5 Smart & Beautiful New Window Treatments

A Hartmann&Forbes weaver uses renewable natural fibers to create window treatments that integrate Lutron tech.

Whether they help dim a conference room for a presentation or stop streetlights from disturbing guests in a hotel room, window treatments play a pivotal role in creating comfortable interior spaces. These five shading systems—from beautiful drapery made of natural materials (including aloe!) to whisper-quiet motorized drives—can work alone or as part of larger automated systems to create better environments indoors while lowering operational costs.

Conrad, Kata, available via Holly Hunt

Conrad x Holly Hunt

Tough and beautiful? Now, that’s a solid product. Conrad’s handcrafted Kata window shades, available nationwide through Holly Hunt showrooms, deliver both. Inspired by traditional Japanese dyeing and weaving techniques and woven from natural ramie fiber, the shades offer a distinctive aesthetic backed by real durability. For hospitality and commercial projects, Kata shades can be specified with optional flame retardancy to meet NFPA 701 requirements. Kata sheer drapes are available in Roman fold, roll-up, and sliding panel applications.

Silver Threads Drapery, custom drapery for The Ohio Theater.  Image by Annette Ferraro Photography

Silver Threads Drapery

A U.S.-based manufacturer of custom window treatments for hospitality, assisted living, commercial, and residential interiors, Silver Threads Drapery offers turnkey interior design solutions, such as drapery, small furnishings, and accessories. The company’s comprehensive services range from measurements and fabrications to the expert installation of drapery and roller shades. Silver Threads works with clients to tailor high-quality, bespoke products made from premium materials to meet each project's unique specifications.

Kirby Design, Aloe

Kirby Design

We’ve never seen anything like this before! Aloe by Kirby Design is a washable, wide-width drapery textile made from 60% aloe vera and 40% organic cotton. To produce the aloe vera yarn, the plant's gel is extracted, pulled, heated, and pressed to create a substance that’s shredded and spun into a fleece-like material. The transparency of aloe sheer drapes allows light to filter through, creating color blocks in shades including Acid Yellow, Cobalt Blue, and Clove.

Lutron x Hartmann&Forbes, Dash Roller Shade

Lutron Electronics x Hartmann&Forbes

Hartmann&Forbes’s handwoven natural window and wallcoverings are now part of Lutron’s Native by Design program, marrying heirloom craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. The partnership brings richly textured, renewable textiles—woven from grasses, reeds, and sustainably sourced woods—to Lutron’s whisper-quiet Roman and roller shade drives.

Draper, IntelliFlex I/0 DC

Draper

A complete window shade automation system should be elegant, simple, and scalable. That’s the key vision driving the new IntelliFlex I/0 DC low-voltage shade control system from Draper. IntelliFlex integrates seamlessly into building systems to reduce visual clutter and minimize trade coordination—all while ensuring the space operates quietly and efficiently.

—Rita Catinella Orrell