Shades & Blinds for Picture Windows with Side Windows

A picture window with side windows is one of the most common layouts in a living room: a large fixed pane in the center with a narrower opening window on each side. Covering it well means treating three windows as one design. The shades need to line up, match in color and lift, and still let the side windows open for fresh air. Shades and blinds for picture windows with side windows on this page are chosen to do exactly that, and every shade is made to the width and height you measure and shipped direct to you.

Shade options for a three-part window

Light filtering roller shades are the simplest way to cover all three openings. One flat panel per window keeps the look tidy, and there are 32 colors, including linen weaves and subtle shimmer finishes. Light filtering fabric softens glare and keeps the room private with the shades down.

Solar shades suit a picture window that frames a view. The screen fabric has a small openness, so you can still see out with the shade down on a bright afternoon. There are 11 solar colors, and 1%, 3% and 5% openness samples let you compare them; the lower the openness, the more light the fabric holds back.

Light filtering cellular shades add a soft honeycomb texture at the glass. Bead chain cellular shades can be made very wide in a single piece, which helps on a large center pane.

Woven wood shades bring natural texture to a living room. They can be built as separate shades on one shared headrail, which is a neat way to cover a picture window and its side windows with a single continuous top line.

Widths, matching and side window cranks

The center pane is usually the size that decides your options. In our standard squared cassette, light filtering roller shades reach 98 3/8 inches wide and solar shades reach 94 1/2 inches. Wider than that, the large cassette with a heavier 43 mm tube reaches 118 inches wide, and any shade taller than 100 inches moves to that larger cassette. Bead chain cellular shades reach 197 inches wide in one shade.

Woven wood shades max out at 96 inches wide each on every lift. Several woven wood shades can share one headrail up to 118 inches total, with each shade working on its own, though a common valance across them stops at 96 inches.

Many side windows are casements with a crank handle. A roller shade can be made with a reverse roll, which hangs the fabric off the front of the tube so it clears a crank, a handle or a deep sill.

Measuring and installing them yourself

Measure each window separately, and for an inside mount measure the width at the top, middle and bottom. To make the three shades line up, keep the mounting height the same across all of them, and choose the same lift so the bottom rails sit level. Woven wood needs at least 1 5/8 inches of frame depth for an inside mount, or 2 5/8 inches to sit flush. Cellular shades for an inside mount are built about 1/4 inch narrower than the opening so they clear the frame.

Roller shades hang 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. The four pre-drilled holes in each bracket give you extra screws for a wide center shade. Hook the valance onto the latch, press back until it clicks, and check that both top and rear are locked.

Use one fabric and one cassette color across all three windows so the wall reads as a single composition. Order a sample and look at it against the view before you send us your sizes.