Playing in the residential and commercial worlds, Draper has 100+ years of experience providing robust products. With a focus on resi, Draper At Home has expanded the company’s integrator-friendly motorized shade control options that deliver various forms and functionalities for customers.

Tabi Quick, National Manager C.I., Draper At Home, took time to answer questions from us regarding the company’s latest motorized shade control solutions for interior and exterior.

Let’s start off with Draper At Home’s latest solutions – tell me about what you showed in your CEDIA Expo 2024 booth and how attendees reacted?

TABI QUICK: CEDIA Expo is a big shading show for us, both indoor and outdoor shading. Indoors, we had two newly available solutions that caught a lot of attention.

The FlexStyle Cassette is shipped with the roller and fabric installed in the cassette. The installer just needs to mount the two or three spring loaded brackets, pop the extruded cassette in, and it’s ready!

The Gabled Bottom Up FlexShade is a solution for windows that are angled at the top, and is manufactured in our standard production cells to fit angles up to 45 degrees.

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While our main push at this show is shades, we also generated some excitement on the AV side. CEDIA 2024 was the first chance for many integrators to see first-hand examples of our mounts and structures for LED walls. As LED makes inroads to this market, we have standard and custom solutions that make installation easier and enhance viewer experience.

Draper At Home has highlighted its outdoor motorized shade controls solutions during CEDIA Expo’s Destination Outdoors. (Courtesy of Draper at Home).

The new Draper At Home fixed frame screen, the StyleLine, got a lot of attention. We used a StyleLine to project a video game as part of our Elevate Your Game giveaway of a racing simulator package.

Integrators like the fact that you can choose your trim – Borderless, Thin, and Bold – and that they can easily add LED lighting to an integrated channel on the back of the frame.

What are you seeing in the market that’s driving Draper At Home’s motorized shade controls R&D?

QUICK: People are asking more of their homes, both inside and out, and they’re looking for smart technology to help them maximize their home time and allow them to stay in their homes later in life.

Making better use of outdoor spaces is another key driver, as people are looking to make patios and other spaces more comfortable for a longer period of the year.

Are there are some best practices or due diligence advice for integrators to enter the motorized shade control category or perhaps level up if they’ve been in it a while?

QUICK: Outdoor shading is definitely an area integrators should be looking at, but there are challenges that you don’t find with interior shading installation.

Work with a manufacturer who is willing to educate you on the best practices for dealing with outdoor conditions.

Draper has been around for a long time – how are the latest solutions catering to the integration channel in terms of feature sets & integrations?

QUICK: Today’s smart solutions cater to the specific needs of the homeowner like no other time in the past. Through timers, sensors, software, and other means, the technology in a home creates an environment according to the homeowners’ needs, rather than reacting to some action they take.

How does Draper At Home support dealers with showroom collateral, trainings, events, etc.?

QUICK: Draper At Home offers a variety of educational modules for dealers on AV and shading topics, including outdoor living.

We have held a variety of in-person shade training events both at our Spiceland, Ind., facility and at locations throughout the United States.

We have motorized shade controls product samples and literature available for order 24/7 from our online request site. And of course, we make showroom products available as well. Integrators can get specifics from their regional rep firm or me (https://www.draperathome.com/contactus/?Sel=Res).

Anything on the roadmap for 2025 you can share?

QUICK: We have a few things in the works. I can’t get into too many details, but I can say look for even more new shading solutions in 2025, for inside and out, and including some news on the controls front!

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