Solutions
Sidelight Glass Solutions by Solar Shield Blinds
Those two panes beside the front door let in a lot of light, and anyone on the porch can see straight down the hall after dark. We cover sidelight glass with Plantation Shutters, Honeycomb Shades or Faux Wood Blinds, built to the opening and measured in your home.
A Common Question
Let's Talk About Sidelight Glass Solutions
The question we hear standing in the front hall of a lot of homes, and the three answers we bring with us.
Often when meeting with new clients in their homes, we get the question about "what should I do with those two windows on either side of my door?" The two panes of glass on either side of a front door are called Sidelights. Sidelights offer lots of light and a big view to the outside, but they also create some pretty big problems at your front door. Privacy is usually the biggest concern as anyone standing on your porch or even sidewalk can often times see right into your home, especially at night. Harsh direct sunlight can also be a problem as it can lead to sun damage on your flooring near the door, and heat can build up very quickly in your entry area. We have a number of different Sidelight Glass Solutions that will allow you to cover those narrow panes of glass, while still keeping the view and light that you want, without sacrificing your privacy when you need it. Here are some very good options for you to consider:
Shutters
Shutters for Sidelight Glass
Our Solar Shield Blinds Plantation Shutters offer a very highly functional solution for sidelight glass. This is always our first recommendation based on how durable they are when installed right next to your front door. Typically due to the higher traffic in an entry area, it's not uncommon for sidelight products to get a little more abused as people and pets are pulled to look out those windows when someone comes to the door. Shutters hold up very well to pet paws, shoes that get kicked off and hit the louvers, someone leaning into them as they try to put their shoes on, and lots of other types of potential stresses on them. They just do really well under those conditions and stay functional, while looking amazing. Our Shutters also have a frame that surrounds the panel, this creates 100% privacy where other shade and blind solutions leave side gaps that people can still see through at an angle. With the options of Invisible Tilt, and Split Tilt, our Shutters allow you to create a privacy line where you like.
Plantation Shutters In Detail
Shades
Shades for Sidelight Glass
Our Solar Shield Blinds Honeycomb Shades make a great solution when you need privacy at certain times of the day, but also want full glass at other times. These shades stack nice and tight at the top or bottom of your sidelight windows, giving you the ultimate in privacy and light control. Honeycomb shades also offer very high levels of energy efficiency and make it so the pressing heat and cold are held back out of your space, making your entry area more comfortable and regulated. See the video of these shades in action lower on this page. They really do a great job of creating the exact level of privacy you want throughout the day and assure your home is safe and secure when you need it the most.
Honeycomb Shades In Detail
Blinds
Blinds for Sidelight Glass
Solar Shield Blinds Faux Wood Blinds make a good functional solution for sidelight glass when budget is the most important consideration. This is going to be the most cost effective option that is still very functional. Our blinds will still allow you the ability to raise the slats to the top of the window when you want an unobstructed view out, and also tilt your slats closed when you need to add privacy to your entry area. Faux Wood Blinds are easy to dust and wipe down if they get anything splattered on them, like mud from someone's shoes as they kick them off in the entry area. Faux Wood Blinds also come in a decent variety of colors and textures for you to be able to choose the perfect blend for your home.
Wood And Faux Wood Blinds In DetailSee It In Action
What sidelight glass shows at night, and what fixes it
This clip opens with security camera footage of someone on a front porch early in the morning, peering into the home through the sidelight glass. Then it shows what uncovered sidelights look like from the outside after dark: a clear view straight down the hall. The rest is the fix, a pair of Top Down Bottom Up Honeycomb Shades set by hand, lowered from the top for the sky and raised from the bottom for privacy, until the glass covers exactly what you want it to.
Our Process
Planned, measured, and installed by our team
- Free ConsultationWe bring our shop to your home or office. We'll listen to what you're wanting to accomplish with your windows, take a good look at every opening, and explain the options that will actually work for them.
