I too have an issue with my windows. They are not shallow, but the largest area which is 1 inch, is at an angle, instead of being flat, then there is a half inch flat area. Has anyone used these companies listed and found something they can use in just a half inch? Its a smaller window, approximately 24" x 48", so I don't care to have drapes or curtains over it like i do the larger windows, and I don't like blinds or anything mounted on the outside.

I have never posted before, and I am posting today to endorse Ingo and Fenstermann.

When I found this thread, I had just finished painting our trim white. We had honeycomb shades mounted to the outside of the frame before, which came with the house, but we liked the white trim and didn't want the shades to cover it. The problem was a piece of quarter-round, installed last time the windows were replaced, which left me with only 1/2" clearance to install shades on the inside of the jam. I read here that a few others had success with Fenstermann and, given the lack of other options (I searched pretty hard), I decided to email Ingo.

He replied quickly and was super helpful from the very beginning. After a quick back-and-forth around style preferences, Ingo sent us three books of samples. A few weeks later, we took one last measurement and placed our order.

I will admit, at this point I was a little nervous. The product isn't cheap, and there isn't much information about Fenstermann available online. Their website is not great. The only evidence I had to go on that this was a legit business was very few Houzz reviews and some old, grainy (and, it turns out, helpful) videos of Ingo on YouTube.

It took about 6 weeks for the shades to arrive, which is exactly when Ingo told me they would arrive. If I understand correctly, shipping from Germany is expensive, so they bundle orders together into two shipments per month. When they arrive in the states, Ingo ships them out to customers.

When it came time to install the shades, I wasn't sure how it would go. 1/2" is not a lot of room to work with and I am no pro. The first two boxes of shades didn't contain installation instructions, so I pulled up one of those old YouTube videos to follow along. I had a few questions, which Ingo responded to before I even had time to become impatient and charge ahead. The installation itself was surprisingly simple and clean. The installation instructions wound up being in the third box, but by then I didn't need them. There is another small piece of hardware I could have used to give the shades even more clearance, but I wanted them shades as recessed as possible, so I didn't use it.

I'm kind dazzled by the engineering of these things. I never expected to get top-down/bottom-up shades in my situation, so that is a great bonus. The mounting brackets and cords are basically invisible unless you are looking for them. The shades stick out about 1/2", which was expected given the available depth. I don't care. It looks great. We're so happy we found Fenstermann.

I can't wait to order more shades from Ingo!

Living room windows

Top-down/bottom-up

Honeycomb shades 1/2 in, 1/2 out

Mounting bracket is less than 1/2" deep

Bottom mount and cord

Top mount with magnet

Bottom (left) and top (right) mounting brackets

Samples

@Fenstermann LLC the result photos shared above look great! However, my windows are super tall... do you offer a corded top down/bottom up option?

Dear Jessica: yes we do. Please contact me at ingo@fenstermann.com or give me a call at 619.665.9446.

Fenstermann LLC is a rip off. They want $300+ for a cellular shade for a 44"x31" window. That is insane. Notice how no one here will give you his rip off prices. I will. Went to blinds.com and got a cellular shade that only needed a 5/8" inside mount for less than 1/3 price of Fenstermann. Looks great, too. Don't fall for the Fenstermann rip off.

That is like comparing a Ferrari to a Kia

Yolanda B., Are you sure your blinds were Levelor? The headrail looks really narrow (that's a positive thing), not anything like the chunky headrail that my Levelor cellular shades came with. Is there any way you can check & let me know if it is Levelor or if you somehow got a special headrail or narrower depth of shade? I'm looking for something like what you have shown but currently have Levelor & it doesn't look slim like yours does. I can't figure out how to message you directly on houzz, if anyone knows how, pls let me know...

@zbil, yes it's Levelor. They were custom ordered. I don't remember if it was an option or standard.

