I always have a great experience with Blinds.com

I've looked at all these window covering sites, but when I compare them to Home Depot's "cut to fit" Home Decorator brand, I'm tempted to just go with those.

They have light filtering & room darkening, plus top down, bottom up as well on bottom up only (all cordless). Not nearly the color selection of course - just a few neutrals.

But my walls are fairly neutral, and I feel the shades often reflect the wall color to a certain extent.

Home Depot never crossed my

mind. Thanks Mary Elizabeth. The Shade Store has surprisingly few colors too. I’ll check out Home Depot.

@kendrah, the main thing about HD to me is that I can take just one shade home, decide exactly the width I want, have it cut & then double check to be SURE it fits right.

Seems like all the "made to measure" places want to take their own deductions in size, especially on inside mount. But, IMO, they never fit that well.

At the risk of not answering the question you asked have you just considered putting blackout curtains on the windows? There are reasons that hotels frequently have blackout curtains that can be easily closed, and one of the reasons is how rough guests are on things. It might cost every bit as much as the ShadeStore blinds or more, but they are more idiot proof than something with an up and down mechanism.

That is really appealing. So you can bring it back for cutting after you have taken it home? Does Lowe’s do the same thing? My window is just one big open bay area so I have to figure out on my

own where to have the corners meet. Seems like something I’d screw up easily. But it also seems like something somekne else wouls screw up if I paid them too!

@kendrah Yes, IIRC, you can do the same at Lowe's. Lowe's carries a Levelor "cut to fit" line, that looked really nice, but it didn't have very good reviews!

(The stock in big box stores could vary by region. We are in the MIdwest.)

Ask "what is the smallest cut" their machine will make, so you will know what leeway you have to work with. Also, ask if the cut is increased by the blade width itself, so you can also make that allowance.

Somewhat of a hassle, but at least you're only risking an error on one shade, not a whole room full.

To be sure - have them mark the box and/or receipt as "not cut yet" or something.

@palmpsest - I’d love curtains in here but there is so little room for them to stack on the sides when open (see the deep jogs in the walls with structural columns) that they will significantly cut into the window space blocking light and view. This is the only wi dow in the main room of a big studio and has a good unobstructed 12th floor view in Manhattan. I don’t want to sacrifice the view. It really makes this studio feel so much bigger. Wish I could do curtains and be done but Shade Store and Hunter Douglas at two stores said they were a bad idea because of these reasons. I’m so fan of the cellular shade, esp especially in a room with a lot of antiques, but …. seems like the best option.

I would mount a single bent rod right under the soffit that extended to the corners of the recess, beyond the left and right window. If you did a ripplefold in a single layer blackout fabric like Double Eclipse or Bon Nuit, both from Knoll at under $30 a yard, I think you would have minimal stackback thickness.

https://www.knoll.com/shop/knolltextiles/drapery/all-drapery?pUse=Drapery&productGroupIds=1347382634311&isStackPage=Yes

This is a fantastic idea and good to know about light weight Knoll black out. However, there is a jog in the wall between the stacking area and the windows so I don't think I could hang a rod there. If I hung it out as far from the windows as the level of the stacking area, there would be a lot of light bleed from above the curtain. Did that make any sense? Probably not!

Select Blinds is horrible. Run do not the other way

I ended up with Lowes Levelor. Have purchased them for two other places too.

@Kendrah, Did you get the cordless cellular style? How does the quality seem?

Sorry - late to this thread. I wish I had seen this earlier. SelectBlinds sent me blinds that are 3/4" too short, and they refuse to accept responsibiliy. Apparently, even though I measured perfectly with Blinds.com, the same measurements for SelectBlinds are too short? I've never been gaslighted this hard before. In any case, I will eat the cost and continue to spread the word.

@James Leatherman, did you pay with a credit card? Or better yet, through PayPal?

Either one may give you a more favorable outcome.