautiful and gave privacy but the room needed softening. The room had a transitional design where the customer combined old with new. The master bedding was white with just a soft blue touch in the pillows. So we added sheer panels in a soft white color with a delicate design in the fabric. And we took the panels all the way up to the crown moldings to give a feeling of height. These drapery sheer panels finished the look of this room.

If you are looking for a new look contact us at Read Design in Plano or Read Design Southlake.  Our Designers are ready to help you. We will look at your space and help you see all of the different ways you can treat your rooms. If you are wanting Plantation Shutters, we will show you all of the choices that would work. And if you are interested in Draperies or Drapery Panels we have a large selection of fabrics that we will show you. Stop in Today

We service the Dallas/Fort Worth areas including Prosper, Colleyville, Grapevine, Allen and everywhere in between.

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Beachy

Creating a beach house feel will shore up your interior look.

The beach look is a casual, relaxing and fun addition to your home.

Have you always wanted a beach house even though you don’t live anywhere near a body of water? Or maybe you already live near the water and want to make your home look more like a beach house?

Either way you can create a relaxing, fun interior that looks like it belongs near the beach.

Beach design colors can be vibrant and tropical, calm and neutral, or nautical blue and white. Even aqua and white or orange and white can create a beach feel. Or you can use lots of beiges and light blues to reflect the colors of the sand and sky.

Pale-colored woods for floors, furniture or walls reinforce a light and casual theme. Furniture or storage units can be made from lobster traps or salvaged wood from boats or piers. Rattan, wicker or bamboo furniture also brings a beach vibe, as do rag rugs. Driftwood can be displayed as an art object or used as a table base.

Here are some specific decorating ideas to create a beach house feel:

• Purchase translucent window fashions to let in lots of light, and use artificial lighting that’s bright and warm.

• Add touches from the sea, such as coral and shells made into lamps, chandeliers, boxes and decorative items.

• Install boat fittings in your kitchen or bath, such as hinges, lanterns and pulls.

• Use fabrics, throws, pillows, table linens and bed linens with beach motifs, palm trees, surfers and boats.

• Add artwork that depicts the sea, birds, fish or surfers.

• You can even display a real boat in your house!! Or a model of a boat.

Sail into a new interior look with a beach theme. You'll feel like you live by the shore every day.

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!

Hunter Douglas Designer Roller Shades

Roller Shades are a clean classic look that work for any room in your home. Sophisticated but uncomplicated: for a look that’s both custom and classic, Hunter Douglas Designer Roller Shades offer a clean appearance in a beautiful range of 82 designer fabrics along with a variety of design options and operating systems including the New PowerView Motorization. Over half of these fabric styles are offered in the Harmony Program - choose the same fabric for your vertical and horizontal window fashions when you combine Designer Roller Shades with Skyline Gliding Window Panels.

Simplicity is the Ultimate Sophistication.

Keep it simple. Roller Shades have a sleek, modern design and an uncanny ability to regulate natural light and privacy in your home. Perfect for cutting down on glare and catching up on sleep. Roller Shades are easy to operate with all of the Lift Systems made by Hunter Douglas. They are the perfect window treatment for a clean, finished look.

Designer Roller Shades

Our Designer Roller Shades by Hunter Douglas combine the ease and simplicity of a Roller Shade with hundreds of fabric choices - sheers to opaque, patterns to textures, and traditional solid colors.

Designer Screen Shades

Our Designer Screen Shades are the best at balancing privacy with views. They offer excellent UV protection while maintaining your view of the outdoors. Our Designer Screen Shades are available in varying levels of opacity to fit your light control needs. Offering a minimal yet sophisticated shade with light control, color and style - a perfect roller screen shade for your patio or sunroom.

The Alustra Collection of Roller Shades

An innovative alternative to Woven Woods and Solar Screens, The Alustra Collection of Roller Shades artfully blend unique fibers and sophisticated design to create distinctive light filtering fabrics.

Designer Roller Shades and Screen Shades are one of the most popular window coverings today and they are fun to show because many of the fabrics can be used in a contemporary or traditional setting. Today more people are wanting to keep their view the outdoors. They want privacy when they need it, but also an unobstructed view when they want to see the outside. These shades are the perfect solution and the fact that there are so many fabrics and colors to choose from just makes it fun. You can also easily pair roller shades with stationary panels to finish the design look.

We recently helped a customer in North Dallas who had remodeled their Family Room. She wanted an open view of the back yard as it looked onto a creek. Of course she needed privacy at night but wanted that full open view during the day. We suggested Hunter Douglas Designer Roller Shades. The fabric was called Flaunt and the color Whisper White. This shade has a wonderful texture so when it is down it looks beautiful and when it is up the fabric is tucked into a cassette head rail and you really do not know the shade is there. Hunter Douglas introduced their new Square Cassette at the beginning of April. It gives a very clean look and we love it!

