Solar Shades
Solar shades are woven screen fabrics rated by openness: 1% for maximum heat and glare control, 3% for most South Florida glass, 5% and 10% where the view and daylight matter more. Exotic Shades & Draperies fabricates them in Fort Lauderdale with Mermet and Phifer screens woven in the USA and the full Lutron library and installs them from Miami Beach to Palm Beach.
Keep the view. Lose the heat.
Floor-to-ceiling glass is why you bought the home - and why it is 90 degrees at 4pm. Solar shades are woven screen fabrics measured in openness factor: a 3% weave blocks roughly 97% of UV while preserving the water view; 1% maximizes heat rejection; 5%-10% keeps the outlook airiest. The right factor per exposure is the whole craft.
Recently: Turnberry Ocean Club, Sunny Isles Beach - Mermet E-Screen 5% White/Linen on the ocean and Intracoastal exposures, keeping the view open through the glare. Also: Salato, Pompano Beach - E Screen 3% where the side of the building hits the dining glass, 5% on the ocean to keep the view, same White/White fabric throughout.
We spec openness and fabric color window by window - darker weaves read clearer to the eye, lighter weaves reflect more heat - then fabricate each shade to the millimeter in our own workroom. Most solar shades we install are motorized, riding schedules that follow the sun.
See it on the water: an oceanfront residence on Bay Drive, Pompano Beach - Phifer SheerWeave 4000 Eco 5% in Alabaster across five sliders, the horizon still reading through the weave.
Solar screen fabric by the numbers
Total solar transmittance (Ts)
Mermet E Screen charcoal: 3% at 1% openness, 5% at 3%, 7% at 5%, 12% at 10%. E Screen white: 14%, 16%, 20% and 25% at the same openness, because white transmits more light and reflects the rest.
Reflectance and view
E Screen White/White 3% reflects 73% of solar energy and rates 17% view-through; Charcoal/Grey 3% reflects 10%, absorbs 85% and rates 42% view-through. Dark weaves see out, light weaves bounce heat.
Fabric and fire rating
E Screen is 36% fiberglass, 64% vinyl, 120 in usable width, rated NFPA 701 and California Title 19. Across the Lutron library, 526 colourways carry an NFPA 701 rating and 376 carry Title 19.
Range we carry
The Lutron library lists 107 solar-screen colourways at 1%, 128 at 3%, 95 at 5% and 42 at 10%, across E Screen, T Screen, M Screen, Basketweave, Sheerweave 4900, SheerLite, Aura and others; every one can be ordered as a memo sample.
Openness, color & hardware
Openness Factor, Explained
1% for maximum heat rejection, 3%-5% for the glare/view sweet spot, 10% for the lightest touch - we bring samples so you judge in your own light.
Dark vs Light Fabrics
Counterintuitive but true: darker screens give the clearest view and best glare control; lighter screens reflect more solar heat. Exposure decides.
UV & Fade Protection
Screen fabrics block the UV that fades rugs, art, and hardwood - protection your interiors feel in year five.
Cassettes & Open Rolls
Concealed cassettes, architectural fascias, or minimalist open rolls to suit the ceiling detail.
Dual Day-Night Option
Solar screen + blackout on one bracket, hidden in one 5 x 5 in Vertilux fascia - view by day, darkness by night, one window. Explore dual roller shades. For alternating sheer and solid bands, see our zebra shades.
Motorized & Automated
Lutron and Somfy motors with sun-tracking schedules - shades lower before the afternoon load arrives.
Recent installations
Estate Pool View
Canal-Front Glare Control
Solar Rollers
Frequently asked
Do solar shades give privacy at night?
No - screen fabrics reverse at night when interior lights are on. We pair them with lined or blackout drapery, or a blackout dual roller, for evening privacy. A sheer on its own will not do it: like the screen, it reads through once the lights are on.
Which openness factor should I choose?
3%-5% is the South Florida sweet spot for water views; 1% for brutal west exposures. We bring samples to judge in your own light.
How much heat do they actually cut?
Quality screen fabrics reject a large share of solar heat gain before it enters the room - the difference is felt immediately on west-facing glass, and your AC notices too.
Can they be motorized?
Almost all of ours are - battery or wired Lutron and Somfy, with schedules that track the sun. See motorized shades.
Woven in the USA. Specified by the numbers.
Solar screen is where the fabric decides everything: the view, the glare, the heat and whether the shade still hangs flat in year five. We specify Mermet, woven in South Carolina, and Phifer SheerWeave, woven in Alabama, and only their best grades, with the spec sheet in the quote.
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
Discerning homeowners, designers, and developers across South Florida trust Exotic with their most important spaces.
"I'm really happy with my new curtains! The team came to my place, helped me choose the right fabric, and guided me through the whole process. Great service and beautiful results. Highly recommend, A+."
"We were referred to Exotic Shades by our contractor. They understood exactly what we had in mind and delivered it. The whole process was simple, and the pricing was very good."
"I needed help adjusting the existing Lutron shades in my new home. Most companies would not touch a system installed by someone else, but Exotic sent a technician the same week."
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.
Solar shades in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Boca Raton & Palm Beach
Solar shades in 1% to 10% openness screens that cut heat, glare and UV while keeping the water view - specified per exposure for Intracoastal, oceanfront and golf-course glass. 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.
The right solar shade for every exposure
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.