Cellular Shades & Blinds for Bow Windows

A bow window curves out from the wall in a gentle arc of four or five windows. It is often the nicest spot in the house and one of the harder ones to cover. Each window in the curve faces a slightly different direction, so the sun reaches them at different times of day, and every covering has to fit its own opening while still reading as one sweep across the curve. Cellular shades suit this well. They stack neatly at the top of each window, the honeycomb fabric looks the same from one window to the next, and each shade raises or lowers on its own as the light moves around the bow. This page gathers our made-to-measure cellular shades for bow windows.

Cellular shade options for a bow window

Light filtering cellular shades are the everyday choice for a bow in a living room, dining area or reading nook. The fabric softens daylight evenly across the whole curve and gives you privacy from the street without turning the room dark.

Blackout cellular shades are for a bow window in a bedroom, or one that faces west and catches low evening sun.

ZeroGlow is our framed blackout option. It is a 25 mm cellular shade held in an edge-to-edge frame that presses into each window opening, so there is nothing to drill into the trim. It is cordless, comes in six fabric colors (White, Black, Beige, Light Gray, Dark Gray and Straw) with a choice of three frame colors, and can travel up and down the glass or side to side. On a bow in a bedroom or nursery, one ZeroGlow per window is the most complete way to make the curve dark.

A few design notes. Use one color across every window in the bow so the curve reads as a single feature. Keep the shades at the same height when they are partly raised, so the bottom rails line up around the arc. White and Light Gray keep a bow feeling bright and open; Beige and Straw add warmth next to wood floors or a window seat cushion.

Sizes and controls to check on each window

Bow windows often mix wide center windows with narrower ones at the ends, so check every opening against the control you want. Our cellular shades use a 38 mm cell. Cordless shades can be as narrow as 12 inches and reach 94 inches wide and 94 inches high. Top down bottom up cordless shades also start at 12 inches wide, go as short as 8 inches, and reach 98 inches wide and 94 inches high. They are useful on a street-facing bow, where you can lower the top for daylight and keep the lower half closed.

Motorized cellular shades need at least 23 inches of width and stop at 79 inches high, so measure the narrow end windows before choosing a motor. Bead chain shades start at 18 inches wide and reach 197 inches wide and 157 inches high.

ZeroGlow is built to the exact size of each opening, in inches or millimeters, so every window in the curve gets its own frame.

Measuring and installing them yourself

Measure each window in the bow on its own, even when they look identical. Inside mount usually works best on a bow, because the windows meet at angles and shades mounted outside the frames can run into each other at the corners. For an inside mount, measure the width at the top, middle and bottom of each opening and the height on both sides, and note the smallest width. Send us the exact opening rather than taking anything off yourself.

ZeroGlow installs in three steps with no tools. Lay the frame on a soft, flat surface and join the corners. Fit the rubber weather strip around the outside edges of the frame. Then set the frame in the window opening and press the front gently into place.

Compare light filtering, blackout and ZeroGlow cellular shades here, order a sample to see the fabric against your own glass, then send your measurements. We make each shade to measure and ship it direct to your door.