Blinds and Shades in Sullivan’s Island, SC
Bumble Bee Blinds of Lowcountry makes custom blinds, shades, plantation shutters, drapery and motorized window treatments for homes on Sullivan’s Island, SC. Blinds on Sullivan’s Island have a lot to handle, from the bright light off the water to the salt riding in on the breeze, so we make every one to fit your window and the way you live in each room. It all starts with a free in-home design consultation, where we bring the samples right to your door and help you choose, and it finishes with our own installation team fitting everything for you. We’re a local, owner-led team, and we come over to the island from our showroom on Brandam Lane, so we’re never very far away when you need us.
Window Treatments Made for Island Sun, Salt Air and Humidity
The island’s older frame houses were built to live with extreme sun, high humidity and steady coastal breezes, and the newer homes along the beach and the marsh deal with the very same weather today. Glare bounces off the water in the afternoon, the air stays damp for most of the summer, and a little salt comes in with every breeze.
We choose window shades on Sullivan’s Island room by room, starting with the light and the air each room gets. Rooms that look out over the ocean or the marsh do well with solar shades that cut the glare and keep your view, and we recommend fabrics and finishes that hold up in salt air and humidity. A bedroom that catches the early sun can go with a room-darkening fabric, while a living room usually just needs a light-filtering shade to take the edge off the brightness.
Moisture matters just as much as the sun does. Our plantation shutters are designed to stand up to humidity and salt air, and Sullivan’s Island homes are exactly the kind we have in mind for them. Composite is the most popular shutter material in the Lowcountry, and faux wood is the favorite for blinds, since faux wood blinds resist moisture and wipe clean easily in kitchens, bathrooms and rooms by an open porch door.
Blinds, Shades and Shutters for Sullivan’s Island Homes
Every window in an island house has its own job to do, and our range covers all of them.
Blinds
Wood, faux wood, vinyl, vertical and motorized blinds all have a place in an island home. Wood brings warmth to a dining room or a study, faux wood and vinyl handle the kitchen and bathrooms where the air stays damp, and vertical blinds work nicely at the sliding doors out to the porch. You can look through the full range of custom blinds we make ahead of your visit, and we’ll bring samples so you can compare them right at the window.
Shades
Our shades include roller and solar roller, cellular, Roman, natural woven, banded and sheer styles. Woven shades suit a relaxed beach cottage, Roman shades soften a bedroom, and cellular shades help keep a room comfortable through a long, hot summer. Each style comes in a wide selection of fabrics, textures and colors for custom shades, so you can match the feel of every room.
Plantation Shutters
Plantation shutters on Sullivan’s Island look right at home in living rooms and bedrooms, and they work across sliding patio doors too. We handle arches and other specialty shapes, so an unusual window in an older house still gets a shutter made just for it.
Drapery and Curtains
Custom drapes and curtain panels add softness and color to a room, and they layer nicely over a shade when you want more say over the light. A solar shade paired with made-to-order curtains and draperies gives you a finished look by day and a little more privacy at night.
Outdoor Shades
Porches are a big part of island life, and outdoor shades for porches, decks and balconies keep them comfortable when the afternoon sun swings around. Screened porches are a great fit as well. For a breezy spot, we can add wind locks and side channels that keep the shade steady in gusty coastal weather.
From Historic Island Cottages to New Raised Builds
The island carries a lot of history in its houses, and about 27 percent of homes here were built in 1939 or earlier, with roughly 37 percent built before 1960. Plenty of the cottages in Moultrieville and Atlanticville and along the numbered Stations still have their original window openings, and those openings rarely come in standard sizes. Every blind, shade and shutter we make is measured and built to the window, so a frame that has settled a bit over the years, or a tall, narrow window, still gets a clean fit. Plantation shutters can be customized to the unique dimensions of older homes, which is one reason they look so natural here.
Most homes on the island are single-family houses, about nine in ten, and most are owned by the people who live in them. New raised builds and big renovations get the same made-to-measure care. One customer finishing a new build told us our salesperson kept in touch every step of the way and hung temporary shades for them until the final install.
Historic homes on the porch side need a little extra planning. The Town asks for a Certificate of Appropriateness, plus a building permit, before changes to a designated historic property. Most residential outdoor shade installs don’t need a permit, and our team will help you check local ordinances and HOA guidelines before anything goes up on your porch.
Motorized Shades for Second Homes and Tall Windows
Plenty of island houses sit quiet for weeks at a time, and nearly one in five homes here is kept for seasonal or occasional use. Motorized shades on Sullivan’s Island make those stretches away a lot easier. Our motorized shades run by remote, app or voice, and you can schedule them to open and close at set times of day. They can even make the house look lived-in while you’re back home somewhere else.
They’re a real help for tall windows too, like the glass over a stairwell or up high in a two-story great room, where reaching a cord was never very practical. Cordless and motorized options take the cords out of the room entirely, which keeps children and pets safer. Most existing windows can be fitted with motorized shades, so you don’t have to start over to add them.
Your Free In-Home Design Consultation
Our design consultant brings the showroom to your home, with swatches and sample books, so you can see every color in the light your own rooms get, morning and afternoon. We measure every window, talk through what each room needs and give you a precise quote. You can preview options with our visualizer tool as well, before you make any decision.
The free 60-second price estimator gives you an instant range if you’d like a number before we visit, and it usually lands within about 10 to 15 percent of the final quote. Custom blinds typically run about $200 to $550 for a single window, and the range grows with the number of windows you’re covering.
Every price covers the made-to-measure product and professional installation. There are no separate measuring, delivery or labor fees, and manufacturer warranty coverage is included, along with our workmanship warranty. Flexible financing is available too, and your design consultant will walk you through the current options at your visit, so you can take your time deciding what works for you.
Why Sullivan’s Island Homeowners Choose Bumble Bee Blinds of Lowcountry
We’re a local company, and our owner, Luis, still comes out to homes himself. One customer, Debra, said he "took his time with us, came to our home himself, never made us feel pressured," and that he worked with her family to keep the project within their budget. Several reviews name our installers, Collin and Paul, as friendly, careful and extremely competent, the kind of people anyone would be glad to have working in their home. Another customer told us the installer cleaned up everything before he left and made sure the house was in perfect condition. We stay with you after the install as well, with repair, maintenance and warranty support for as long as you need it.
Schedule Your Free Consultation
We’d love to come out to the island, see your windows and talk through what would work best in each room, whenever you’re ready. Schedule your free consultation and we’ll bring the samples, take the measurements and answer any questions that are particular to your home.
