d i s COV E R
COVER STORY The cover for this issue of Window Fashion VISION magazine is from the rooftop pool area at the Midtown Miami-located residential rental building Midtown 29 designed by Shades By Design. “When you create a project in a hightraffic area, you must first think about durability and maintenance,” said Gil Breef, president of Shades By Design. Using the color palette selected by Midtown 29’s design team, Shades By Design created the custom draperies for the cabanas. The curtains are made from Sunbrella outdoor fabric with outdoorgraded stainless-steel hardware and grommets.
With a large team of engineers and designers, Shades By Design has the skills and capabilities to do a variety of projects, from large commercial projects to small window treatment designs and installations for single-family homes. Since the pandemic, Shades By Design has seen an increased demand from homeowners who want to upgrade pergolas, install insect-repellent screens and create livable outdoor spaces that better utilize their available space. “Creating a real outdoor living space is a much more European concept,”
Although based in South Florida, Shades By Design does many projects in the Caribbean, as well as in other regions of the United States. An interesting project Breef and his team recently completed was to design and install a massive exterior roof and vertical shade system for a greenhouse in Nantucket, MA. “My in-house team of engineers and designers worked with the architectural engineering firm so it could build the structure based on our needs to install the shades required by the greenhouse,” said Breef.
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MAY + JUNE 2022 | wf-vision.com
said Breef. “But, now there is greater demand in the U.S. and the quality of products available are better and many that are coming from outside the U.S. are very sophisticated.” Breef and his brother started Shades By Design in 2014 as an extension of their existing New York City-based window treatment company New York Window Fashions. Shades By Design 6017 NW 6th Ct., Miami, FL 305-859-1055 ShadesByDesign.com
“Nantucket is a tough environment. It has high winds, snow and is an island off the coast of Massachusetts. The greenhouse had to have a retractable roof shade system that could operate in these varying elements.” For the project, Breef used Renson Outdoor from Belgium. It is one of the two European companies—the other is the German company Markilux Awnings—that Breef likes.
And when it comes to hurricane shutters, which, being based in South Florida, Shades By Design installs on a regular basis, Breef particularly likes the retractable hurricane systems by Progressive Screens. Shades By Design is also a certified dealer for Lutron and Creston. And its motor of choice for its motorized window treatment systems, pergolas and retractable awnings is from Somfy. V