Window treatments for big windows and bigger views
Mountain homes are built around the glass. We bring the samples to you, measure every opening ourselves, and install shades, shutters, blinds and motorized screens built to the exact size of your windows. Free in-home consultations across Asheville, Hendersonville and the rest of Western North Carolina.
Based in Candler, NC, just west of Asheville. Text works too: (828) 532-2213
Light filtering roller shade: you cannot see through it, but daylight passes through the fabric and brightens the room. Norman PrecisionLift: move the shade by hand. Drag the hem bar up or down and it stays where you leave it.
What we install
Get a quote
Big windows
Walls of glass, two-story great rooms, sliding doors and odd shapes.
See big windows
Shades
Roller, solar, honeycomb, sheer and Roman shades.
See shades
Shutters
Wood and composite plantation shutters, built to each opening.
See shutters
Blinds
Wood, faux wood and cordless blinds for every room.
See blinds
SmartDrape
The soft fabric replacement for vertical blinds on sliding doors.
See smartdrape
Motorized and patio screens
Smart shades inside, motorized screens on the porch.
See motorizedRecent work
From our installs
Real homes and real windows, measured and fitted by our team.
Light control
Light filtering, room darkening or blackout
Tap through the fabrics. The right one depends on the room and the direction the window faces.
Glows and stays private
Light filtering
You cannot see through it, but daylight passes through the weave and brightens the whole room. It is the fabric most people choose for living rooms, kitchens and offices.
- Privacy day and night
- Softens glare on screens
- Wide range of colors and textures
Blocks most of the light
Room darkening
An opaque fabric that stops the view and most of the daylight. A thin line of light can still show around the edges of the shade.
- Bedrooms and nurseries
- Media rooms
- Street-facing windows
The darkest option
Blackout
Norman LightGuard 360 adds side channels and a sealed top and bottom to a room darkening roller shade, which closes the light gaps around the fabric.
- Light sleepers and shift workers
- Home theaters
- Nurseries
Keeps the view
Solar screen
An open weave that cuts glare, heat and UV while you still see out. Openness runs from 1% to 10%. Lower numbers block more sun, and higher numbers keep more of the view. On a big window facing the mountains, this is usually the first fabric we show.
- Walls of glass and west-facing rooms
- Rooms with a view worth keeping
- Less private at night with the lights on
How it moves
Motorization and lift options
Every shade can be moved by hand or by a motor. You can mix them from room to room.
By hand, no cords
PrecisionLift
Norman PrecisionLift has no cord at all. Push or pull the hem bar and the shade stays exactly where you leave it. Try it in the window preview on this site.
- Nothing dangling at the window
- Smooth, even travel
- Our standard lift on roller shades
Lift from the bottom rail
Cordless
Honeycomb shades and blinds lift by hand from the bottom rail. There are no cords for children or pets to reach, and nothing to wrap around a cleat.
- Honeycomb shades and blinds
- Top down bottom up available
- Safer around children and pets
For windows that are awkward to reach
SmartRelease
A Norman lift system made for shades you cannot comfortably move by the hem bar. We bring a working sample to your visit so you can try it before deciding.
- A good fit for tall windows
- Try it in person first
- No motor to charge
A motor without a remote
AutoWand
Norman AutoWand puts the motor controls on a slim wand that hangs from the shade. Press a button and the shade moves, with no remote to lose and no app to set up.
- Simple motorization
- Nothing to pair
- Good for guest rooms and offices
Remote, app, voice and schedules
Smart Motorization
Norman Smart Motorization runs one shade or the whole house from a remote, the Norman app or a voice assistant. Schedules can lower west-facing shades in the afternoon and open the bedroom at sunrise.
- Rechargeable battery or hardwired
- Group a whole wall of glass into one scene
- The answer for windows out of reach
A local window treatment company, built for mountain windows
Big Blinds Energy is based in Candler, a few minutes west of Asheville, and works across Western North Carolina. The name is a promise: we are not scared of the big window. Great rooms, walls of glass, sliding doors, transoms, arches and anything up a ladder are the jobs we like best.
Most of what we install is made by Norman Window Fashions, including Soluna roller shades, Normandy and Woodlore shutters and SmartDrape for sliding doors. We also carry Alta, Rowley Window Fashions and SunPro exterior screens.
- Free in-home consultation with samples
- Every window measured by the installing team
- Written, per-window pricing
- Cordless and motorized options on most products
The process
How it works
Three visits at most, and usually two.
We come to you
We bring the samples, so you can hold fabrics and finishes up to your own walls, trim and light. We measure every window while we are there, including the ones up the ladder. The visit is free.
You get a written quote
A clear price for each window, for exactly what you picked. Change it, trim it or take your time with it.
We install
Your order is built to our measurements and installed by our own team. We haul away the old blinds.
Building in the mountains? Start with the windows
New houses across Buncombe, Henderson and Haywood counties close with bare glass or thin builder blinds, and the biggest windows are usually the last thing anyone budgets for. We measure whole homes in one visit, before closing when the builder allows it, and time the install to your move-in date.
- Biltmore Lake
- The Cliffs at Walnut Cove
- Biltmore Park
- Reynolds Mountain
- Livingston Farms
- Kenmure
- Connestee Falls
- Southcliff
- The Ramble
Where we work
Candler is home. We drive to the towns below every week.
Answers
Common questions
How much do custom blinds, shades or shutters cost?
Price depends on the product, the size of each window and how many windows you are covering. Faux wood blinds cost the least, plantation shutters and motorized shades cost the most. We measure during the free in-home visit and give you a written price for your exact windows.
Do you charge for the in-home consultation?
No. We bring the samples to your home so you can match colors and fabrics to your own walls, trim and furniture. We measure every window and leave you with a written quote. There is no charge and no obligation to buy.
What areas do you serve?
We are based in Candler, just west of Asheville, and work across Western North Carolina, including Asheville, Arden, Fletcher, Hendersonville, Weaverville, Black Mountain, Waynesville, Brevard, Mills River, Biltmore Forest, Fairview.
What makes you different on big windows?
We quote them, we measure them in several places, and we install them with our own team. Wide shades, tall shades, walls of glass, sliding doors and arches are the jobs we take on every week, with motors where the window needs one.
Who installs the window treatments?
We do. The person who measures your windows is on the team that installs them, so nothing gets lost between the order and the install.
Let us bring the showroom to you
Book a free in-home consultation. We bring the samples, measure your windows and help you choose what suits your home. There is no charge and no pressure to buy.