Hey Houzz Community. Having blinds or shades installed as an inside mount is apparently a challenge since many years. When you install new windows, the new casing doesn't have the same depth anymore; the new window trim is only 1/2 inch and you don't want to cover it with an outside mount; or your new tilt and turn windows require blinds installed directly to the operating sash. We got you covered since 2003 with our narrow depth bottom-up top-down narrow depth shades and numerous Houzz Reviews show the satisfaction of the Houzz Community.

Customer Photos of Installed Pleated Blinds and Honeycomb Shades · More Info

Customer Photos of Installed Pleated Blinds and Honeycomb Shades · More Info

With over 500 single pleated fabrics and 170 honeycomb shades we make sure you find the perfect shade for every room.

We had the same issue.

I drilled holes in the plastic further back, then I had to get flat head screws, then I had to use a nut to lower the metal part of the bracket just a little, and it worked! I got my blinds on Amazon.

If you need the link let me know.

Can you post the link to the shades you got on Amazon? Have been looking for a replacement shade for ages. Thank you.

I bought Bali cellular blinds before I realized the windows in our latest home are very shallow. I've never bought a house with shallow windows, so I didn't know there was such a thing! When the blinds came in, I thought I had to return them. But then I was able to mount it anyway since the brackets that came with were L-shaped with 1 screw hole for the top and 2 for the back. So I was able to just put the 2 screws into the back of the L-brackets. Since the entire blinds was pretty light (it's 36" x 45"), the 2 brackets were enough to hold up the treatment.

(Depth of the window. The treatment can only be mounted right inside the moulding. It looks pretty wide in the picture, but it's actually only about 3/4" wide.)

(Side look of the cellular blinds.)

(From the front, you can't tell it's protruding. This is in a bathroom, so it is always closed but provides tons of lights and privacy.)

I have since ordered 2 Bali Roman shades. Since the roman shades are slightly heavier, I used 3 brackets instead of 2. Again, the brackets were only drilled using the 2 back screws of the brackets.

(Here's how it looks from the side of the Roman Shades.)

(Shades when down.)

(Shades when up.)

I bought all these Bali shades from blinds.lowes.com.

My latest issue is, I just ordered 2 Bali roller shades for the office, after the success of the above blinds. I didn't realize Bali roller shades require 1 3/8" of mounting depth! And the brackets are not L-shape; they are flat and can only be mounted on the top, which I don't have the room. I don't want to do outside mount since it'll not look as good, plus I didn't order a long enough shades (I can return them, but then I really like roller shades in the office). I do like Tina Mizhir's idea so I may try that!

So I finally figured out how to install the roller shades on my shallow window! Thanks Tina Mizhir for your idea! Took me 1.5 hours to figure it out how to get everything to fit. But turned out great!

I had 4 metal extenders that Bali sent to me that I didn't need from my previous blinds. So I line one up with the shades' bracket, and they can fit on top of each other.

(Bottom metal piece is the extender. Top piece is the bracket for the roller shades.)

I put the extender up where I want the shades to go.

(I have two roller shades to go up, so the right shades shows the finished product. On the left shows how the extender is mounted. I put 3 screws in the back and a flat one on the top. The flat screw allows the the shades' valance to go flush to the extender. There is one extender on each side for this 36" shades.)

(Once the extenders are mounted, I put the valence in place and mark the extender's opening. Then lay the actual bracket where it should be, and mark the drill hole

(I used 1/2" screws to mount the bracket to the valence then to the extender. This way, the screws do not show from the top after mounted.)

(This is how it looks like after putting up the valance and the bracket. Note all the weight is on the extenders.)

(Valence is up!!!)

(Finished product)

Hunter Douglass Duette instructions claim 1/2” minimum mounting depth:

https://cdn2.hunterdouglas.com/static/documents/honeycomb-shades-duette-install-easyrise-and-ultraglide.pdf

House I bought came with them from previous owner and our windows are very shallow depth

Hi - Do you like your Hunter Douglass blinds? Do you have easy rise or ultra glide? Are they considered cordless and are they top down bottom up? I have only 1/2 inch depth on windows in a brand new house with very nice window trim and have been searching for inside mounted blinds that look great without spending a fortune. Thx.

