Vertical Blinds & Shades for Bay Windows

A bay window is three or more openings set at angles, and in many homes the panes run tall, close to the floor. Vertical blinds suit that shape. Upright vanes repeat across every pane, so the bay reads as one window, and you can turn the vanes to steer light and privacy without lifting anything off the sill or a window seat. This page puts vertical blinds for bay windows next to the shades we build for the same openings, every one made to the size you measure and shipped direct to you.

Vertical blinds and the shades to compare

Vertical blinds lead this page. The vertical lines lift the eye, and turning the vanes lets you follow the sun from one side of the bay to the other.

Light filtering cellular shades and blackout cellular shades are the fabric alternatives. The honeycomb stacks into a small space at the top of each pane and holds a layer of air against the glass, which is worth having in a bay that pushes glass out past the wall on three sides.

Light filtering roller shades give the flattest, simplest face, one panel per pane rolling into a closed cassette.

ZeroGlow is our framed blackout option for a bay in a bedroom. It is a 25 mm cellular shade held in an edge-to-edge frame that presses into each opening, cordless, in six fabric colors (White, Black, Beige, Light Gray, Dark Gray and Straw) with three frame colors. It can travel up and down the glass or side to side, and side to side echoes the movement of vertical blinds if you want the two styles to sit together in one house.

A few design notes. Use one product and one color on every pane, since a bay is seen all at once. Set the vanes at the same angle across the bay when the blinds are closed, because mismatched angles are what make a bay look busy.

Sizes and limits pane by pane

Size limits and configuration options for vertical blinds are shown on the product page as you build the blind, so check them there against each pane, including the narrow side panes. If a pane is unusually narrow or tall, send us the measurements and we will confirm what can be made.

The shades on this page have documented limits. A cordless cellular shade builds from 12 inches wide up to 94 inches wide and 94 inches high. With a bead chain the 38 mm cell needs at least 18 inches of width and reaches 197 inches wide and 157 inches high, which covers a tall bay pane in one shade. A motorized cellular shade needs at least 23 inches of width and stops at 79 inches high, so a motor can rule out a slim or tall side pane. A cordless roller shade on our squared cassette needs at least 23 5/8 inches of width, while a chain operated one starts at 11 3/4 inches. ZeroGlow is built to your opening, measured in inches or millimeters.

Measuring and installing it yourself

Measure every opening in the bay on its own, because bay frames are rarely square. Take the width at the top, middle and bottom and the height on both sides, and label each figure left, center or right so every blind goes back to its own pane. Decide on inside or outside mount for the whole bay so everything sits at one depth. For a cellular shade inside the frame, take about 1/4 inch off the width; for one outside the frame, add about 3 7/8 inches to the width and height so it overlaps the opening.

ZeroGlow needs no drill. Lay the frame on a soft, flat surface and join the corners, run the rubber weather strip around the outside edges, then set it in the opening and press the front of the frame into place. Nothing is screwed into the trim.

Order samples, hold them in the bay at different times of day, then send us every measurement. We will build each blind or shade to its own pane and ship the set to your door.