This customer also selected the new PowerView Motorization lift system. Because there are 5 shades in a row, the motorization just made everything easier. Next step will be adding Drapery Stationary Panels.

Stop in either of our Galleries- Read Design Southlake or Read Design Plano. Our Designers are ready to show you the latest trends in Window Fashions including Designer Roller Shades, Designer Screen shades and the Alustra Collection of Roller Shade. We have all of the new products and the new sampling. We also a full Interior Design Studio and can help you with any Drapery Project including Stationary Panels, Valances, Cornices, and Curtains.

You call either store and we will send out our Mobile Showroom.

Plano: 972.608.4999

Southlake: 817.740.6779

Read Design provides Roller Shades and all of Hunter Douglas Window Fashions to Dallas, Highland Park, Park Cities, Preston Hollow, North Dallas, Plano, Frisco, Prosper, Celina, Gunter, Richardson, Garland, Murphy, Allen, McKinney, Fort Worth, Keller, Westlake, Northlake, Grapevine, Southlake, Colleyville, Flower Mound, Little Elm, Corinth, Lewisville, Carrollton, Farmers Branch and everywhere in between.

Design For The Future

Great design comes to the forefront through the beautiful textures and vibrant colors of Hunter Douglas Window Coverings. It is also equally important in the unique operating systems including the most recent innovation, PowerView Motorization and its artfully designed controls. Design carries through to the installation of these products in your home. Well-designed window fashions do more than simply cover a window. At Hunter Douglas, form and function are inseparable. Great design is beautiful to live with, provides variable light control, insulates rooms against heat and cold while saving energy, protects your furnishings from damaging UV rays, and even absorbs sound improving the acoustics in a room. Our advanced operating systems make using Hunter Douglas products a pleasure everyday. Now that’s artful window dressing. 

April 2016 Launch of the newest Hunter Douglas Products.

Recently we attended the 2016 premier of Hunter Douglas' new products launch. (Check out the new Hunter Douglas Logo!) There are many new products, new fabrics, new colors, and new lift systems. This is a time when we always get excited because of the new products and we see so many possibilities. We have already received our new books and have many of the new products installed in our displays. Above all our favorite new product is the Silhouette DuoLite.

Silhouette DuoLite.

Light diffusion and room darkening together in one extraordinary product. This product offers the best of both worlds when it comes to managing light. Silhouette DuoLite shadings seamlessly combine a Silhouette Shading together with an independently operated room-darkening roller shade that nestles behind it in the same headrail. The addition of the roller shade enhances the room darkening and privacy benefits of Silhouette, while still allowing you to enjoy the softly diffused light and view through that the Silhouette shadings are known for.

Variable Light Control

Once the Silhouette shading is down with the vanes open, the room-darkening roller shade can be positioned in the window at any height to allow maximum flexibility when determining your light control and privacy needs. The shade can even be completely recessed into the headrail and out of sight for maximum light and view.

Room Darkening

When completely lowered, the roller shade significantly reduces the amount of light entering the space, creating the perfect setting for sleep time, movie time, or any other time when room darkening in desired. The Silhouette DuoLite can be ordered with the UltraGlide Lift system as well as the New PowerView Motorization.

Stop in to see the new Silhouette Duolite

Stop in Read Design Plano or Read Design Southlake to see this exciting new product and all of the new products from Hunter Douglas. We have all of the new samples and are excited to show them to you. Most of the New products can be automated with the PowerView Motorization. We can help you with any residential or commercial project. This is also a time when we are getting our new fabrics and wallpapers. If you want, call either store set up an in home appointment and our Mobile Showrooms can come to you. Our Designer would love to show you the new style and trends that are out today.

We service all of these areas: Fort Worth, Keller, Westlake, Robson Ranch, Denton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Grapevine, Southlake, Northlake, Coppell, Colleyville, Arlington, Grand Prairie, Carrollton, Farmer’s Branch, Dallas, Park Cities, Preston Hollow,  Highland Park,  Plano,   Richardson, Murphy, Garland, Allen, Prosper, Celina, Frisco, McKinney and all areas in between.

Hunter Douglas' Right Choice Promise

The Right Choice Promise is certainly unique.

Make your choice with confidence… Our Right Choice Promise guarantees it!

