10 Tips For Choosing Commercial Window Treatments

When you design your commercial space, window treatments might be one of your last decisions – but that doesn’t make them less important. Whether you own a restaurant, retail store, or small office space, the right window treatments can set the mood for your space and make your customers and employees feel at home. Here’s our guide to things to consider when shopping for commercial window treatments.

Safety

A question you should ask when purchasing window treatments, especially if you’re in the restaurant or retail space arena, is if your window treatments up to the local codes. Some cities require window treatments to be fire resistant or have other requirements to pass local code. Other safety concerns to think about include any off-gassing of products that could irritate customers or any dangling cords that could pose a threat to young children.

Polywood® and StudioTM plantation shutters are fire-resistant and all of our hard window treatments have non-toxic paints and finishes.

Style

Whether your business’s style is modern and energizing or traditional and relaxing, investing in the aesthetics of your space can have large rewards in terms of profit, productivity, and repeat customers.

If you don’t know which window treatment style is right for your business, gather ideas from our online design gallery, Pinterest, or Google Images. Popular window treatment trends include barn door shutters and reclaimed wood shutters. Other window treatments like shades and plantation shutters can fit any style and if they use a neutral palette can go with changing styles over the years.

Light Control

Your business needs the flexibility to adjust the lighting depending on the time of day and season to set the right mood. Roller shades offer good flexibility as you can get top-down or bottom-up roller shades that let light in while reducing glare. Shutters let you tilt the louvers to adjust the light.

If you have large windows that frequently need lighting adjustment, it may be worth the investment to purchase automated shades that can roll up or down at once with the touch of a button. This can be especially important for work environments such as an office where an inappropriate amount of light can hurt productivity.

Easy to Clean and Maintain

Your business makes money by selling your products and services. You don’t want to waste your payroll or cleaning dollars on hard to maintain window treatments. If your window treatments frequently get dirty from your customers, switch them out for ones that are easier to clean such as plantation shutters or large wood blinds.

Window View

If your business has beautiful views out your window, you want to enhance them with window treatments that don’t detract from the scenery. Framing your window is especially important for retail shops that get foot traffic from outside.

For fabric window treatments, look for subtle patterns or neutral colors. If you’re interested in shades, natural weaves add a unique touch without detracting from the view. Plantation shutters frame the window elegantly and come in many options such as white, wood, barn door shutters, or reclaimed wood shutters.

Price

Price is always a consideration when it comes to products for your business. Yet achieving the right look and setting the mood for your business with beautiful window treatments should be looked at as an investment. Don’t go for the cheapest window treatment if it doesn’t go with your style or if it’s of poor quality that will wear down in a few years. Instead, choose the window treatment that is within your budget yet shows your customers that you care about making the right environment for them.

UV Ray Resistant

Sunlight can cheer up your space, but its UV rays can fade your furnishings and make your customers uncomfortable if the sunlight is too strong. Window film can be used alone on large windows with spectacular views or in conjunction with other window treatments. By filtering out UV rays, it protects your furnishings and can save money on your utility bills.

Energy Efficiency

Not all window treatments are equal when it comes to energy efficiency. Why is energy efficiency important? Because drafty windows can hike up your utility bill and raise your expenses. Energy-efficient window treatments like Polywood shutters reduce up to 30 degrees of heat flow through your window.

Longevity

Some window treatments last a few years while others will last decades. If you own your building and are settled, window treatments that don’t go out of style, like Polywood plantation shutters, are worth the investment. 

Plantation shutters remain beautiful for decades and they’ll go with any style you have so you don’t need to spend the time or money updating them like you would with cheaper window treatments. They’re also an asset should you sell your building or your business.

Sustainability

Window treatments have come a long way in terms of being manufactured with sustainable products. Reclaimed wood shutters use wood from old buildings, barns, and fences, giving it a second life. Polywood plantation shutters are a sustainable product that is made of at least 20% recyclable material. And if you want to switch out your Polywood shutters, give your local store a call and they’ll come pick them up and reuse them in future Polywood products.

Get Commercial Window Treatments Today

There’s a lot that goes into finding the right window treatment for your commercial space. Contact your local Sunburst Store and schedule a design consultation to learn more about which window treatments work best for your business.