Bay Window Shades & Blinds

A bay window is not one window. It is three or more separate openings set at angles to each other, normally a wide centre pane with narrower flanking panes, and each one has to be measured and covered on its own. That is where most bay orders go wrong: people measure the centre, assume the sides match, and order three of the same shade. The flanking panes are often 20 inches wide or less, which puts them under the minimum width of several lift systems. Everything here is made to the sizes you measure, one shade per opening, and ships direct to you.

Which shades and blinds suit a bay

Roller shades are the usual starting point. They take up the least room at the reveal, which matters when three shades sit close together at an angle and the side shades have to clear the centre one. Light filtering roller suits a living room bay. Blackout roller suits a bedroom bay, though blackout goods are milled on narrower rolls, so they reach 86 inches wide on our standard squared and round cassettes against 96 inches for light filtering.

Cellular shades are the choice when the bay is cold, because the cell structure is the only construction here that traps a layer of air against the glass, and a bay pushes glass out past the wall line on three sides. Light filtering cellular is the general purpose pick and blackout cellular the bedroom one. Roman shades give a softer face across a run of three openings, and woven wood adds texture in bamboo, reed and jute, with an optional light filtering liner at roughly 70 percent openness or a blackout liner at 100 percent. Leave woven wood out of a bay in a bathroom, since natural fabrics are not suited to high humidity and moisture damage is a listed warranty exclusion.

Minimum widths decide what fits the side panes

On most windows you check whether a shade is wide enough. In a bay you check whether it is narrow enough, and the minimum moves with the lift system rather than the product. A manual clutch loop roller starts at 11 3/4 inches, the narrowest minimum of anything we build on a cassette. Cordless roller needs far more, 19 3/4 inches on our squared and round cassettes and 23 5/8 inches on the squared cassette, because the spring fits inside the tube. Motorized roller lands around 20 1/2 inches for the same reason.

Cellular is the forgiving one. Cordless cellular builds down to 12 inches wide, while bead chain needs 18 inches at 38 mm and 45 mm and motorized needs 23 inches. On woven wood, clutch and loop reaches 11 3/4 inches, cordless needs 19 3/4 inches and a wand needs 24 5/8 inches. If you want a motor on a narrow side pane, the standard DC motor drops to 12 3/4 inches minimum width where the lithium and AC motors need 25 1/4 inches.

Measuring and installing a bay yourself

Measure every opening separately even when the panes look identical, because bay frames are rarely square and the side panes are often different widths. For an inside mount, take 1/4 inch off the measured width. For an outside mount, add about 3 7/8 inches to width and height so the shade overlaps the opening and closes the light gap. Woven wood needs 1 5/8 inches of depth inside mounted, and 2 1/8 to 2 5/8 inches to sit flush.

Fitting is a bracket job. You need a 6 mm drill bit, the brackets mark at 1.1 inch screw spacing, and two anchor types ship in the box so you can match the anchor to your wall. Each bracket has four pre-drilled holes and two screws on opposite sides hold fine on a sound wall. Hook the valance groove onto the bracket latch, press back until it clicks, and confirm both top and rear have locked before you let go.

Order samples before you commit a full bay. Everything here carries a limited lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, with motors and controls covered for five years.