The Summer PowerView Motorization Event!

From Saturday Jun 30, 2018 to September 10, 2018, Read Design Plano and Read Design Southlake will host a number of Motorization Events including 2 Thursday "Wine and Design" focusing on PowerView Motorization by Hunter Douglas. There will also be Exclusive Promotions, coupon giveaways, and a drawing at each Store for the New PowerView Hub. Stop by and you will also receive the new Art of Window Dressing Book.

So lets get in to it.........PowerView Motorization. Part 1

Smart Home, Smart Living

With PowerView Motorization from Hunter Douglas, the worlds most beautiful window treatments are now the most intelligent.

This innovative wireless system lets you move any powered Hunter Douglas window treatment according to the schedules you set. Perfect lighting, energy efficiency, everyday convenience- its all delivered automatically with PowerView.

Technology. At your Service.

PRECISE OPERATION
Whether you want to move the shades up or down, or tilt or traverse them, PowerView Motorization gives you precise and convenient control of your beautiful Hunter Douglas window treatments.

AUTOMATED LIVING
With the PowerView App, you can quickly create customized Scenes that control all the shades in your home, operating together or in any combination your desire. Then, just schedule those Scenes to automatically move your shades to your preferred positions.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY
Use PowerView Motorization to move your shades according to the sun 's daily patterns. Having your shades in the right positions can reduce solar heat, gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter, and could help you lower your energy bills.

SECURE
Adjust your shades for added security while you're away via the RemoteConnect texture on your smartphone or tablet.

CHILD FRIENDLY
Simple cord-free operation is aesthetically pleasing and safer for homes with children and pets.

STYLISH
With the widest array of innovative styles, colors, and fabrics in the industry, Hunter Douglas window treatments embody beautiful form and function.

BATTERY POWERED
Most PowerView window treatments are battery powered, so they're easy to install, operate, and maintain. The battery pack is hidden behind the Read rail, so there is nothing to mar the beauty of your window treatments.

This is the Beginning of PowerView. In a few days you will meet the PowerView Family.
But now if you are buying a new home or if you are making improvements to your current home, stop by either Read Design Plano or Read Design Southlake and let our qualified designers show you all of the Window Shadings that can be powered. They can show you fabrics that will work with your life style and give you ideas on how to set your scenes. They can show you the latest trends and current styles. We are a Family business and are excited about all that is new with Hunter Douglas PowerView Motorization.

We service all of these areas. Plano, Dallas, Colleyville, Flower Mound, Allen, Celina, Prosper, Southlake, Grapevine, Keller, Richardson, Carrollton, Frisco, Little Elm, Lewisville, McKinney, Preston Hollow, Trophy Club, Fort Worth, Farmers Branch , Park Cities, Rockwell, Roanoke, Arlington and everywhere inbetween.

March Into Spring

March into Spring.......
With window covering by Hunter Douglas and Custom Draperies

We can see the start of warm weather ahead of us and it is time to freshen up your home just in time for Spring. And what better way then changing out your window coverings or adding Custom Window Treatments. I love to open the windows at the beginning of Spring and see nature at it's glory and to smell the freshness of Spring. 

A Great way to open up your home is to update your window coverings! 

Silhouette, Pirouette, and Roman Shades

When customers ask us what we would do we always suggest shades. These include Silhouettes, Pirouettes, Roman Shades, or Roller Shades all from Hunter Douglas. These are products where you can easily lift them all the way up and let the sun shine in. 

Silhouette transforms light. Like the subtle cast their name suggests, Silhouette window shadings, with the Signature S-Vane, create beautiful and ambient light ande shadow. Soft fabric vanes are suspended between two sheers, diffusing softened light deep into a room. Tilt the vanes to achieve the privacy you desire while maintaining UV protection. These shades can easily be rolled all the way into a cassette to give full view of the outside. 