I have the same issue of a narrow widow depth. I wanted to find a basic shade, but they all seem too thick, and almost no place shows you what the mounts look like, and mounting the shade is the issue. If retailers would show the mounts/brackets, it would make shopping easier. At this point I'm considering really cheap basic shades. I'd be willing to pay a lot, but all the high end places have shades that are too thick or that stick way out.

For shallow windows, check out Melton Workroom in LA. Google them. They have old fashioned shades.

Need to inside mount a blackout shade under outside mounted decorative shade to block intense sunlight in the morning. the problem is i can drill into the aluminum window frame. any adhesive mounts out there?

I cant drill into aluminum frame, sorry for the typo

Affordable solar shades

marshaisabel, I would not drill into the frame and no there are no adhesive mounts out there

have the same issue, old house with shutters that still let in lots of light, so in need for a blackout mounted in narrow shade. when we say 1/2 inch is that the shade itself, how about the size of the bracket?

sorry I meant for the depth of the headrail measurement.

I saw this recently at Home Depot - they had on display the Veneta ClearFit Cellular blind which seemed to have similar mounting mechanism as the Fenstermann for shallow depth mounting.

https://www.venetawindowfashions.com/clearfit/

The manual shows the cover for the top rail (shown in photo below) is optional making it even slimmer:

https://www.venetawindowfashions.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/65101-11922-A_ClearFit-Installation-Instruction-N301184-1_20220315.pdf

thank you djc6!

I know this is an old post but I have same issues. I had 2 inch blinds and now with my new windows they don’t fit. I can’t find anything I like. I have 8 inch ceiling in a traditional colonial. Plantation shutters are at to expensive I have 23 windows. I am open to doing all the same kind on front of house and back can be water. I have baseboard heat so curtains to floor don’t look that good.

Oh and I am not a fan of cellular. Anything new out since this post.

Old post same old problems, consider outside mounts.

Here is how i fixed it - use the following blinds.

https://www.factorydirectblinds.com/products/3-8-budget-single-cell-light-filtering-cordless

Here is what you do - buy them, take off the little piece as i do in the picture and drill two new holes. this can help make sure your as close to base as possible. You can see how it works in my example.

Isn't that piece necessary to lock in the headrail of your blind or shade??

I know. This is annoying b/c same old issue. but I have several shallow windows also 1.5 and can't find 2 inch wood shades and solar shades to work. Any ideas? I do not want honeycomb! I would consider 1 inch, but I was told they fill half your window if pulled up. Plus I really like the 2 inch chuncky look. Many Thanks!

I had a blind company come out and the guy insists I can do 2 inch as long as he has some room for the screw. They are getting installed on the 9th. My windows depth is only 3/4 inch. If you message me back after the 9th I can let you know how they look. I only did 6 windows to start. If they look good I will do more. We didn’t think the price was too bad after comparing to do it yourself online and not sure if they would work. Now I have a reputable blind company that will install and make sure they work. I think they were $200 per window with the installation. I did the faux wood.

Forget to mention company. Budget blinds is who I am using. Fingers crossed

Two inch faux wood blinds with 3/4 sill depth, hope it works out

The Shade Store's roman shades have the option of a slim headrail. I think they require 3/4".

@May Lewis how did the installation go? could you share some pictures pls?

Jesper Christensen. Here are some pics. It’s dark here in NJ today so not the best. I like them. They do stick out kind of far but its ok. I can get longer brackets for a curtain rods if I decide I want them someday. Hope you get this. Not actually sure how to reply just to your message.

Thank you for the suggestion. i think your blinds look great! Unfortunately we have a semicircle window above the regular window so your idea would not work for us. i could do that in our other rooms upstairs though. thx!

May Lewis Hi! Budget Blinds only charged you about $200 per window for faux wood blinds? Wow! That's great! What size window, if you don't mind my asking? I ask because I just got a quote that's more than double that amount, for 36" w x 60 h windows. 2.5" slats though. Maybe that's why...

