Modern Bay Window Shades & Blinds

A bay window is often the focal point of a room, and in a modern interior it needs window coverings that keep the angles crisp rather than softening them. Modern bay window shades and blinds on this page use flat fabrics, tight cassettes and clean bottom rails, so each pane reads as a sharp panel of color when the shades are down and nearly disappears when they are up. Every shade is made to the width and height of each pane you measure and shipped direct to you.

Modern shade options for a bay window

Zebra shades are the most graphic choice. The banded fabric lets you adjust light and privacy without raising the shade. There are 16 colors, from soft whites to deep charcoal tones, and on a motorized zebra shade you can fine-tune the band angle from the remote.

Solar shades suit a bay that faces the sun. The screen fabric is woven with a small openness, so you can still see out through it, which is the reason many people put in a bay window in the first place. There are 11 solar colors, and you can order 1%, 3% or 5% openness samples; the lower the openness, the more light the fabric holds back.

Light filtering roller shades give the flattest, simplest look: one panel of fabric per pane with no folds or bands. There are 32 colors, including linen weaves and subtle shimmer finishes.

Light filtering cellular shades add a soft, modern texture with a slim profile. They are a good fit for small side panes, since a cordless cellular shade can be made very narrow.

Pane widths, lifts and cassettes to check

The narrow side panes of a bay decide which lifts you can use. In our standard squared cassette, a bead chain roller shade starts at 11 3/4 inches wide, a motorized shade at 20 1/8 inches because the motor fits inside the tube, and a cordless shade at 23 5/8 inches. Zebra shades start at 18.8 inches wide. Cordless cellular shades start at 12 inches wide, while motorized cellular needs at least 23 inches.

On the wide center pane, light filtering roller shades reach 98 3/8 inches wide in the standard cassette, while solar fabric reaches 94 1/2 inches. The squared cassette measures 3 1/2 inches on each side and comes in white, beige, grey or black. A black or grey cassette pairs well with dark window frames, which is a common detail in modern bays.

Motorized shades run from a remote, a wall switch or an app, and work with Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomePod. A 6 or 16 channel remote lets you give each pane its own channel, and each motor can store up to four intermediate stop positions as well as its top and bottom limits.

Measuring and installing them yourself

Measure each pane on its own and give us exact figures for every one. An inside mount usually looks best in a modern bay, because each shade sits within its own frame and the angles between panes stay clean. Outside mounts on an angled bay can run into each other at the corners.

The cassette hangs on two brackets. Drill with a 6 mm (0.2 inch) bit, space the screws 1.1 inches apart and use the anchor that matches your wall. Two screws on opposite sides hold a bracket on a standard wall, and the four pre-drilled holes give you two more for a wide center shade. Hook the valance onto the bracket latch, press back until it clicks, and confirm the top and rear are both locked.

For a calm, modern bay, use the same fabric and cassette color on every pane so the window reads as one piece. Order a sample first to see how it looks in your light at different times of day.