Stringing design, dramatically filtered light. With Pirouette window shadings, the look and feel of a traditional fabric shade is enhanced, the gentle pull of a cord lets you change a room's lighting in a whole new way. Soft, horizontal fabric vanes close to filter natural light, or open to give you a perfect outside view. Our revolutionary invisi-Lift system allows the vanes to float gracefully, and even opened they offer UV protection and reduced glare through the sheer backing. 

Vignette and Design Studio Roman Shades offer a simple, uncluttered look. Luxurious fabrics and soft folds give the shades a clean, crisp look. The range of styles and help you create a warm, inviting, and beautiful space. Offered in Top Down/Bottom Up design, this product is versatile and functional. Create amazing light scapes with this design and control the light that enters your home. We love the way this product adds style and beauty to any room.

Sophisticated but uncomplicated is how we describe Roller Shades. For a look that is both custom and classic, our Designer Roller Shades offer a clean appearance in a beautiful range of fabrics and have a variety of design options and operating systems. 

There other Shades from Hunter Douglas that also fit this bill including Duette Honeycomb Shades, Provenance Woven Shades, and Solera Soft Shade.

Stop in to see us at Read Design in Southlake or Plano let one of our designer help you select the perfect shade for your home. And because we are a full service Interior Design Studio, we can help you with Custom Window Treatment. We can even pair them to Hunter Douglas Shades. With the thousands of fabrics available, we are sure that we can find the perfect fit for your home. Here is just a few ideas.

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Nail Heads

Dressing up your furniture with metal trim will nail your design plan.

Decorative brads, nails and tacks will hit the mark.

Metal trim is a classic embellishment for furniture and more. Brads, nails and tacks were used as early as the 17th century and maybe even before, in almost every country in Europe, and in the United States too. Think of them like jewelry for furniture – adding a beautiful necklace around the edges.

Metal trims work just as beautifully today as when they were first invented. They add a sense of craftsmanship and can complement almost any style of décor, from the most traditional to ultra contemporary.

Decorative brads, nails and tacks are mostly used on upholstered furniture,
but can also be applied beautifully on headboards, upholstered walls and doors,
and even as an embellishment on table tops, table fronts and table legs.

You can make a subtle design statement by using metal trim as a stripe on the edge of upholstery or you can go wild, using the trim in patterns or a patchwork design. Leather especially lends itself to metal trim, but many other fabrics can be adorned too, including velvet, tapestries and other heavy fabrics.

Metal trim comes in many shapes and sizes, with or without facets, and with matte, glossy or distressed finishes. Shapes include square, round, diamond and pyramid. Brads, nails and tacks can have a variety of metal finishes, including silver, antique gold, nickel, brass and even black. Newest of all are trims made from stone and crystal.

Adding decorative metal trim to your décor is a timeless look that’s modern even today. Nails, brads and tacks will secure your design plan beautifully.

Design Studio Roman Shades.... you have got to see the new fabrics!!!

Get creative with new custom soft Roman shades from The Hunter Douglas Design Studio Collecion. Choose from four distinctive styles, each designed and crafted with Hunter Douglas quality and innovation. Explore the New and Exclusive collection of artfully curated fabrics - sophisticated textures, patterns, stripes, rich solids and sheers. We have added many fabrics with updated colors and designs. Reflect your personal style by adding coordinating valances, tapes and trims, making your windows truly unique. Hunter Douglas Design Studio Roman Shades Redefined.

At Hunter Douglas, the difference is in the details. Design Studio fabrics are woven in widths that allow shades to be made up to 96" wide without being interrupted by seams. Every shade offers high quality construction. Our innovative cording system reduces access to the rear cords for enhanced child safety. Clear rings coordinate with all lining and sheers, stiff battens provide structure, bartender tunnels are sewn to keep battens from slipping out and all hems are double-turned for a custom finished look with bottom hems weighted for a smooth appearance.

 The Roman Shade Styles

Batten Front Roman Shades are characterized by battens or tunnels sewn at regular intervals on the front facing side of the shade. The clean, dimensional lines of this style work well in all environments. When a stripe or pattern fabric is selected, batten front is a great choice because the battens on the front won't interfere with the pattern.

