Lutron Bistre Fabric
6 colourways, openness >10%, light-filtering, up to 116 inches wide. Every swatch and every specification, from a certified Lutron dealer in Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach.
An open Trevira CS weave that behaves like a sheer
Bistre is woven from Trevira CS, a polyester with flame retardance built into the yarn, at over 10% openness: it is the most open fabric in the light-filtering group and reads as a sheer. Six colours (White, Off-White, Pearl Linen, Nutmeg, Brown, Dark Grey), 116 inches wide, seamable and railroadable, listed to NFPA 701 and DIN 4102 B1, PVC-free. At under 3 oz per square yard it is one of the lightest fabrics Lutron lists.
On a battery-powered shade from Lutron's Essentials range the usable width is 96 inches.
What Bistre does on your glass, and what it does not
Best use
Treat Bistre as a sheer in roller form. It belongs where a sheer drapery would go and there is no room for the stack, so think of a lanai door, a stair window or an inward-facing condo window on a light well. It also works as the front layer with something solid behind it. At 0.0103 inches it rolls to a small diameter and suits a slim fascia.
Privacy
Over 10% openness does not give you much. In daylight a person standing at the glass registers from outside, and the view in is softened rather than stopped. With a lamp on at night the room is effectively open to the street. Do not put Bistre in a bathroom or a ground-floor bedroom. Where those rooms want the look, the blackout goes behind it on a dual roller.
Glare control
Bistre softens light, it does not control it. At over 10% openness the sun disc stays visible through the weave and a low west sun still arrives as a beam across the floor. The Trevira CS yarn does nothing about that, since flame retardance is not sun control. If a television or a desk faces that glass, this is the wrong cloth and a solar screen is the right one.
Limitations
No privacy, no room darkening and very little heat control, because an open weave passes most of the sun and does nothing for sound either. On a battery-powered Essentials shade the usable width drops from 116 inches to 96. The fire listing is not the constraint here: NFPA 701, DIN 4102 B1 and BS 5867 are all published. The openness is the constraint.
Bistre
6 colours. Openness >10%; up to 116 in wide; pvc-free; fire listed.
Colourways
Every Bistre colourway, with Lutron's published figures
| Swatch | Colour | Code | Openness | Back | Width | Sample no. | Docs | Visualize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White | RF-BISTR-1 | >10% | Same as Face | 116 in | WSF-RF-BISTR-1 | - | See it | |
| Off-White | RF-BISTR-4 | >10% | Same as Face | 116 in | WSF-RF-BISTR-4 | - | See it | |
| Pearl Linen | RF-BISTR-6 | >10% | Same as Face | 116 in | WSF-RF-BISTR-6 | - | See it | |
| Nutmeg | RF-BISTR-5 | >10% | Same as Face | 116 in | WSF-RF-BISTR-5 | - | See it | |
| Brown | RF-BISTR-3 | >10% | Same as Face | 116 in | WSF-RF-BISTR-3 | - | See it | |
| Dark Grey | RF-BISTR-2 | >10% | Same as Face | 116 in | WSF-RF-BISTR-2 | - | See it |
Sample numbers are Lutron memo-sample codes; we bring the samples to the consultation.
Where Bistre works here
Bistre is for the room that wants a sheer roller rather than a sheer drapery: a Brickell living room with a wall of glass and no space for a drapery stack, a lanai-facing kitchen. It softens the light and the view without hiding either. For sun control, pair it with a screen or use it on the shaded side of the building.
Bistre: frequently asked
Does Bistre offer privacy?
Very little; at over 10% openness it is a sheer. It is chosen for softness and for its fire-retardant yarn, not for privacy. Add a blackout or a light-filtering layer where privacy is needed.
How wide can a Lutron Bistre shade be?
Lutron publishes a maximum usable fabric width of 116 inches for Bistre. It is railroadable, so a wider opening can be covered in one piece by turning the fabric. We confirm the exact limit for the chosen system when we measure.
Which Lutron shades use Bistre?
Bistre is made up on Lutron roller shades. As a certified Lutron dealer in Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach we order it for any Lutron system it is offered on and install it with our own team.
Is Bistre PVC-free?
Yes. Lutron lists every Bistre colourway as PVC-free, with RoHS Compliant certifications.
Can I see Bistre samples before ordering?
Yes. Lutron makes memo samples of every Bistre colourway on this page; tell us which colours you are considering and we order them from Lutron for your consultation. Both our Fort Lauderdale workroom (by appointment) and our Miami Beach showroom have Lutron shades running so you can see the fabrics in motion.
Compare Bistre with
Vista
A substantial light-filtering weave in six stone colours
Loop
Recycled PET yarns, PVC-free, with an unusually long list of fire ratings
Monomer
A light, open polyester sheer in five colours
GreenScreen Evolve
A recycled-content, Cradle to Cradle 3% weave in nine weather colours
Austin
Three warm, linen-toned light-filtering colours
Riley
Three soft neutrals in a dense, PVC-free light-filtering weave
Lutron Bistre shades in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Boca Raton & Palm Beach
We order Bistre from Lutron for any project from Miami to Palm Beach, make the shades up in our Fort Lauderdale workroom on the Lutron system the window calls for, and install and program them with our own team. Both showrooms, 4539 Powerline Rd in Fort Lauderdale (by appointment) and 500 South Pointe Dr #150 in Miami Beach, have Lutron shades running so you can see the fabric in motion.
See Bistre in your own light
Book a complimentary in-home consultation. Shortlist the colours you like and we order the Lutron samples, bring demo motors, and give honest answers about openness, colour and what your windows actually need.