Tilt and Turn Window Shades & Blinds

A tilt and turn window opens two ways. Turn the handle one way and the sash tilts in at the top for ventilation. Turn it further and the whole sash swings into the room like a door. That inward swing is the problem. A shade that hangs in the frame sits right in the path of the sash, and the handle on the inside face catches any fabric that hangs too close. The answer is to choose a shade, a roll direction and a mounting position that stay clear of the sash in both positions. Everything here is made to your measurements and shipped direct to you.

Which shades and blinds suit a tilt and turn window

Roller shades are the most common choice. A roller can be built with a reverse roll, so the fabric comes off the front of the tube rather than the back. Our spec book lists clearing a handle as one of the reasons to specify it, and on a tilt and turn window the handle is mid-height on the sash, exactly where a standard roll would rub. Light filtering roller keeps a living space bright, and blackout roller suits a bedroom. On our standard squared cassette, light filtering roller reaches 98 3/8 inches wide and 137 3/4 inches high, and blackout reaches 94 1/2 inches wide and 118 inches high, which covers the tall tilt and turn units and balcony doors common in newer homes.

Solar shades suit a tilt and turn window that faces the sun. They are sold by openness, 1, 3, 5 and 10 percent, so you choose how much view you keep against how much glare you cut. Cellular shades are the choice when the window is about insulation as much as light. Light filtering and blackout cellular both stack neatly at the top when raised, and cordless versions keep cords away from a window that people open often.

Mounting so the sash can open

On most tilt and turn windows, the cleanest result is an outside mount on the wall or trim above the frame, high enough that the raised shade sits clear of the top of the sash when it tilts. For cellular, add about 3 7/8 inches to the width and height of the opening for an outside mount so the shade overlaps the frame and closes the light gap.

Lift system matters on a window you open every day. Cordless cellular builds from 12 inches up to 94 inches wide and 94 inches high. Bead chain cellular goes far larger, up to 197 inches wide and 157 inches high, useful for a tall balcony door. Motorized cellular is capped at 79 inches high, so it suits standard windows better than full height doors. A motorized roller needs at least 20 1/8 inches of width on our standard cassette and can run from a remote, a wall switch, an app, or Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomePod. Any roller over 100 inches high moves to the 43 mm tube and our large cassette.

Measuring and installing it yourself

For an outside mount, measure the full width of the frame and decide how far above it the shade will sit. Measure the height from that point to where you want the shade to stop, usually just below the sill. Then open the sash both ways and check nothing above sits in its path.

Roller shades fit with a cassette bracket and a 6 mm drill bit, with screw holes marked at 1.1 inch spacing and two types of anchor in the box for drywall or masonry. Two screws on opposite sides hold each bracket on a sound wall, and the two spare pre-drilled holes take extra screws on a wide or heavy shade or one above a door. Hook the valance groove onto the bracket latch, press back until it clicks, and confirm both the top and rear have locked.

Tilt and turn windows usually come with slim modern frames, so a plain white, grey or black cassette matched to the frame color keeps the look as clean as the window itself.