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Indoor Solar Shades
Keep the view, lose the glare. One of our most requested blinds, with a 10-year warranty.
Texts every day, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. · Free consultation and quote · Text us
What it changes
The benefits
A solar shade keeps your view of the outdoors while reducing glare and some of the heat. During the day, it makes the interior harder to see from outside; in the evening, with the lights on, it doesn't give you privacy. It works well for living rooms with a view, offices and very sunny windows. Our BlankBlinds line, at an affordable price.
You keep the view
A blackout blind closes off the window; a solar shade filters it. The lake, the yard, the street: you keep seeing them, without squinting.
The glare goes
TV, computer screen, kitchen table facing the sun: the shade cuts the reflection without plunging the room into darkness.
Less heat
Part of the radiation is stopped at the window. It's not an exterior shade, but on a south or west exposure, you feel it — and the air conditioner works less.
Daytime privacy
During the day, from the street, people can't see inside. In the evening, with the lights on, it's the reverse: for the night, add a blackout shade or choose a dual zebra shade.
Safe for children
Child-safe covered chain, spring, cordless or motor: no cord, no loop within little ones' reach. One less thing to watch.
Very good, not expensive
BlankBlinds is our house line, born from a simple idea: a blind shouldn't cost a fortune. Exceptional quality, fair price, 10-year warranty.
Some collections made in Quebec
Part of our collections is made right here in Quebec — ask us which ones during the consultation, if buying local matters to you.
How it works
How it works
- A fabric, an openness percentageThe number that matters: the openness of the weave. 1% is the tightest — maximum privacy, almost no glare, a more veiled view. 5% is the most open — a clearer view, more light. 3% is the compromise we install the most.
- A colour that changes everythingA dark fabric gives the clearest view and cuts glare best, but it lets in less light. A light fabric brightens the room, but creates more glare facing the sun. We show you both at your home, in your light.
- A tube, a top finishThe fabric rolls onto a 1½ or 2 in aluminum tube. At the top: exposed roll, fascia, or cassette — square, rounded, or fabric-insert, where the fabric covers the front of the cassette — depending on the look and the budget. Mounted on the wall or the ceiling, inside or outside the frame.
- Operation with no accessible loopAt home: the child-safe covered chain. The chain is enclosed in a rigid chain cover, and a two-button handle slides along it. Press the top button and pull the handle down: the blind goes up. Press the bottom button and pull the handle down: the blind goes down. The chain is never within reach. There are also two chainless systems, operated by hand from the bottom bar — the classic spring roller and the cordless (spring-loaded) shade — and the Somfy motor, with a rechargeable battery or plugged in. The regular chain, with a free loop — white, black or chrome metal — is now for commercial use only: see below.
Our work on video
In motion
Gallery
Recent installations
Specifications
The numbers
- Openness options
- 1%, 3% and 5%3% is the usual choice
- Colours
- Several per openness, from white to blacksamples shown at your home
- Residential operation
- Child-safe covered chain, classic spring roller, cordless, or Somfy motorno accessible loop
- Commercial operation
- Regular chain (free loop): white, black or chrome metalcommercial projects only
All specifications
- Top finish
- Exposed roll, fascia, square cassette, rounded cassette or fabric-insert cassettefascia and cassettes in white, black or silver
- Tube
- Aluminum, 1½ in or 2 in2 in for wide sizes and 40-series motors
- Minimum motorized width
- 16 ⅜ inwith the most compact Somfy motor; the covered chain, spring roller and cordless versions go narrower
- Wide sizes
- On a 2 in tube, priced after measuringbeyond the width of the fabric roll, we join two fabrics or switch to two blinds
- Mounting
- Inside or outside the frame, on the wall or the ceiling
- Bottom bar
- Exposed aluminum, teardrop or flat (modern style)white, black or silver
Cords and children, in plain terms
A free-loop chain is a strangulation hazard for young children: in Canada, on average one child a year, most under 3 years old, died strangled by a blind cord. That's why our residential blinds have a child-safe covered chain — the chain is there, but it's enclosed, with no accessible loop —, a spring roller or a cordless shade, or a motor. In commercial projects (offices, stores), we still install chains when it's the right choice. Many of our clients replace their old chain blinds when a child arrives, starting with the child's bedroom.
Where it goes
Applications
Living rooms with a view
The lake, the city, the garden: you keep the view and remove the reflection on the TV.
Home offices
Screen facing the window, backlit video calls: a 3% shade solves both.
Kitchens and dining rooms
The late-afternoon sun on the table, without closing off the room.
Sunrooms and verandas
When an exterior shade isn't possible, an indoor solar shade does a good part of the job.
