A Practical Guide to Woven Wood Shades

Last month I answered some of the top 6 interior design questions about our home and realized there was a lot more to share! Especially about our woven wood shades. After moving into our home last year, I searched high and low for pretty, woven shades that would add texture, privacy, and warmth to our space. It was sort of trial & error for me so I wanted to share some tips when looking for woven wood shades with you!

woven wood shades for the kitchen
these woven wood shades add a layer of texture to our kitchen

(Part of my design journey includes sourcing products and sharing them with you! Naturally, some of my content includes affiliate links, which means, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click and purchase.  This commission supports my coffee and plant addiction and allows me to write more content and support our family, so thank you!)

custom woven wood shades to add function and texture to awkward windows
I used cordless shades in the front of the house

A Practical Guide to Woven Wood Shades

My main goal for choosing shades was function and warmth. Oh, and keeping them super affordable was pretty important too. After gathering tons of samples, I found some woven wood shades that checked all of the boxes. Here’s a few things I learned:

1. LOOK FOR CUSTOMIZATION

I need these type of projects to be super simple. I have no patience for returning incorrect sizes or jimmy rigging something to make it work. I ordered woven wood shades from Blinds.com and they make it super easy to measure exactly (they offer diagrams- I love visuals).

Plus, it is a step by step process to choosing the details & ordering process. I imagine other sites are similar! This helps since it can be hard to think of all the variables at once.

woven wood shade samples
woven wood shade samples from The Shade Store

2. ORDER SAMPLES

Woven wood shades are the type of things I need to see in person! I ordered a few free samples of my narrowed down choices which gave me a much better idea than the computer screen.

The shade I chose, Kula Sandy Beach, actually appears much darker and boring on the listing page. I’m so glad I ordered samples. Tip: Hold the samples up to the window to get an accurate idea!

In general, I was looking for a neutral medium textured shade to add another layer of warmth to our space.

For the shades near the front of the house, I splurged on cordless.

3. DESIGN IS IN DETAILS:

There are so many little details to consider when choosing woven wood shades! Placement, cords, and lining are just a few.

4. WOVEN WOOD SHADE PLACEMENT

The biggest decision I think is whether they would be installed inside the window frame or outside on the trim. Since we have made the trim the star of the show in our home, I went with inside the window frame. Also, this allows for adding curtains for a layered look (like in my bedroom space).

little office nook with layers of texture
my little office nook – these shades added some warmth to this awkward little space

5. CORD VS. CORDLESS

Another detail to consider is cordless or not. For some of our blinds, I opted for the pull cord (it’s a less expensive option than the cord-free version). I admit, it’s not my favorite look, but it keeps it budget friendly.

a practical guide to woven wood shades
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5. LINED OR UNLINED?

This decision probably comes down to preference and necessity. You might have noticed, but I don’t cover all our windows. I’m a let the sun shine in kind of gal! For this reason, I kept our shades unlined, except for the bedroom.

So, there you go! A few tips for ordering woven wood shades. In case you missed it, I chose ours from Blinds.com (not an ad!) in Kula Sandy Beach – which sounds like vacation don’t you think? They have tons of sales so I keep my eye out for those!