Inspiration for a transitional gray tile beige floor and single-sink bathroom remodel in Phoenix with shaker cabinets, black cabinets, white walls, a vessel sink, beige countertops and a built-in vanity

Lisa Romerein
Dining room - country dining room idea in San Francisco

Hopkins, MN kitchen remodel by White Birch Design. a design/build/remodel firm serving the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. To see more examples of our work, visit www.whitebirchdesignllc.com

Elegant laundry room photo in Orange County

Powder room - coastal powder room idea in Providence

Raleigh remodel featuring a transitional kitchen, laundry room, and bathrooms. Custom cabinetry, timeless finishes, and thoughtful layouts create spaces that are both beautiful and functional. Designed by House of Maevie, each room blends modern comfort with classic style for lasting appeal.

The persimmon walls (Stroheim wallpaper by Dana Gibson) coordinate with the blue ceiling - Benjamin Moore’s AF-575 Instinct.
Inspiration for a large transitional l-shaped wallpaper, medium tone wood floor and brown floor utility room remodel in Grand Rapids with an undermount sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, multicolored walls, a side-by-side washer/dryer, white countertops, quartz countertops and window backsplash

Project Developer April Case Underwood Designer Allie Mann Photography by Stacy Zarin Goldberg
Inspiration for a timeless bedroom remodel in DC Metro

Inspiration for a small contemporary black tile and marble tile marble floor and black floor powder room remodel in New York with open cabinets, white cabinets, a one-piece toilet, black walls, a wall-mount sink, solid surface countertops, white countertops and a floating vanity

This warm and rustic home, set in the spacious Lakeview neighborhood, features incredible reclaimed wood accents from the vaulted ceiling beams connecting the great room and dining room to the wood mantel and other accents throughout.

Inspiration for a transitional laundry room remodel in Cleveland with shaker cabinets, quartz countertops, a side-by-side washer/dryer and white countertops

This adorable powder bath features stunning tile flooring, marble subway tile half wall, with very unique wallpaper, beautiful pedestal sink, charming towel and toilet paper holder, and gold accents. Photo by Amy Carruthers

Example of a mid-sized transitional l-shaped eat-in kitchen design in Los Angeles with a double-bowl sink, shaker cabinets, white cabinets, solid surface countertops, stainless steel appliances, an island and gray countertops

Discover how premium light-filtering materials and smart-home automation can secure street-level entryway glass without losing natural daylight. Choosing the right window treatments for a home's front entrance is one of the most challenging design decisions a homeowner can face. The front door is the focal point of a home's curb appeal, often featuring expansive glass panels or side-by-side double doors designed to make a grand architectural statement. During the day, these large glass features are an asset, flooding entryways and foyers with beautiful natural daylight. However, for homes situated on busy local roads or highly trafficked street-level lots, the dynamic completely changes once the sun goes down. The moment interior lights are switched on in the evening, a stark contrast is created with the dark outdoors. This creates a severe privacy issue, leaving the entire foyer completely exposed to passing traffic and pedestrians. Finding a solution that delivers absolute evening privacy without permanently plunging the front entrance into darkness during the day requires understanding how modern window treatment materials and operating systems interact. Light-Filtering vs. Blackout Fabrics The first step in solving street-level privacy is selecting the correct fabric type. Many homeowners mistakenly assume they need heavy, opaque blackout shades to secure their home from outside eyes at night. While blackout fabrics certainly block 100% of the view, they also block 100% of the natural daylight during the day, forcing you to constantly raise and lower the shades just to see inside your own foyer. A more effective approach for entryways utilizes premium light-filtering materials. These specialized fabrics are engineered with a precise, tight weave that operates on the principles of directional light and optical density. Daytime Functionality: When the sun is shining outside, the exterior light levels are significantly higher than the interior light levels. The light-filtering fabric diffuses the intense, direct sunlight into a soft, ambient glow throughout the entryway. This keeps the home bright, eliminates harsh glares, and protects interior hardwood flooring, paint, and trim from damaging UV rays. Night-Time Functionality: At night, the lighting dynamic reverses. The interior foyer lights make the inside bright, while the outside is dark. Because of the specialized tight weave, the fabric blocks the transmission of clear shapes and details. To a person standing out on the street or driving by on a busy road, the view inside is completely obstructed, delivering total privacy when the family is home for the evening. Challenges of Front Door Installations Securing privacy for a double wide front entrance introduces unique structural hurdles that standard windows do not face. Traditional blinds with hanging cords or manual pull chains are poorly suited for front doors. They disrupt the clean architectural lines of a grand foyer, create a safety hazard, and can easily get tangled or damaged when the doors are opened and closed. The window treatments must be mounted high and wide enough above the door trim to ensure that the front doors can swing open and close freely without ever catching on the fabric or the lower hem bar. How We Applied These Principles in Sherrills Ford, NC Applying these exact educational principles to real-world homes is what Cole and I do every day at Bloomin' Blinds of North Charlotte. We recently worked with a homeowner in Sherrills Ford whose beautiful new construction property sat on a highly trafficked road. They loved their double wide front door entrance but felt entirely too exposed to the street at night. We brought our mobile showroom directly to their driveway. This allowed us to hold up premium light-filtering fabric samples directly against their entryway glass, matching the materials perfectly to their home's natural lighting, interior paint, and trim before making a single cut. To solve their street-level privacy issue, we custom-built and installed two matching light-filtering roller shades, mounting them flawlessly side-by-side above the front door frame. To keep the home’s interior design completely cohesive, we carried the exact same style to the back of the house, installing a matching single roller shade on the rear door. Smart Home Window Automation at Your Fingertips Because entryway windows can be tall and awkward to reach manually, our family team integrated advanced smart-home motorization into this Sherrills Ford project. Beyond the convenience of a handheld remote control, these automated roller shades feature seamless Wi-Fi integration. The homeowners can control their privacy through a dedicated smartphone app or link the system directly to their existing voice-activated smart home networks, including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple HomeKit. This allows for complete hands-free window automation. The clients can program custom daily routines—such as setting the front entry shades to automatically lower exactly at sunset—or simply use a voice command to secure the foyer instantly from the comfort of the couch.

Beach style bathroom photo in Tampa

Trendy laundry room photo in Minneapolis

This cozy white traditional kitchen was redesigned to provide an open concept feel to the dining area. The dark wood ceiling beams, clear glass cabinet doors,open plate shelves, Bianco Sardo granite countertops and white subway tile backsplash unite the quaint space.

Designed/Built by Wisconsin Log Homes - Photos by KCJ Studios
Example of a mid-sized mountain style light wood floor entryway design in Other with white walls and a black front door

Tricia Shay Photography
Example of a large trendy courtyard concrete patio design in Milwaukee with no cover