Condos and condo buildings
Discreet, uniform from one unit to the next, can be motorized for high windows.
Commercial
Offices, clinics, stores: chain or motor, several blinds on the same order.
Certified Somfy Expert
Child-safe covered chain, spring, cordless or Somfy motor
Four ways to operate a solar shade at home, all with no accessible loop. Our favourite, by far: the child-safe covered chain — simple, sturdy and durable. The motor for large shades, high ones, patio doors, or to do everything from a remote. The classic spring roller and the cordless shade also exist, for those who want a blind with nothing hanging.
Warranty. The BlankBlinds solar shade fabric is covered by a 10-year warranty from Le Gars des Stores; the Somfy motor, for 5 years. The mechanisms are covered against manufacturing defects. An accident (a shade torn by a cat, a bar bent during a move) isn't a defect: we replace it, but it's billed.
Our warranties are in addition to the warranties provided by law.
- Child-safe covered chain — our recommendation: the chain is enclosed in a rigid chain cover; a two-button handle slides along it — top button to raise, bottom button to lower
- Safe for children: no accessible loop, nothing hanging, and it operates with one hand
- Classic spring roller or cordless shade, if you insist: two chainless blinds, operated by hand from the bottom bar — the first goes up on its own, the second stays where you put it
- Frankly: the spring roller and the cordless shade mean bending down to the bottom bar. On a patio door, or when you no longer feel like getting on your knees, we recommend the motor
- Somfy motor with rechargeable battery (Sonesse 28, 30 or 40): no wire to run, recharge once in a while
- Plug-in Somfy motor (120 V or 24 V): for large shades and very high windows
- RTS remote or TaHoma hub: app, schedules, Alexa, Google, Apple
- Minimum motorized width: 16 ⅜ in; certified Somfy Expert, motors covered for 5 years
Frequently asked questions
We answer
Is it suitable for a side window on a townhouse?
On its own, a solar shade doesn't give you privacy in the evening when the lights are on. Close to a neighbour, choose a dual zebra shade, a Shangri-La or a second, more opaque layer instead. To keep the view during the day, combine the solar shade with a curtain or a blind designed for evening privacy.
1%, 3% or 5% — which should I choose?
3% for most rooms: good view, good comfort. 1% if the window faces the street or full west and privacy and glare come first. 5% if the view is the top criterion and the sun isn't direct. We bring all three to your home.
Dark or light?
Dark for the view and against glare; light for brightness and a bright interior. In front of a water view, we almost always go dark: it's like sunglasses for the window.
Can people see me at night?
Yes, when the lights are on inside and it's dark outside. For the night, we add a blackout shade behind it, or choose a dual zebra shade that does both.
Why no more regular chains at home?
A free-loop chain is a loop within a child's reach. The child-safe covered chain or the motor do the same job, without the risk. We keep the regular chain for commercial projects.
What are the classic spring roller and the cordless shade?
Two chainless operating systems. Classic spring roller: you pull the bottom bar and the shade goes back up by itself. Cordless: the shade stays at the height where you place it; a spring balances it without raising it. Nothing hangs, but you have to bend down; for a patio door or an older person, we recommend the motor.
How does the child-safe covered chain work?
The chain is enclosed in a rigid chain cover, with a two-button handle that slides along it. The top button raises the blind; the bottom one lowers it. The chain stays out of reach and nothing hangs, which suits every room, children's bedrooms included.
My window is very narrow, can it be motorized?
From 16 ⅜ in wide with the most compact Somfy motor. Below that, we switch to the child-safe covered chain, the spring roller or the cordless shade.
How do I close the strip of light at the sides?
We add side tracks: rails on each side of the shade, like on a roller shutter, that trap the edges. It's an extra option, mostly requested for a home theatre or a night-shift worker's bedroom.
How much does it cost?
Our most affordable line, without being low-end. The price varies with the size, the top finish and the operation. For a quick idea, text a photo and approximate measurements (width × height, in inches) to (514) 967-3629; the firm price comes after the measurements are verified: at the in-home consultation, or with your true measurements if you order yourself.
Where do you install?
The West Island and Montreal, Vaudreuil-Dorion, the South Shore, the North Shore, western Laval, and the Eastern Townships with our local team. Elsewhere, depending on the project.
Free consultation and quote
A window with glare, a living room that overheats?
Free in-home consultation and quote, installation included.
Text us a photo of your windows · Texts every day, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. · Free consultation and quote
Somfy®, TaHoma® and RTS® are registered trademarks of Somfy SAS. Reg. TM of Somfy SAS. Le Gars des Stores is an authorized dealer and a certified Somfy Expert.
