Five rooms, two layers, one gesture
A private waterfront residence at The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Miami Beach: ripplefold sheers and blackout draperies on Lutron Sivoia QS motorized tracks, every panel sewn in our own atelier.
Inside the residence
Ripplefold sheers gliding on Lutron Sivoia QS tracks across the social areas, blackout closing in the bedrooms, and the compact stack that keeps the water view open.
Glass on every wall, and nowhere to hide the hardware
This residence is built around its water view. Nearly every principal room opens onto floor-to-ceiling glass, with ceilings at ten feet in the social areas, the master and both children's bedrooms, and nine feet in the guest suite. That is a beautiful problem: the taller the opening, the more the drapery has to behave.
Interior design was by Fanny Haim & Associates, who specified a two-layer treatment for the bedrooms - a sheer for daytime, a blackout behind it for sleep - and stationary ripplefold side panels to frame the social areas. Our job was to make five rooms of that specification move silently, stack narrowly, and land on the same control system as the rest of the house.
Why Sivoia QS on every track
Synchronised, not merely motorized
Every drapery track in the residence runs on Lutron Sivoia QS. Across a wall of glass this matters more than it sounds: the panels start together, travel together and stop together, so a room reads as one movement instead of four motors arriving at slightly different times.
Quiet enough for a bedroom
Sivoia QS was engineered around near-silent operation. In the master and children's rooms the blackout layer can close on a schedule without waking anyone - the reason we specify it over cheaper track motors in sleeping rooms.
One system, not a second remote
Because the tracks are native Lutron, the drapery joins the same scenes as the lighting. "Good night" closes blackout in the bedrooms; "Morning" opens sheers across the social areas. No separate app, no separate hub. See our Lutron collection.
Ripplefold on snap tape
Every panel is ripplefold rather than pleated. On a motorized track it is the smoothest heading available, and the compact stack keeps the open drapery off the glass - critical when the view is the reason for the room. More on ripplefold draperies.
The fabric schedule
Five treatment zones, specified by the designer and fabricated by us. Fabric houses at this level are the difference between a drape that hangs and a drape that falls.
| Zone | Treatment | Fabric | Mill / vendor |
|---|---|---|---|
| WT-1 Den & social areas |
Ripplefold stationary side panels |  Gilbert #96J8081 Open-weave natural sheer |
JF Fabrics |
| WT-2 Guest bedroom |
Ripplefold sheer + blackout |  Maddox, Antique #F1282/01 Striated open sheer Velvet blackout liner |
Clarke & Clarke |
| WT-4 Master bedroom |
Ripplefold sheer + blackout |  Marquis Papyrus #5774, Sand Crinkled organic-texture sheer · Pindler  Exetor, Flax #222 Velvet blackout drape · Norbar |
Pindler Norbar |
| WT-5 Children's bedroom 1 |
Ripplefold sheer + blackout |  Mirage Collection, Fog 100% Belgian linen, 118" wide-width · Jean de Merry  Spencer Ink #DE13944 Melange wool flannel jacquard · Holland & Sherry |
Jean de Merry Holland & Sherry |
| WT-3 Children's bedroom 2 |
Ripplefold sheer + blackout |  Composite, Rain Open-weave linen sheer · Fabricut  Fitzroy Parchment #DE13945 Melange wool jacquard · Holland & Sherry |
Fabricut Holland & Sherry |
A detail that shows the level: the Holland & Sherry wool flannel in children's bedroom 1 is a reversible cloth, and the schedule called for the lighter face outward. Get that backwards and the room reads wrong - which is exactly the kind of thing a workroom catches and a drop-shipper does not.
Tap a fabric for its full specification.
Lutron · Basketweave Pearl — Solar Shades
| Program | Lutron Fabric Collections · Classico / Commercial collections |
| Pattern · Colour | Basketweave · Pearl · PP75-48-1 |
| Type | Solar screen · roller shades |
| Openness | 1% |
| Composition | 24% polyester · 76% vinyl on polyester |
| Max usable width | 96 in (2438 mm) · railroadable · seamable |
| Acoustics | NRC 0.30 |
| Fire rating | NFPA 701 · CA Title 19 · CAN/ULC-S109 · BS 5867-2B |
| Certifications | GREENGUARD · lead-free · RoHS · anti-microbial properties |
| In this project | Solar shades behind the drapery layers, on the residence's Lutron system |
| Supplier page | lutronfabrics.com → Basketweave |
Jean de Merry · Mirage Fog - Sheers
| House | Jean de Merry · Mirage Collection |
| Colour | Fog |
| Type | Belgian linen sheer |
| In this project | Ripplefold sheers on Lutron Sivoia QS tracks |
Fabricut · Composite Rain - Sheers
| House | Fabricut |
| Pattern · Colour | Composite · Rain |
| Type | Open-weave linen sheer |
| In this project | Ripplefold sheers on Sivoia QS tracks |
JF Fabrics · Gilbert - Sheers
| House | JF Fabrics |
| Pattern · Colour | Gilbert · 96J8081 |
| Type | Open-weave natural sheer |
| In this project | Sheer layer on Sivoia QS tracks |
Clarke & Clarke · Maddox Antique - Sheers
| House | Clarke & Clarke |
| Pattern · Colour | Maddox · Antique · F1282/01 |
| Type | Striated sheer |
| In this project | Sheer layer on Sivoia QS tracks |
Pindler · Marquis Papyrus Sand - Sheers
| House | Pindler |
| Pattern · Colour | Marquis Papyrus · 5774 Sand |
| Type | Crinkled sheer |
| In this project | Sheer layer on Sivoia QS tracks |
Holland & Sherry · Spencer Ink - Drapery
| House | Holland & Sherry |
| Pattern · Colour | Spencer · Ink · DE13944 |
| Type | Melange wool flannel jacquard |
| In this project | Blackout drapery on Sivoia QS tracks |
Holland & Sherry · Fitzroy Parchment - Drapery
| House | Holland & Sherry |
| Pattern · Colour | Fitzroy · Parchment · DE13945 |
| Type | Melange wool jacquard |
| In this project | Blackout drapery on Sivoia QS tracks |
Norbar · Exetor Flax - Blackout Drapery
| House | Norbar Fabrics |
| Pattern · Colour | Exetor · Flax · 222 |
| Type | Velvet blackout |
| In this project | Blackout drapery on Sivoia QS tracks |
What you never see once the drapes are hung
The reason these panels disappear into the architecture is the work that happened before the fabric arrived: pocket dimensions confirmed on site, tracks set dead level over ten-foot openings, and every motor addressed and programmed to the house system.