After all was said and done and I paid delivery charges, installation charges tax it was about $250 each. My windows are 35” x 53”. 2-inch slat faux wood.

Super helpful everyone. Your windows look great. i am very optimiric that this insude mount project could work.

For people coming back to find this blog from many years ago! Like me :) We cut out just enough of our trim to the window to fit the L bracket for roman shades. It's the only thing I could find that worked. And they are still protruding but I deal with it.. otherwise We will prob just tint them and be a fish bowl...

I am specifically interested in inside mount ROMAN shades. I found some with a 1.25" headrail depth at blindster.com.

https://www.blindster.com/shades/roman-shades/premium-flat-fold-roman-shades?w=37&h=47&c=Limited%20Ice%20Blue

Has anyone tried these? I know some of you have even shallower depth windows but these should fit inside my window trim.

This thread has been so helpful, wanted to share my shallow-depth inside-mount shade jOuRNeY. 🙃 I was looking for solutions for my kitchen and bathroom, and ultimately didn't want blinds or curtains. Some ideas:

• IKEA Schottis pleated shade — very affordable (currently $3.99). Stick-on 1¼-inch depth, trim to fit with a sharp kitchen knife. The shades are literally and visually lightweight, so any protrusion is barely noticeable. Great temporary solution for when you've just moved in or are waiting for a custom order. Tho tbh I've had these up for a while in rooms I don't use much. The clips aren't great, but the shades look better than expected.

• Roll-up shades + tension rod — aka Swedish blinds. H&M Home has great quality at great prices, though limited sizes and they go quick! There's a "pocket" in the bottom hem if you want to pass a dowel through it (cut one for a couple of bucks at the hardware store). Machine-washable, some privacy, best for shades you don't have to open and close a lot. Check Etsy for custom options.

• Bamboo shades — I was intrigued that Mood Design's (mood.design) new Fully Custom / Bespoke line says to "allow at least ¾” for bracket" versus the typical 2 or 3 inches. I contacted the company to ask a lot of questions; they noted some protrusion depending on the control you pick (e.g., cord lock shade has 1¼-inch depth, cordless has 1½"). I'd add that the metal bracket may add a slight gap depending which holes you're able to use; could also consider finding other brackets. But it may be worth a try to ask Q's and order samples. I purchased two cordless, lined waterfall-style shades, and they are exactly what I'd envisioned. Price-wise, I'd say Mood was on the less expensive side for fully custom. Installation-wise, because the top of my bathroom window is below eye level, I drilled the wood headrail right into the frame to get it as seamless as possible. Not necessarily recommended, but idc it looks amazing. ✨

Good luck out there, everyone! 🪟

I was thinking that maybe one can create the depth by adding square molding outside of the molding of your window to create the depth (like a picture frame /shadow box). Paint it the same color as the window and hang the shades inside? Would this work I wonder….

I’m here because we’re having 4 new windows installed today. We have inside mounted 1” slat wood blinds on all of the widows. I like the look and want to keep it but the new windows are extremely shallow. So I’m looking for suggestions on how my husband can get the blinds back on the windows so they are still inside mounted, or look that way, and it’s fine that they won’t be flush. The pressing concern is that the windows are in 2 bathrooms and the master bedroom, so I need to find a solution quickly. I’m glad I’m not the only one with this dilemma.

@KAT I am considering the same solution...cutting out a bit of the trim in order to fit the bracket. Could you post photos of yours? What did you use to cut the trim pieces out?

Start your own new post with pictures. No one will go out of their way to look at a post that's 8 years old.

Hi!! What did yoj decide on? I’m in the same boat. Going on 4 years now with drapes but would love to find woven shades to give more of a finished look!

@Sara HI! I know this is an old thread but loved your comment as I also have 3/4" depth and want to do inside mount. Are you able to post any photos of the bamboo shades .you used?