How to Increase Comfort, Profits, & Productivity with the Right Commercial Window Treatment!

We often talk about the perfect window treatments for homes, but what about businesses? The considerations can be different, depending on your industry. In this article, we break it down by industry to look at our top pick for window coverings and why.

1 | Corporate & Modern Offices

• Top Pick: Solar Shades
• Why: Solar shades drastically reduce screen glare without plunging workspaces into total darkness, helping increase employee productivity. The tight fabric weave is designed to filter UV rays, which can also protect your furniture and equipment as well as keep your energy bills lower. 
• Alternative: Faux wood blinds for executive suites or law firms can add a high-end, traditional look at the fraction of the cost of real wood. 

2 | Conference Rooms & Training Centers

• Top Pick: Dual/Zebra Shades or Blackout Roller Shades
• Why: Presentation spaces require both total “dark mode” capability so that people can view screens with projections and daylight filtering to see one another during discussions. Dual setups allow for this quick transition from daylight filtering to blackout for projections and screens. 

3 | Healthcare & Medical Facilities

• Top Pick: Antimicrobial Roller Shades
• Why: Soft fabrics collect dust and airborne particles that can create real problems for sterile environments. Medical environments require hard-surface window treatments or specialized fabrics treated with antimicrobial coatings that stand up to harsh chemical cleanings. 

4 | Restaurants & Shops

• Top Pick: Motorized Roller and Solar Shades
• Why: You can roll these shades down without disturbing seated guests or having an employee fit in a tight space behind a display to reach a cord. Roller and solar shades also help manage heat and block blinding sun while preserving the view. This allows guests to enjoy their dining experience, and allows shoppers to easily see products on your shelves.
• Outdoor Seating Considerations: If you have outdoor seating, special consideration should be taken for sealing out insects and blocking blinding sun. Motorized exterior track shades can create a premium guest experience that provides comfort and great views!

5 | Hotels

• Top Pick: Layered Window Coverings
• Why: Comfort, views, and privacy are all of importance for your guests! Layering up solar shades with track shades can provide all three. Solar shades give guests a nice view that lets in light during the day, while blocking hot UV rays. Then in the evenings, guests can draw the track shades for privacy and additional insulation to keep their room comfortable. 

Other Special Considerations for Commercial Window Coverings

It’s important that you also select commercial-grade window coverings. Businesses have added commercial building safety codes they must meet, including fire retardancy. 

You should also consider your own organization’s values. If eco-friendly is a big deal to your company, look for eco-certified window coverings that ensure low chemical and VOC emissions for healthier indoor air quality. Healthier indoor air quality helps those with allergies and asthma, plus can increase employee productivity as employees don’t call out sick as often. 

The openness factor should also be considered if you are opting for solar shades. For high-sun windows, choose a 1% to 3% openness factor that maximizes glare control. For northern or shaded windows, select 5% to 10% openness factor to maximize the views. 

You should also consider the high-utility feature of motorization or smart integration. The benefit is that it eliminates hanging cords (a safety hazard) and extends the product’s lifespan by ensuring an even and smooth opening and closing. Take it a step further with shades that are compatible with automated building management systems (BMS). This allows you to schedule shades to lower automatically during peak heat hours, cutting your cooling costs by up to 15 percent!

Finally, avoid “off the shelf” hardware. Retail hardware store options degrade within six months under commercial maintenance routines and use. So make sure you are getting commercial grade window coverings that can stand up to regular cleaning and daily use.

Elevate Your Business Today! 

Elevated Views has been helping Colorado businesses create comfortable and productive work environments since 2014. Our team’s years of experience and ongoing training ensure you’ll receive excellent service for all your commercial window covering needs. Plus, we are locally owned, meaning we understand the unique needs of Colorado businesses and care facilities. Let’s get started on elevating your business today–schedule a consultation to learn how we can help your business feel more comfortable while also increasing employee productivity and your profits!