Summer-Proof Your Home: How Automated Shades Keep Families Cool
Reliable Home Comfort that Works Even When the Teenagers Are in Charge
Ah, the long-awaited summer finally arrives in Chicago. Kids can ride their bikes to the Lincoln Park Zoo, teenagers meet friends at North Avenue Beach, and parents juggle work schedules that might include Monday morning Zoom calls from the home office or Friday afternoon flexibility. But when your family's lakefront lifestyle has everyone scattered across the city's 18-mile trail system, who's managing the house? Those elegant windows in your brownstone flood spaces with afternoon heat while you're downtown and the kids perfect their volleyball serves at the beach. Automated shading works like having a responsible adult at home—handling comfort and energy efficiency so you can focus on what matters most during Chicago's brief but glorious summer season.
Family Realities
Your teenagers have mastered grabbing towels, sunscreen, snacks, and bikes before disappearing to the lakefront for entire days. What skills are they not so proficient at? Closing blinds before leaving, turning off lights, and understanding what temperature they left the thermostat on. By 3 PM, your beautiful home has become a greenhouse. West-facing rooms bear the brunt of the afternoon sun streaming through those gorgeous windows you love while your air conditioning system works overtime trying to keep up. Even with a flexible work schedule that has you home some days, you can't predict when the sun will shift or when clouds will roll in off Lake Michigan. The old approach—sticky notes reminding kids to "please close the blinds!"—works about as well as you'd expect. You're left choosing between uncomfortably high energy bills or closing all the shades before leaving in the morning, turning your home into a cave just to prevent it from becoming an oven.
Your Automated Home Assistant
Automated shades work like having the world's most reliable house-sitter—one who never gets distracted by TikTok or forgets to check the weather. Your system learns your home's patterns, automatically adjusting throughout the day as the sun moves across the sky. Morning light gently filters in as everyone starts their day, and shades respond to increasing heat before your teenagers even think about grabbing their beach gear. While you're in meetings downtown or the kids are losing track of time at the harbors, your home maintains perfect comfort levels. The beauty extends beyond just window coverings—integrated with home automation systems like Savant, your automated shades coordinate with lighting and HVAC controls for maximum energy efficiency. As afternoon sun hits those large windows, shades lower while the air conditioning adjusts accordingly, preventing the system from battling against solar heat gain. When everyone finally returns home after sunset beach walks or lakefront dinners, they're greeted by comfortable temperatures and the perfect ambiance for family time, not a stifling house that screams teenage forgetfulness.
Shade Solutions for the Whole Family
Different rooms call for different approaches to managing the summer sun and natural light throughout the year. Sleek roller shades work beautifully in home offices, preventing glare during video calls without sacrificing the natural light that makes working from home so enjoyable on those flexible Mondays and Fridays. Family rooms benefit from Roman shades that soften harsh afternoon light while maintaining the elegant feel of your neighborhood's historic charm. For teenagers who've perfected the art of sleeping until noon, blackout shades in bedrooms ensure they can actually rest. Motorized drapery tracks shine in dining areas where you're entertaining other families, providing instant privacy or openness depending on the occasion.
Lutron’s sophisticated Palladiom roller shades, with their hand-finished aluminum brackets and carbon fiber tubes, complement the architectural details found in many homes in Lakeview, Lincoln Park and the Gold Coast. Wire-free battery options work perfectly for older brownstones where running new electrical lines isn't practical. Fabric choices range from sheer weaves that preserve lake views while reducing heat to room-darkening materials that block UV rays, protecting your furniture and artwork from fading.
Enjoy the summer and worry less about managing your home with motorized window treatments. Contact Barrett's Technology Solutions to discover how automated shading lets you focus on the season's fun with your family—isn't that what counts?