Track in pocket
Fitting the sheer layer
The control rack
Stack, fully open
Wave consistency
Blackout, closed
Finished
Sheers across the water wall
Framing the view
Privacy without darkness
Sheer layer, daytime
Two layers per opening, five rooms, one control system - and from the inside, nothing to see but fabric and water. That is the whole point of doing it this way.
The motor on this project
Lutron Sivoia QS drapery drive
Wired Lutron drapery track
Sheer and blackout layers on independent Sivoia QS tracks inside every ceiling pocket - five rooms on the home's Lutron system, every track in sync, so a whole wall of sheers opens as one gesture and joins the lighting scenes instead of needing its own remote.
| Type | Lutron motorized drapery track - ripple fold or pinch pleat, straight or curved |
| Capacity | Up to 175 lb of drapery on the D175 drive; tracks to 18 ft with no splice |
| Power | Low-voltage wiring (Class 2) |
| Speed | Master carrier 6 in per second |
| Control | Lutron QS wired link - HomeWorks keypads, apps and scenes, alongside the lighting |
Frequently asked
Why Sivoia QS instead of a standard motorized track?
Sivoia QS moves panels at a controlled, near-silent speed and keeps every track in the home in sync, so a whole wall of sheers opens as one gesture. It also lives natively on the same Lutron system as the lighting, so drapery joins scenes instead of needing its own remote. Compare the options on our motorized curtain tracks page.
What exactly is ripplefold?
The fabric rides on snap tape along the track rather than hanging in sewn pleats, producing continuous S-waves and a very compact stack. It is the smoothest-gliding heading for motorization and the right choice on walls of glass. See ripplefold draperies.
How do the sheer and blackout layers share one window?
Each opening carries two independent tracks inside the ceiling pocket - sheer in front, blackout behind. Both motorized, so a room moves from open view to full darkness without a cord in sight. More on blackout draperies.
Can you work with my designer's specification?
Routinely - this project was built to the interior designer's fabric schedule. We handle measurement, fabrication and installation against your designer's selections. See our trade program.
Do you serve other Miami Beach buildings?
Yes. We work throughout Miami and Miami Beach, including Ella Miami Beach, Palma and Six Fisher Island - see all building guides.
Who sewed the draperies?
Our own seamstresses, in our own South Florida atelier. Nothing here was subcontracted to an outside workroom - read about the workroom.
More projects
12,000 Sq Ft Oceanfront Estate · Fort Lauderdale
Full Lutron Palladiom shading, customized drapery tracks, exclusive imported fabrics. Read the case study.
Six Private Villas · Turks & Caicos
Whole-home Lutron blackout and custom roman shades across six oceanfront villas. Read the case study.
Your questions, answered
Why Lutron Sivoia QS for drapery instead of a standard motorized track?
Sivoia QS moves the panels at a controlled, near-silent speed and holds every track in the home in sync, so a whole wall of sheers opens as one gesture rather than as separate motors starting at different moments. It also lives natively on the same Lutron system as the lighting, so drapery joins scenes instead of needing its own remote.
What is ripplefold, and why was it used here?
Ripplefold carries the fabric on snap tape along the track rather than in pleats, producing continuous S-waves and a very compact stack. On motorized tracks it is the smoothest-gliding heading available, and on floor-to-ceiling glass it keeps the open stack narrow so the view is not blocked.
How do sheer and blackout layers work on the same window?
Each opening carries two independent tracks in the ceiling pocket - a sheer layer for daytime light and privacy, and a blackout layer behind it for sleep. Both are motorized, so the room can move from full view to full darkness without touching a cord.
Who sewed the draperies?
Every panel was cut and sewn in our own South Florida atelier by our in-house seamstresses. Nothing on this project was subcontracted to an outside workroom.
Working with a designer on a Miami Beach residence?
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.
Exotic Shades & Draperies is an independent window-treatment company. This was a private-client project: the owner of the residence commissioned it, not the building, its developer or the hotel brand. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them, and building, developer and brand names are trademarks of their respective owners, used here only to identify where the work was done.