Remember the “home of the future?” Popular in 1950s Americana, the idea was that modern homeowners could control each and every aspect of their homes at the push of a button. For years, we laughed at the optimism of the past – a home controlled by pushing buttons, wouldn’t that be something?
Motorized window treatments have been around for years, but they had their drawbacks. Seen as clunky, overpriced and loud, many questioned the price and the hassle of these “upgrades.” But just like cellphones and personal computers, automated window treatments have become smaller, more affordable, and easier to use!

Forget about bringing in an electrician to dig into your walls for window-friendly wires – today’s motorized window treatments are battery-operated and as quiet as stone. You won’t need an easy-to-lose remote to switch the configuration of your window treatments, either. The newest versions are controlled from the palm of your hand with a smartphone or tablet device. Simply download the corresponding app, and you can wirelessly set your home window coverings however you like, from home or on the go.

Window coverings with wireless controls allow for dozens of potential benefits – safety, comfort and energy conservation! As easy as sending a text, you can control the height and the rotation of your individual window treatments. Away on vacation? Remotely raising and lowering window coverings enables your house to look occupied, discouraging home invasions and burglaries. Left the blinds open on one side of the house on a hot day? Configure your window coverings to match the sun at varying times of day, allowing for both a cool home upon your return and money saved in air conditioning expenses.

If monitoring your blinds from an app isn’t your style, fear not. Modern technologies can detect the amount of solar energy – more than just light or heat – entering your home at a given hour, and adjust blinds and sheers as needed to meet your predetermined level.
 
Wirelessly controlled window coverings are also cordless, making them an ideal safety option for homes with small children or rambunctious pets. Large windows with heavy or unwieldy coverings are much more easily controlled with motorized options. Additionally, these options can be an enormous help for elderly or disabled family members who would otherwise have trouble with blinds or curtains.

Motorized window coverings might be the wave of the future, but don’t think your house has to look like a shiny chrome spaceship. Automated window coverings come in as many varieties as manual ones, enabling you to keep your home’s aesthetic perfectly customized, be it traditional, mid-century modern or shabby chic.
 
For a more comprehensive look at what the next evolution of window coverings can do for your home, stop by the Strickland’s Window Coverings showroom, where the future has arrived.
 
Fred Kumpel is the owner of Strickland’s Window Coverings and Carolina Closet Company. Fred has more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Strickland’s Window Coverings is a window treatment design center specializing in custom blinds, shades, shutters and fabric treatments for more than 70 years. Carolina Closet Company provides professionally designed and custom-built organization solutions. Our complete line of home organization solutions includes unique solutions to organize closets, pantries, garages, basements, laundry rooms as well as Murphy beds. To learn more, visit www.stricklandswindowcoverings.com and www.closetsbythesea.com. Fred can be reached at [email protected] or by calling 910.762.0944.