Batten Back Roman Shades have inverted tunnels that create a soft, tailored look when lowered and defined folds when raised. This simple style requires the least amount of dressing when raising or lowering the shade... looking great in any position.

Flat Roman Shades have no horizontal seams or stitching across the face of the shade making them the best choice for showing off large-scaled patterns and striped fabrics. 

Hobbled is a classic style defined by soft fabric folds which cascade from top to bottom. Design Studio Hobbled Shades have a unique, triple-layered fabric construction with a double lining, providing unsurpassed energy efficiency.

Refine Your Style

Do you require privacy? Room darkening? Or would you like the light to gently filter into your room?The uniquely edited collection of Design Studio fabrics work for all your windows, whatever the need. You have a choice of lift system-Cord-lock, continuous Cord, Ultraglide lift system and PowerView only from Hunter Douglas.

We recently helped a customer in Plano. Her family room sliding Doors look out onto her pool patio and beyond to a wooded area. She wanted to be able to raise her shades to give her full view of the beautiful spot so we decided the best solution for this project was Design Studio Roman Shades by Hunter Douglas. For ease of operation we selected the PowerView Motorization. She used the Hub and set the shades so that they raise to a certain spot every morning and lower every evening. For an additional touch be added a custom cornice to cover all shades using a textured fabric. This was a solution both the customer and I love.

Let Read Design Southlake or Read Design Plano help you with you next custom window fashion project. Our Designers will be happy to come out to your home and give you ideas. If you are wanting just shades, shutters, blinds or are wanting to add Drapery Panels or Valances and Cornice boards, we will help you find the perfect solution.

We service these areas - Plano, Southlale, Dallas, Fort Worth and all areas 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.

Pirouette Shades - Refreshed & Refined

Home in Lakeside where the customer wanted a beautiful view to the backyard. 

 The perfect blend of flawless beauty and exceptional functionality.

Our innovative Pirouette® shadings feature soft horizontal fabric vanes attached to a single sheer backing, allowing for enhanced views to the outside while maintaining privacy and the full beauty of the fabric appearance on the inside. 

Light Control - Supervise The Sun

Soft vanes floating on a sheer backing put you in control of the amount of natural light that comes in, with dramatic effects. Transform harsh exterior light by diffusing it, spreading it evenly throughout your room, so you can maximize daylight hours and reduce your need for artificial light. Our beautiful sheer fabrics also softly filter out brightness, glare, and UV rays —protecting your furniture and flooring from fading.

Dramatic Softness

Invisi-Lift™ allows you to view through the sheer fabric and floating vanes with no obstructing cords or tapes, while maintaining a discreet level of privacy.

Sunscreen For Your Valuables

Protect your furniture, flooring and artwork from fading with at least 75% protection from harmful UV rays. The sheer backing allows you to keep your view while protecting your home.

Refreshed & Refined

New fabrics inspired by the organic beauty of raw silk and linen. A refreshed color palette, including 44 new hues spanning relaxing neutrals, sophisticated midtones and breathtaking pops of bold color. Check out the newly reimagined collection firsthand at Read Design in Plano and Southlake. 

Now through June 26th 2017 save with the Celebration of Light Sales Event going on now! For every 2 units purchased you will receive a $100 rebate in the form of a prepaid American Express gift card. 

Lift Systems

Pirouette comes with a variety of lifting systems including the highly sought PowerView Motorization. Manual lift systems include EasyRise and UltraGlide.   

Home in Castle Hills with view - Alustra Pirouette.

The Alustra Collection

The beauty of Alustra Pirouette Window Shadings extends well beyond the windows. Created for those  who know every detail in a room is a reflection of their personal style, they infuse an aesthetic that adds impressive dimension and instills sumptuous ambiance. This captivating design merges unprecedented light control with luxurious textiles embodied with texture and sheen. With superior functionality, it beautifully complements the unique inspirations and stories that express the spirit and soul of a home. 

