Motorized Bamboo Shades & Blinds

Bamboo shades are often hung on the windows that are hardest to reach: a tall living room window, glass over a deep counter, or a row of windows across a wall. A motor lets you raise and lower them from a remote, a wall switch or an app instead of reaching for a chain. This page is for motorized bamboo shades and blinds, built on our woven wood shade with the same natural weaves, fold styles and liners as the manual version.

What you can choose on a motorized bamboo shade

Woven wood shades are the product on this page. Motorized woven wood is available in all three fold styles. Flat fold hangs in a crisp plane when lowered. Waterfall flows from the front of the headrail for a smooth continuous face. Hobbled holds cascading folds at any height for a softer look.

There are two ways to power the lift. Electric with smart control runs from a remote, a wall switch or an app, and works with Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomePod. Electric with powerwand uses a rechargeable wand and pendant, so there is still no cord at the window. Motors come in rechargeable battery and plug-in versions, and a battery motor can be charged by a solar panel, which is the answer for a high window you do not want to take down to charge.

Liners work the same way on a motorized shade. An unlined weave is about 50% see-through. A light filtering liner takes it to about 70%, and a blackout liner makes the shade fully blackout. The liner covers the valance too, so the front reads as one piece.

For a pair of windows side by side, two shades can share one headrail. With a middle mechanism, a single motor drives both shades, so they move in step and the light seal is tighter.

Motor sizes, widths and smart home options

Every motorized woven wood shade runs up to 96 inches wide and from 18 to 118 inches high. The motor you choose sets the minimum width. The standard DC motor fits windows from 12 3/4 inches wide, which makes it the narrow-window option. The lithium battery motor, the AC plug-in motor and the quiet power lift motor need at least 25 1/4 inches, because the motor tube has to fit inside the headrail. The motorized headrail is 2 inches deep.

For voice control, the Zigbee motor connects straight to five Echo models with no hub: Echo Plus (2nd Gen), Echo Studio, Echo Show 10 (3rd Gen), Echo Show (2nd Gen) and Echo Show (4th Gen). Other Alexa devices need a hub. The Matter motor connects directly to Apple HomePod and HomeKit, and also reaches Alexa, Google Home, SmartThings and Home Assistant. The standard radio motor and the plug-in motor need a hub for smart control. Each motor stores six positions, the top and bottom limits plus four in between.

Motor upgrades are a flat add per shade: $124 for an AC plug-in motor with remote, $148 for a battery motor with remote, and $172 for a Zigbee or Matter smart motor with remote.

Measuring and installing them yourself

For an inside mount, measure the width at the top, middle and bottom of the frame and use the smallest figure, rounded down to the nearest 1/8 inch. Measure the height on both sides the same way. You need at least 1 5/8 inches of frame depth, and 2 5/8 inches for the shade to sit flush. Send the exact numbers and we take the 1/4 inch width deduction at the factory.

A battery motor charges fully in about four hours. Charge it for at least six hours every six months, even if it has not run low. Natural woven fabric is not a good fit for bathrooms or other humid rooms.

A motor turns a beautiful bamboo shade into one you actually use every day. Order a woven wood sample to see the weave in your light, then send your sizes and we will make each shade to measure and ship it direct to your door.