Product
Report
The
Difference a Pleat Can Make
New fabrics, styles and features make pleated shades
an ideal solution.
It’s hard to
argue: Pleated and cellular shades changed the window coverings
industry when they were introduced some two decades ago as few other
products ever have. D&WC asked top industry manufacturers to
bring us up to date. How large is this market segment and what features
keep pleated and cellular shades among the top product offerings?
MANY ADVANTAGES
Kerry Blalock
Unique Wholesale Distributors
Today, pleated and cellular shades make up about nine percent of
the alternate window coverings market, with cellular shades making
up most of this.
We fabricate the Graber CrystalPleat line and the FashionPleat-EvenPleat
pleated shade. This product segment offers many advantages:
• They are good insulators from the sun.
• Most patterns give you privacy without blocking all the
light out.
• No light cords showing.
• Nice variety of colors to select from.
• They lend themselves to the specialty window shapes.
The biggest change we’ve seen in these products is that we
have added a cordless version.
THE PERFECT CHOICE
Leslie Bedrock
Lafayette Interior Fashions
The marketplace for pleated and cellular shades makes up 20 percent
of the entire window fashions marketplace, which is second only
to wood/faux wood blinds. Pleated and cellular shades offer consumers
hundreds of options and technology is helping to make these window
coverings even more desirable in the marketplace.
With the offering of specialty shapes, any window can be covered
using this type of window treatment. Motorization using batteries,
electric or switch control as well as modern operating systems like
AutoLift™, AccuRise™, EasyRise™ or LiteRise®
are also available. Such operating systems bring a greater level
of child safety to homes, as well, which is also a selling point.
Pleated and cellular shades offer a full range of privacy/natural
light combinations on the scale of one to five, offering the option
of having complete privacy or an unobstructed view with a reduced
glare. Pleated and cellular shades also bring a high level of energy
efficiency, UV protection and sound absorption to the home making
these products even more enticing for the consumer.
The continued modernization of pleated and cellular shades presents
dealers with hundreds of color and fabric choices, as well as varying
pleat sizes to offer even higher levels of efficiency in the home.
Cleaning is simple, maintenance is easy, and the price is moderate,
making cellular and pleated shades the perfect choice for any window
in a consumer’s home.
UNIQUE AND SOPHISTICATED
Carol Santos
Kensington
The Kensington Honeycomb and Pleated Collection is definitely our
strongest category among the Kensington product lines. These products
are unique and developed for a more sophisticated clientele.
Our honeycomb shades are a hit because they have a more tailored
design style that can be used almost in any window of a home. They
are available in a variety of hardware systems and fabric styles
featured in an array of patterns, colors and opacity levels.
The newest trend in today’s market is the practicality of
a product. The Kensington Honeycomb shades are available in motorized
options, with our Kensington Ascent Motorized Honeycomb shades.
They are the perfect application for hard to reach places such as
over a tub or high windows in a foyer or family room. We also offer
the Kensington Longitude Vertical Option, an ideal choice for sliding
doors, room dividers and larger windows. Both the Kensington Longitude
and Kensington Ascent options are offered in a variety of colors
that can be coordinated with the Kensington Honeycomb collection
for a uniform look through out the house.
STILL THE RAGE
Anna Mullen
Melissa Sladick
Hunter Douglas
In the early ’80s pleated shades were all the rage. Now, some
20 years later, consumers still look to the original pleated shades
for rich woven fabrics in fashion-forward colors and textures for
their window covering needs. Perhaps it is the versatility of the
shade or the interest in its low maintenance and cleaning or the
simple clean crisp lines at the window. Either way, this timeless
pleated shade continues to show its Brilliance!
Today, honeycomb shades have taken center stage and Hunter Douglas
Duette® honeycomb shades have been pioneering the cellular market
for more than two decades. Duette sales have grown stronger each
year because we think “innovation” means both forward
design and forward function.
Consumers are responding to more sophisticated and dramatic colors
and fabrics rather than just the basics. Colors like Persimmon,
Smokey Blue and Saddle in beautiful woven fabrics are creating fashion-forward
options. Strong textural patterns in linen and silk looks offer
casual or formal accents in a room.
In addition, we see strong direction toward innovative operating
systems that allow consumers safe and easy operation of their honeycomb
shades. Messy cords on the floor take away from both the beauty
of the product and the safety of a home. We see the majority of
our sales continuing to be in our specialty systems like PowerRise®,
UltraGlide®, LiteRise® and TruRise™ that all offer
the consumer safe, beautiful options.
As windows themselves have changed over the years, so has the product
line. With larger windows came larger pleat sizes. Our customers
love the Duette Majestic™ collection of 1 1/2-inch pleat sizes,
which give the larger windows a less fussy look. Additionally, new
homes today have countless window shapes: octagons, circles, arches,
etc. There are few window fashions that cover them as cleanly and
fashionably as honeycomb shades. |