Discover The New Shape Of Light

Introducing Sonnette

The joy of Great Design. At Hunter Douglas, we believe your window fashions should bring you the greatest possible enjoyment, adding beauty and style to your home. That is why we're passionately driven to design our products with a refined sense of style and industry-leading innovation. So when you choose the Hunter Douglas brand, you can be sure that high quality, beautiful window fashions decorate your home for many years to come. Everything is designed to be seen, touched, experienced and loved.  

An update on classic honeycomb shades, Sonnette Cellular Roller Shades gently diffuse light through an innovative curved shape; providing ambiance and character while dispersing light to all angles of the room. 

Experience the new shape of light. 

Purposefully engineered, our curved cellular construction provides and energy efficient layer to your home. Insulation in the winter and cooling in the summer. After decades of industry experience, we've taken the best features in window fashions to create a versatile easy to use, contemporary window treatment - perfect for any room in the modern home.  

Benefits

1. Innovative light diffusing shape
2. Energy efficient cellular construction
3. Modern cordless operation
4. Hunter Douglas trusted performance and quality

Light Control

Select between two opacities.

1. Semi-opaque diffuses light for a soft glow and moderate privacy from the outside in.
2. Room darkening blocks the majority of incoming light and provides additional in home privacy. 

Operating Systems

1. LiteRise - raise to lower your shades by lifting up or pulling down on the bottom rail.
2. Soft Touch Motorizations - gently pull down on the wand to activate your shade to lower it and a slight push up on the wand will send your shade into the full raised position. This motorized system has a favorite position functionality and it battery powered.  *Not compatible with PowerView or App.
3. Poweriew Motorizations - create personalized shade settings called Scenes, then set those scenes to schedules for the ultimate convenience of automated operation. Operate your shades from home or while you're away via the RemoteConnect feature. Battery powered and plug in options are available. Easily intergrate PowerView with connected devices and third party automation systems (Amazon Echo, IFTTT, Nest and more) for the whole home experience.

See and experience Sonnette Shades during our early launch only at Read Design Plano and Read Design Southlake.  You can feel, operate shade samples and look at fabrics for this new and innovative shade. Our designers will show you all of the options. It is clear that we are very excited about this new product! Stop in today and let us know what you think!

See Sonnette Shades at Read Design Plano and Read Design Southlake. 

We travel to all of the following areas and more: Fort Worth, Rowlett, Dallas, Prosper, Celina, Frisco, Colleyville, Coppell, Robson Ranch, Plano, Southlake, Irving, Grapevine, Flower Mound, Denton, Highland Park, Lakewood, Allen, McKinney and everywhere in between!

Fresh Ideas For Your Home - Simple Style

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A clean and simple design style can make your life less stressful. 

The look of your home can give you peace of mind and a sense of calm. Many of us have feelings of stress because we’re overwhelmed by the demands in our lives. What better goal to consider in your home decorating plans than to create a home environment that’s calming and relaxing, both on the eyes and on the soul. 

Simple doesn’t mean plain or unattractive. Simple design can create a sophisticated, traditional, elegant look or a modern, minimalist feel. The bottom line is reducing chaos and over-decoration, and minimizing clutter and confusion.

• Plan only one or two focal points per room, so you can really “see” the beauty, rather than having a hodge podge of color and design elements. 

• Limit the number of colors in your design and stick with gentle colors, rather than bold primary colors. 

• Make color transitions gentle. Avoid making too strong a statement between dark and light colors, such as black and white. (However, keep in mind that you may want energizing colors in a room; for example, in a kitchen or home office where you’d like to be engaged and active.)

Once you’ve created a simple, clean design, enjoy it! Allow yourself relaxing time to read a book or watch your favorite TV show, without answering the phone or responding to text messages. Spend time with your family or friends in a quiet way, without over planning your activities. 

Achieving a calm and simple home environment can help you find peace of mind every day.