The Best Window Treatments for Daylighting | JC Licht

SHOP FROM HOME AND SAVE 10% OFF* ONLINE EVERYDAY!

The Best Window Treatments for Daylighting

  • 5 min read

The Best Window Treatments for Daylighting

Save money on your energy bill all year long while basking in natural light with the help of window treatments that support daylighting!

What is daylighting?
An effort to make the best use of natural light to minimize the need for artificial light.

How do window treatments support daylighting?
The best window treatments for daylighting diffuse and soften sunlight, reducing glare and spreading natural light deeper into and wider throughout a room.

If you’re interested in lowering your energy bill by reducing your use of artificial light, read on to learn about the Hunter Douglas products that will work for you!

Hunter Douglas’ Top 18 Styles

Hunter Douglas is an industry leader in engineering energy-saving window treatments. They developed the highly innovative Duette® Honeycomb Shades that features an extra layer of insulation in response to the energy crisis of the late 1970s. Their latest innovation, the Duette® Architella®, features a honeycomb within a honeycomb design for even greater energy efficiency.

Hunter Douglas ranks each of their window treatments on energy savings by a six-star system.

The following window treatment models are ranked highest among all Hunter Douglas models for daylighting, between 4-5.5 stars:

Silhouette® Window Shadings

Hunter Douglas’ Silhouette Window Shadings have been the leader in light diffusion in the industry for over 25 years.

Like blinds, soft, adjustable S-shaped vanes tilt open and closed for light control and privacy. Unlike blinds, two layers of sheer fabric line the vanes, diffusing harsh sunlight into lovely ambient light, creating a soft glow in your room and providing powerful protection from up to 88% of UV radiation.

Silhouette ClearView Shadings provide superior viewing through the sheer fabric.
Silhouette Duolite®offers the light-diffusion of a sheer fabric with the added bonus of a room-darkening roller shade.

Silhouette®/Nantucket™ Window Shadings Translucent Vanes: 5★
Hunter Douglas Silhouette Window Coverings
Hunter Douglas Silhouette® Window Shadings. Fabric/Material: Bon Jour™. Color: Table Linen. Opacity: Translucent. Mount Type: Inside. Size: 3″.


Silhouette®/Nantucket™ Window Shadings Light-Dimming Vanes: 5★

Hunter Douglas Silhouette window coverings


Hunter Douglas Silhouette® Window Shadings. Fabric/Material: Bon Jour™. Color: Blush. Opacity: Light Dimming. Mount Type: Outside. Size: 3″.

Silhouette®/Nantucket™ Window Shadings A Deux™ Shadings: 5★
Hunter Douglas Silhouette window coverings
Hunter Douglas Silhouette® Window Shadings. Style: A Deux™.Fabric/Material: Toujours™. Color: Fresh Lotus. Opacity: Room Darkening; Translucent. Mount Type: Outside. Size: 3″.


Silhouette® Window Shadings with Duolite®: 5★
Hunter Douglas Silhouette window coverings
Hunter Douglas Silhouette® Window Shadings. Style: Duolite™. Fabric/Material: Mystere™. Color: Magician’s Cloth. Opacity: Room Darkening. Mount Type: Outside. Size: 4″.

Silhouette® Window Shadings with ClearView™ Fabrics: 5★
Hunter Douglas Silhouette window coverings
Hunter Douglas Silhouette® Window Shadings. Style: Clearview™. LiteRise®. Fabric/Material: Coastal. Color: White Diamond. Opacity: Translucent. Mount type: Inside. Size: 3″.

Nantucket™ Window Shadings

Hunter Douglas’ Nantucket™ Window Shadings provide a beautiful and sensibly priced shading with vanes that tilt for light control.


Nantucket™ Window Shadings
Sunscreen Privacy Shadings: 5★
Hunter Douglas Nantucket window coverings
Hunter Douglas Nantucket™ Window Shadings. Fabric/Material: Sunscreen privacy shadings. Color: Skiff. Mount Type: Semi-Recessed. Size: 3″.

Vignette® Modern Roman Shades

Hunter Douglas’ Vignette® Modern Roman Shades are a beautifully refreshing alternative to traditional Roman shades with no exposed rear cords, which enhances its beauty and child safety standards. Styles include both stacking and rolling folds.

The Vignette® Duolite® model provides two-in-one opacities combining a sheer front shade that diffuses light with a room-darkening, privacy-protecting roller shade on the back in a single roller.


Vignette® Modern Roman Shades Duolite Shades: 5★
Hunter Douglas Vignette window coverings
Hunter Douglas Vignette® Modern Roman Shades. Style: Rolling Style; Duolite™
; Flat Fold. Fabric/Material: Belfast Linen. Color: Mink. Opacity: Sheer. Mount Type: Inside. Size: 6″.


Vignette® Modern Roman Shades Sheer Fabric (Ranking specific to: Leela fabric with Stacking Style Top-Down/Bottom-Up operation): 4.5★
Hunter Douglas Vignette
Hunter Douglas Vignette® Modern Roman Shades. Style: Rolling Style; Duolite™; Flat Fold. Fabric/Material: Leela. Color: Chia. Opacity: Sheer. Mount Type: Inside. Size: 6″.

Honeycomb Shades

Hunter Douglas’ Duette® Honeycomb Shadesare the original cellular shades and provide superior energy efficiency. Their honeycomb construction traps air in individual pockets which creates insulation that can help lower your energy bills and energy consumption.

The revolutionaryArchitella® shadestylefeatures a honeycomb within a honeycomb construction to provide maximum energy efficiency, as compared to the regular Duette®, which is a single cell design. The doubled cell structure equates to extra energy savings for you.