- On the spot quoteWe take the time to make sure you know exactly what you're getting, and you'll have a complete and exact quote before we leave, so there are no surprises on install day.
- Installed by our teamYour shades are custom built to the exact measurements of your windows, and when ready, professionally installed by our full time installers. Most projects are installed in less than a day.
The longer version
Our process is very thorough and designed to give you the best experience possible. When we meet with you during your initial consultation we'll discuss your specific needs. We'll listen to your concerns and make sure we understand exactly what you're wanting to accomplish with your window coverings. Then we'll help educate you on the product options available to you and offer our best recommendation based on our assessment of your windows.
We take time making sure you understand exactly what you're going to get, and we make sure there won't be any surprises at the time of install. You get a complete and exact quote on the spot, so you can be sure we're working within your budget before you commit to anything.
This simple, yet very effective in-home service has proven to save our clients time, money, and the energy not spent running from store to store. Once the order is placed, sit back and let us handle all of the details while you get to enjoy your new window coverings!
Installed Projects
Sidelight Solutions Installed by Solar Shield Blinds
Straight Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
They're our first recommendation, and the reason is the front door itself. An entry sees more traffic than any window in the house, so whatever covers the sidelights takes pet paws, kicked off shoes and someone leaning in to pull on a boot. Shutters stand up to all of it and keep working. The frame around the panel also closes the side gaps that shades and blinds leave, so nobody sees in at an angle.
Yes, and that's the whole point of the products on this page. Tilt shutter louvers so the light comes in over the top while the sightline from the porch stays closed, or pick Split Tilt and set a privacy line wherever you like. Top Down Bottom Up Honeycomb Shades do the same job in fabric: lower the top for the sky and keep the bottom covered at eye level.
Yes. The honeycomb traps a pocket of air between two layers of fabric, which gives it the strongest insulation of any single layer window treatment we sell. That air pocket holds the pressing heat and cold back out of the entry, so the hall by the door stops being the hottest spot in the house in July and the coldest in January.
Faux Wood Blinds. They're the most cost effective option that is still fully functional: raise the slats to the top for an open view out, tilt them closed for privacy, and wipe them down when mud comes off somebody's shoes. They come in a good range of colors and textures, and every line we carry has a cordless lift for a busy entry.
A little, down the sides. Any shade or blind that hangs inside the opening leaves a small light gap at each edge, and from the porch someone standing at an angle can catch a sliver of the hall through it. Shutters are the answer to that, because the frame surrounds the panel and closes those edges. If you want a shade for other reasons, tell your Design Specialist the gap matters, because an outside mount covers more of the edge.
Yes, and it belongs on the same order so the whole entry matches. Shutters are built to any shape, so an arched or eyebrow transom gets a panel made to the curve, and Honeycomb Shades come in arches and angles as well. Your Design Specialist measures the transom with the sidelights at the same visit, and the pieces go in together on install day.
Yes, on every product on this page. Shutters have no cords at all, since they tilt rather than lift. Honeycomb Shades come with Cordless Lift, including a Cordless Lift and Lock version of Top Down Bottom Up, and Faux Wood Blinds have a cordless lift and a wand tilt. Cordless is what we recommend wherever kids or pets spend their day, and a front hall is exactly that kind of place.
Yes, treat the whole entry as one set. When the door has its own glass, a Roller Shade with magnetic hold downs sits flat on the door and stays put when it swings, and the sidelights beside it get shutters or shades in the same color. Order it all at once so the heights and colors line up, and it reads like one built in piece instead of three.
Yes, start to finish. A Design Specialist brings samples to your home, measures every opening on site, and gives you an exact itemized quote on the spot that holds for 180 days. Honeycomb Shades and Faux Wood Blinds run 4 to 6 weeks from order to install, and Plantation Shutters 8 to 10, because every panel is built to the measurements we took. Our own full time Install Techs hang them, take the packaging away, and walk the entry with you before they leave, and most projects are done in less than a day. Free paper temporary shades go up the day you order, so you're not standing at bare glass in the meantime.