Set it and overlook it. That is what it has been like dwelling with Lutron’s Serena Shades for the previous yr, and it is precisely what I would like out of a gadget like this. Lutron’s web site may look a bit dated, however you’ll be able to run by way of a collection of decisions as you design your customized shades (in Honeycomb, Wooden Blinds, or Curler designs). I selected the latter and entered the measurements from the within mount of my home windows in Lutron’s shade builder instrument. You may select between battery-powered and wired, however as a result of I haven’t got retailers close to my home windows and I did not need to cope with a 15-foot wire, I opted for the batteries (eight D-cell alkaline batteries). Excellent news on that entrance: These batteries ought to final three to 5 years should you open and shut the shades twice per day! As soon as the batteries begin to get low, the shades will transfer at half velocity, indicating it is time to swap them (additionally, you will get an alert within the Lutron app).
Among the following choices within the design course of could differ should you went with a distinct shade fashion, however you’ll be able to mount these shades on the within or outdoors mount of your home windows, and even above the body if you need (I did an inside mount). Then, select the form of headrail you need. I went with the fabric-wrapped Fascia, which is able to price a bit extra, but it surely seems cleaner than the usual roll design. Lutron additionally enables you to select between sheer, translucent, or blackout for the curler shade, and I went with translucent. It could actually let little or no mild in on sunny days, and evening, trying from the skin, I can simply see a faint glow from my lounge lights. I could not see any silhouettes! Lastly, select your material weave and shade (I did Luna <1% Assortment in basalt grey).
Throughout the order course of, additionally, you will want to decide on the way you need to management your shades. I needed to make use of my cellphone and voice assistant but additionally have the choice for a distant, so went for the Distant & Related House choice. Ensure you snag the Lutron Smart Hub, which you will have to plug into your router to pair your shades to your Wi-Fi connection. It was fairly straightforward to set all of it up and connect with Google Assistant within the Google House app (you’ll be able to set them up with Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and even different manufacturers like Sonos, Ecobee, and Honeywell).
The set up itself took not more than an hour (hopefully you are comfy with drills and mounting issues), and it actually has been easy crusing since. I arrange a schedule for the shades to open and shut half-hour after dawn and sundown, they usually’ve been doing precisely that for near a yr. They’re nearly silent. You hear a really slight whirr, however actually, if I did not see them transfer and I wasn’t paying consideration and the TV was on, I’d by no means hear them in any respect. They give the impression of being nice, work flawlessly, and I haven’t got to fret about battery life for years. They’re spendy, however you are paying for peace of thoughts. —Julian Chokkattu