Hunter Douglas’ Applause® Honeycomb Shades are the only to provide a triple-cell construction for energy-efficiency.

Duette®3/4″ and 1 1/4″ Sheer Honeycomb Shades: 4★

  • Duette®3/4″ and 1 1/4″ Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Ranking specific to: Top-Down, Top-Down/Bottom-Up or Duolite® operation):5.5★
  • Duette®3/4″ and 1 1/4″ Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Ranking specific to: semi-opaque white or off-white room-side colors):5★

Hunter Douglas Duette Window Coverings
Hunter Douglas Duette® Honeycomb Shades. Fabric/Material: Whisper™. Color: White Chiffon. Opacity: Sheer. Size: 3/4″. Mount Type: Outside.

Duette® Architella® 3/4″ Semi-Sheer Honeycomb Shades: 3.5★

  • Duette® Architella® 3/4″ Semi-Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Ranking specific to:semi-opaque white or off-white room-side colors):4.5★
  • Duette® Architella® 3/4″ Semi-Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Ranking specific to: for Top-Down, Top-Down/Bottom-Up or Duolite® operation): 5★

Hunter Douglas Duette Window CoveringsHunter Douglas Duette® Honeycomb Shades. Style: Architella®. Fabric/Material: Batiste Semi-Sheer. Opacity: Semi Sheer. Size: 3/4″.

Applause® 3/4″ Sheer Honeycomb Shades: 4★

  • Applause® 3/4″ Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Ranking specific to: semi-opaque white or off-white room-side colors): 5★
  • Applause® 3/4″ Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Ranking specific to: Top-Down, Top-Down/Bottom-Up or Duolite® operation):5.5★

Hunter Douglas Applause Window Coverings
Hunter Douglas Applause® Honeycomb Shades. Style: Duolite™. Fabric/Material: Crystalline™; Vintage™. Color: Rock Crystal, Retro White. Opacity: Privacy Light Control Combinations. Mount Type: Inside.

Luminette® Privacy Sheers

Hunter Douglas’ Luminette® Privacy Sheers’ soft, vertical, rotating vanes lie between a sheer fabric, providing superior light control and privacy. The sheer fabric diffuses and disperses the sun’s rays into soft light that can fill a room.

Luminette® Privacy Sheers with Translucent Vanes: 4★
Hunter Douglas Luminette Window Coverings
Hunter Douglas Luminette® Privacy Sheers. Fabric/Material: Originale™. Color: Radiant White. Opacity: Translucent. Mount Type: Outside.

Luminette® Privacy Sheers with Room-Darkening Vanes: 4★

Hunter Douglas Luminette Window Coverings


Hunter Douglas Luminette® Privacy Sheers (Open). Fabric/Material: Terra. Color: Wild Rice. Opacity: Room Darkening. Mount Type: Inside.

Hunter Douglas Luminette Window Coverings
Hunter Douglas Luminette® Privacy Sheers (Closed). Fabric/Material: Terra. Color: Wild Rice. Opacity: Room Darkening. Mount Type: Inside.

Top Styles In Order

5.5 star ranking:

  • Duette® 3/4″ and 1 1/4″ Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Ranking specific to: Top-Down, Top-Down/Bottom-Up or Duolite® operation. One of 3 variations listed.)
  • Applause® 3/4″ Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Ranking specific to: Top-Down, Top-Down/Bottom-Up or Duolite® operation. One of 3 variations listed.)

5 star ranking:

  • Silhouette®/Nantucket™ Window Shadings Translucent Vanes
  • Silhouette®/Nantucket™ Window Shadings Light-Dimming Vanes
  • Silhouette®/Nantucket™ Window Shadings A Deux™ Shadings
  • Silhouette® Window Shadings Duolite® Shadings
  • Silhouette® Window Shadings (Ranking specific to: ClearView™ Fabrics)
  • Nantucket™ Window Shadings Sunscreen Privacy Shadings
  • Vignette® Modern Roman Shades Duolite Shades
  • Duette® 3/4″ and 1 1/4″ Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Ranking specific to: semi-opaque white or off-white room-side colors. One of three variations listed.)
  • Applause® 3/4″ Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Ranking specific to: semi-opaque white or off-white room-side colors. One of 3 variations listed.)
  • Duette® Architella® 3/4″ Semi-Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Ranking specific to: for Top-Down, Top-Down/Bottom-Up or Duolite® operation. One of 2 variations listed.)

4.5 star ranking:

  • Duette® Architella® 3/4″ Semi-Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Ranking specific to:semi-opaque white or off-white room-side colors. One of 2 variations listed.)
  • Vignette® Modern Roman Shades Sheer Fabric (Ranking specific to: Leela fabric with Stacking Style Top-Down/Bottom-Up operation.)

4 star ranking:

  • Luminette® Privacy Sheers Translucent Vanes
  • Luminette® Privacy Sheers Room-Darkening Vanes
  • Duette® 3/4″ and 1 1/4″ Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Some variations rank higher. One of 3 variations listed.)
  • Applause® 3/4″ Sheer Honeycomb Shades (Some variations rank higher. One of 3 variations listed.)

Find Your Energy Savings

As you can see, there are many beautiful ways to save money with energy-efficient window treatments, but daylighting is one of three ways window treatments can lower your energy bill!

Learn more about insulation and solar heat control:

Want to do a little more soul-searching before a consultation? Evaluate our recommended 11 key considerations before purchasing window treatments.

SCHEDULE A FREE HOME CONSULTATION FIND YOUR JC LICHT LOCATION

Already know what you need?