Custom Blinds in Essex, Ontario: Harrow, Essex Centre, McGregor & Colchester
Our showroom is on King Street in Harrow, so the Town of Essex is home for us: brick homes in Essex Centre and Harrow, farmhouses on the concession roads, newer builds, and cottages along Lake Erie.
In short
- Our showroom is at 49 King St in Harrow, and free in-home visits cover every community in the Town of Essex.
- Older homes in Essex Centre and Harrow need careful measuring around original trim and out-of-square frames.
- Lake Erie beach communities look south into strong sun and glare, so screen shades come first there.
- Every product we sell can be motorized, with a 3-year in-house warranty on the motor and its programming.
On this page
Our home town
The Town of Essex was formed in 1999 from the former towns of Essex and Harrow and the townships of Colchester North and Colchester South. Today it takes in Essex Centre, Harrow, McGregor and Colchester, rural crossroads such as New Canaan and Vereker, and a string of beach communities along Lake Erie, including Ambassador, Belcreft, Klie's, Levergood, Lypps and Seymour beaches.
We live and work here, so a lot of the windows in town are ones we've already measured. That local knowledge shows up in small ways: knowing which streets have deep-silled older homes, which new builds have shallow window frames, and how hard the sun hits a lake-facing cottage in July.
Visit the Harrow showroom
Our showroom is at 49 King St, Harrow, ON N0R 1G0. Visits are by appointment, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. You can handle zebra, roller, triple and honeycomb fabrics, compare colours side by side and see motorized shades move.
Most people still make the final choice at home, because fabric looks different in your own light. Book either one, or both: call 226-788-4283 or book a free visit.
Older homes in Essex Centre and Harrow
The older streets of Essex Centre and Harrow have brick homes with tall double-hung windows, deep original trim and plaster walls. After a century of settling, frames are rarely square.
- Measure at several points. We check the width at the top, middle and bottom, and the height on both sides, before choosing an inside mount.
- Show off good trim. If the frame is deep enough, an inside mount keeps the trim visible. If not, an outside mount fixed to the top of the trim looks deliberate rather than added on.
- Suit the room. Roman shades and pinch-pleat drapery suit traditional rooms; zebra blinds in a soft neutral give modern light control without a modern look.
Our guide to older Windsor homes goes into more detail, and almost all of it applies here.
Farmhouses and country properties
On the concession roads there is often nothing between the house and the horizon. Privacy is less of a concern; sun, wind and dust are the real issues.
- West-facing kitchens and family rooms take the full afternoon sun across open fields. Screen shades cut the glare and keep the view.
- Drafty original windows benefit most from double-cell honeycomb shades, which add the most insulation of any shade. See honeycomb shades.
- Dusty seasons favour fabrics that wipe or vacuum clean, such as roller and zebra fabrics, over delicate natural fibres.
Lake Erie beach communities
The beach communities along the Colchester shore look south across Lake Erie. Lake-facing windows get sun most of the day, all year, plus glare reflected off the water. Screen shades in a darker colour, with a 1% to 3% openness factor, keep the lake in view while cutting the glare and heat. Cottages that sit closed part of the year do best with synthetic, moisture-resistant fabrics. Our lakefront homes guide covers the details.
Newer homes around Essex Centre, Harrow and McGregor
Newer homes bring open-concept main floors, wide patio doors and, often, black window frames. Choose one product family and one cassette colour for the main floor so it reads as one space, and plan any hardwired motors before drywall. See blinds for new homes and blinds for black window frames.
What Essex homeowners choose most
- Zebra blinds in living and dining rooms, for light control through the day.
- Blackout roller shades in bedrooms.
- Screen shades on lake-facing and west-facing windows.
- Honeycomb shades on drafty windows in older homes and farmhouses.
- Motorized shades on high, wide or hard-to-reach windows, with a 3-year in-house warranty on every motor and its programming.
Common questions
Where is your showroom?
At 49 King St, Harrow, ON N0R 1G0. Visits are by appointment, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., seven days a week. Call 226-788-4283 to book.
Do you come to McGregor, Colchester and the Lake Erie beaches?
Yes. Free in-home visits cover the whole Town of Essex, including Essex Centre, Harrow, McGregor, Colchester and the beach communities along the lake.
Can I see motorized blinds before I buy?
Yes. We bring a motorized demo to the in-home visit, and you can see motorized shades at the Harrow showroom by appointment.
Is the consultation really free?
Yes. The visit, the measuring and the written quote are free, with no obligation to buy.
