Outdoor Shades
Outdoor shades from Exotic Shades & Draperies are motorized exterior screens in Mermet and Phifer performance mesh with zippered side channels and marine-grade hardware, on Somfy exterior motors that share the remotes and app scenes of the interior shades. They are sun, glare and insect comfort products, not storm protection, installed across Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach.
Take the shade outside
Florida living happens outdoors - until the afternoon sun makes the terrace unusable. Motorized outdoor shades drop weather-rated solar screens at the touch of a button, cutting heat and glare on patios, lanais, balconies, and summer kitchens while keeping the view and the breeze.
From custom outdoor blinds to full-height exterior screens, we specify marine-grade hardware and performance mesh fabrics built for coastal exposure, motorized with Somfy exterior motors and controlled from the same app, remotes, and scenes as your interior shading. Measured and installed by our own crew, from Miami to West Palm Beach. On the water instead? See yacht & marine window treatments.
Exterior systems & options
Motorized Patio Screens
Retractable solar screens for terraces, lanais, and outdoor living rooms.
Solar Mesh Fabrics
Openness factors that block heat and UV while preserving the view and airflow.
Insect Protection
Tighter meshes that keep evenings on the terrace mosquito-free.
Cable & Track Guides
Side guides that keep screens taut and quiet in the sea breeze.
Coastal-Rated Hardware
Corrosion-resistant components chosen for salt-air exposure.
One System Inside & Out
Somfy exterior motors join your interior motorized shades and TaHoma control.
Recent installations
Indoor-Outdoor Living
Solar Screen & View
Built for the Coast
What an exterior shade has to survive here
An outdoor shade lives in salt air, UV and afternoon storms, so we specify it differently from an interior roller: coastal-rated, corrosion-resistant hardware; exterior solar screens from Phifer and Mermet that stop heat before it reaches the glass; zippered side channels or cable guides that keep the fabric taut in the sea breeze and close the gap insects use; and Somfy exterior motors on the same app, remotes and scenes as your interior shading. Drop a screen on a west-facing terrace at 3 pm and the temperature difference is the point.
Where outdoor shades go in South Florida
Covered terraces and lanais, summer kitchens, balconies on oceanfront condos (exterior colors confirmed with the HOA first), pool cabanas and restaurant patios from Miami to Palm Beach. Our 12,000 sq ft Fort Lauderdale estate runs exterior shades enclosing the ocean-facing terraces on the same Lutron system as the interior shading - one keypad, inside and out. Openness factors run from 1% to 10%: tighter weaves for heat and privacy, more open weaves for view and airflow. The same terraces often get sound as well: see Sonance outdoor speakers for South Florida backyards.
Frequently asked
Do you install motorized hurricane screens?
We install motorized exterior screens engineered for daily sun and wind comfort; for code-rated storm protection we coordinate the specification so shading and hurricane screening work together, not against each other.
Do outdoor shades block the view?
No - solar mesh keeps the view and breeze while cutting glare and heat.
Can they handle wind?
Guided systems stay taut in typical breezes and retract in seconds when weather turns. They are not hurricane protection.
Are they motorized like interior shades?
Yes - Somfy exterior motors on the same app, remotes, and scenes.
What about salt air?
We specify corrosion-resistant, coastal-rated hardware and meshes.
Do outdoor shades block rain?
Side-retained screens shed most wind-driven rain, but they are shade and privacy products, not storm shutters - see the hurricane question above.
Will my HOA allow outdoor shades?
Many towers and communities require a specific exterior color or profile. We confirm the requirement before fabrication so approvals never stall the install.
Can outdoor shades share a remote with the interior shades?
Yes - Somfy exterior motors join the same app, remotes and scenes as your interior motorized shades.
Control systems these shades answer to
Every motorized system we install runs from a remote, an app or the home's control system. Which one depends on the motor family, so we settle it before the shade is made.
Lutron
Sivoia QS, Triathlon, Serena and Palladiom shades: Pico remotes and the Lutron app, with native integration to Crestron, Control4, Savant, Apple Home, Amazon Alexa and Google Home through Caseta, RadioRA 3 or HomeWorks. Lutron motorized shades.
Somfy
Sonesse, Glydea and WireFree motors on Somfy RTS or Zigbee: Telis and Situo remotes, the TaHoma app for scenes and schedules, Amazon Alexa and Google Home through TaHoma, and Control4, Crestron and Savant through the TaHoma integration. Somfy motorization.
Crestron
Crestron shade motors and drapery tracks commissioned into the home's Crestron processor and keypads with your integrator, with the fabric, hems and hembars still made in our workroom. Crestron shades.
Outdoor shades in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Boca Raton & Palm Beach
Motorized outdoor shades and exterior screens rated for Florida sun, wind and salt air - for patios, lanais, balconies and summer kitchens from Miami to Palm Beach. Our workroom and showroom are at 4539 Powerline Rd in Fort Lauderdale, our second showroom is South of Fifth in Miami Beach, and the same in-house team measures and installs from Miami to Palm Beach.
Woven in the USA. Specified by the numbers.
Outdoor shades get the same fabric discipline as the interior ones: exterior-rated meshes from Mermet and Phifer, the two American mills we specify indoors, with published openness, UV and heat figures and a fiberglass core that does not stretch in salt air.
Mermet
E Screen, M Screen, T Screen, Satiné and the GreenScreen weaves, with KOOLBLACK for dark screens that reflect heat - woven by Mermet USA in Cowpens, South Carolina and listed by the mill as Made in USA. Mermet fabrics
Phifer SheerWeave
The SheerWeave family, including PVC-free styles and Microban-protected weaves that resist mildew in Florida humidity - woven by Phifer in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where the mill has made fabric since 1952. Phifer fabrics
Best grade only
Fiberglass-core screens that stay flat on 10-foot glass, an openness woven to tolerance, and a published spec sheet for UV, heat and light in every colour, with GREENGUARD Gold and NFPA 701 listings behind it. Never anonymous screen.
On any system
The same fabric on a Lutron, Somfy or Crestron motor, or a manual chain. We source both mills directly and keep them in stock, so the fabric is chosen for the window and its exposure, not for the motor brand - and it is ready to cut when the measurements are. Our shade fabrics
Make the terrace the best room in the house
One free hour with our team routinely saves owners thousands in avoidable mistakes - wrong fabrics, bad mounts, missed motorization. Book a private, complimentary consultation - we bring the fabrics, the samples, and honest answers. Start with the free guide: the 5 costly mistakes.