Read Design, your Hunter Douglas Gallery Dealer, and Hunter Douglas are thoroughly committed to customer satisfaction. We know you will appreciate the quality workmanship and beauty of our window fashion products. With your purchase, you will not only have the Hunter Douglas name on your new window fashions, you will also have our exclusive Right Choice Promise.

Here’s how it works:

Once the installation of your new window coverings is complete, we invite you to experience and enjoy them in your home for 21 days. In the unlikely event you’re not thoroughly satisfied with the way they visually enhance your home at the end of this 21 day period, contact us, your Hunter Douglas Gallery Dealer. For a nominal fee (not to exceed $75 per window covering), we will make a one time replacement of your window coverings with a Hunter Douglas product of equal or lesser value of your choice.* It’s that simple.

In addition to the Right Choice Promise you will have one of the best product warranties in the business: the Hunter Douglas Lifetime Limited Warranty.

At Hunter Douglas, we stand behind our products. The Hunter Douglas Lifetime Guarantee means your product comes with a Lifetime Limited Warranty, so you can expect a thoroughly satisfying experience when selecting, purchasing and living with your window fashion products.

You’ll find it all… only at the Gallery.

It's Spring, Let The Outdoors In! Design Ideas For French Doors

Welcome Spring! Now more than any other time of the year, we open up our homes and let the fresh air in. And nowadays we are adding to and enjoying the outdoor living space more than ever. So there is a real need for functional solutions for covering the patio doors. Whether you have a Sliding Glass Door or French doors, here at Read Design Plano and Read Design Southlake, we have plenty of ideas and solutions to help you. After we have solved your indoor needs we can also move outdoors and help you cover your patio with Corradi Outdoor Screen Shades.

What to think about when covering your French and Sliding Patio Doors

You need to think about whether you do get direct sun through these areas or not and also about the glare, energy loss, and destructive UV rays. But you also might have a beautiful view to keep in mind. Consider Sheer Shadings from Hunter Douglas. These include Silhouettes, Pirouettes, and Luminettes. These shade will offer you the view while maintaining all the solutions for light and energy control .

Sliding Glass doors are gaining popularity in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and today there are many more options than just the old fashioned Vertical Blinds. One of our favorite Vertical solutions is the Luminette Privacy Sheer. The rotating vanes offer you a large range of privacy and light control and the soft fabrics bring beautiful elements of design to your home. A characteristic of all Hunter Douglas Soft Shades is the ability to enjoy your view while shielding your home from glare and harmful UV rays.

Other Shading Ideas

There are many other ideas from Hunter Douglas for these areas. These include the gorgeous Provenance Woven Wood Shades. We recently added Provenance Woven Shades to this home is Coppell where the client did not need much privacy or sun-control because the doors were protected by the balcony above. We used a shade with a rich texture and white color to blend with the doors and it was the perfect solution. It allowed the client to see her kids play in the yard while providing some privacy. The low profile head rail and the hold down brackets make this shade an ideal candidate for your patio door window coverings.

Vignette Modern Roman Shades and Design Studio Roman Shades are also great solutions for covering French Doors.  With many fabrics to choose from and with a range of colors and textures, we are certain to help you find the perfect fabric for your style. When pulled up, the soft folds of these shades make a beautiful valance. In this homein Frisco, TX we used a textured Grassland fabric in the Vignette Modern Roman Shades product line. When in the down position, the fabric folds beautifully and maintains that look when pulled up. We added Drapery panels to frame the doors and make a picture to back yard.

Don’t forget about Plantation Shutters - these classic window coverings never go out of style. Especially when using a larger louver size, you can really get a great view. When closed, or even when the louvers are slightly opened in the up position, Plantation shutters can really protect your furniture and floors from harmful UV rays.

Call Read Design Plano or Southlake

Give us a call at either location. Our Designers would love to show you these ideas, or many others. Stop by either Gallery to see over 70 working samples. You can see, operate and select the perfect lift system for your home including the new PowerView Motorization. Let us help you put a plan together that will solve the issues you have with these doors and any window in your home. We can also help you with Custom Draperies and Curtains and all kinds of Top Treatments. Now is the time to let the outdoors in and enjoy the weather with effective solution for your Patio Doors. Also ask us about our Corradi Outdoor Screen Shades for your outdoor Patio.

Read Design will help you with ideas for Patio Doors in these areas: Dallas, Highland Park, Park Cities, Plano, Prosper, Frisco, Allen, McKinney, Richardson, Wylie, Murphy, Parker, Rockwall, Carrollton, Lewisville, Grapevine, Southlake, Kellar, Trophy Club, Arlington, Flower Mound, Denton, Celina, Little Elm,. Bishop Arts District, North Richland Hills, Robson Ranch and everywhere in between.