Cellular Shades in La Crosse for a Coulee Region Winter
Cellular shades in La Crosse earn their keep from December through February. Their honeycomb cells hold a layer of still air against cold glass at night. A light-filtering fabric softens snow glare by day without blocking the low winter sun. Choose double cells for the coldest rooms. Then close them at dusk.
Below are four winter numbers from our corner of the Coulee Region, and what each one asks of your windows.
What does a Coulee Region winter look like, by the numbers?
First, a word on the land. Our bluffs and coulees sit in the Driftless Area. A UW-La Crosse professor told WPR that the glaciers appear to have missed this corner of the state. So the ice never left its usual drift of silt, gravel and rock here. That's where the name comes from. It's also a hilly place to live. Plenty of homes sit on slopes, in valleys or right up against a bluff.
Now the weather. The Wisconsin State Climatology Office keeps the long-term record at La Crosse Regional Airport. Its 1991 to 2020 normals give us these:
- 46.3 inches of snow in an average year.
- 10.9 inches of that in December alone.
- 32.6°F for the average December high.
- 17.6°F for the average December low.
Add up December, January and February. You get about 32 inches of snow. That's roughly seven of every ten inches the city sees all year, and it falls in the same months as the shortest days.
What are cellular shades?
A cellular shade is a fabric shade built from rows of small tubes. Seen from the side, each tube looks like a honeycomb cell. Some people call them honeycomb shades for that reason.
Those cells are the whole point in winter. Each one holds a pocket of air in front of the window. Air that stays still holds heat better than air that moves. A shade with one row of cells is called single cell. A shade with two rows stacked together is double cell, so it holds two layers of air. Our cellular shades page offers both.
You also pick how much light gets through. Four fabric levels are offered. Sheer lets the most light in. Semi-sheer is next, then light filtering. Room darkening blocks the most. Cell size is a choice too. Our page lists three sizes to pick from.
Number one, 17.6°F: what happens at the glass on a December night?
The glass turns icy. Room air that touches it chills and slides down toward the floor. You feel that as a chill near the window, even when nothing is leaking.
A closed cellular shade puts a padded layer in front of that glass. Close it when the sun goes down, not at bedtime. By then the room has already lost an evening of warmth to the window.
A few things help a cellular shade do more on cold nights:
- Go double cell in the coldest rooms. North bedrooms and rooms on the windy side of a bluff are good places to start.
- Mount it inside the frame when you can. The shade sits close to the glass. Cellular shades need less frame depth than many styles, so even shallow frames often work.
- Think about the sides. An inside mount leaves a thin gap at each edge. For a bedroom that also needs real dark, ask about light guards or block-out channels.
- Pair it with drapery where it's coldest. A shade plus a lined panel gives you two layers.
Number two, 10.9 inches: how do you handle snow glare?
Snow throws sunlight back up into the house. On a bright morning after a snowfall, a south or east window can be hard to look at. The glare comes from below, off the yard and the street.
That's where a top-down bottom-up cellular shade shines. Lower the top and raise the bottom so the shade covers the lower part of the glass. The bright snow is blocked. The upper glass stays open to the sky, so the room keeps its daylight.
Fabric choice matters here too. Light-filtering or semi-sheer fabric turns harsh glare into a soft glow. Room-darkening fabric is too much for a living room on a sunny day. Save it for bedrooms.
Number three, 22.8°: why let the low sun in?
On December 21, the sun climbs only 22.8 degrees above the horizon at its highest in La Crosse. That's from the U.S. Naval Observatory sun tables. In late June, the same table puts it at 69.6 degrees.
A low sun reaches deep into a room. On a clear December day, south windows can pour sunshine across the floor until mid-afternoon. That light is free warmth, and it makes a gray month feel brighter.
So don't keep south shades closed all day. A simple routine works for many homes:
- Morning: open east and south shades once the sun is up.
- Midday: let south rooms soak it in. Use a top-down setting if the snow glare is too much.
- Late afternoon: close west and north shades first as the light fades.
- Dusk: close everything. Start with bedrooms.
Our cellular shades come cordless, so the routine is easy to keep. Nothing hangs down, which suits homes with kids and pets. If you have tall or high windows, motorized shades can follow the routine for you.
Thermal curtains or cellular shades: which is better for winter?
Both help. They work in different ways, and many cold rooms do best with both.
A cellular shade hangs right at the window, with its cells full of still air. It handles daily light and stacks small when raised. Thermal curtains are lined drapery panels. They hang in front of the window. They add a heavier layer at night and a softer look by day.
| Option | At the cold glass | Daytime light | Fits small windows and French doors | Look |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single cell cellular shade | Good layer of trapped air | Many fabric choices | Yes, stacks tight | Clean and simple |
| Double cell cellular shade | More trapped air | Many fabric choices | Yes, stacks tight | Clean, a bit fuller |
| Lined thermal drapery | Helps most when closed and hung close | Pulled back by day | Often too bulky | Soft and tailored |
| Cellular shade plus drapery | Two layers | Shade by day, drapery at night | Shade on the door, panels beside it | Layered |
If your home is older with tall sash windows, drapery may matter more than you'd think. Our earlier post on insulated drapes for drafty old windows covers lining, a closed top and sealed edges.
Are cellular shades still popular?
Popular is the wrong test. Ask whether they fit your windows and your winter.
On looks, cellular shades suit the simple style many homes have now. They come in soft textures and a wide range of colors. With no slats or cords hanging down, a room looks calm. They also layer well under drapery when you want a warmer look.
On fit, they handle windows other styles struggle with. That includes French doors, narrow windows and frames without much depth. When raised, they fold into a small stack at the top.
They aren't perfect for every room. A cellular shade hides the window when it's down, so a big view window may want something you can see through. In a steamy bathroom, faux wood or vinyl blinds are the safer pick.
Which La Crosse rooms should get cellular shades first?
Start where winter bothers you most. For a lot of homes around here, that's:
- The coldest bedroom, often on the north or west side.
- Any room facing up a bluff, where the trees are bare and the wind hits hard.
- French doors and patio doors that take a cold blast every time someone steps out.
- The room where you sit every evening, since dusk now comes in the late afternoon.
Bluff homes have one more reason to close up at night. Bare branches leave lit rooms on display. The bluff-home privacy guide for bare-tree season walks through that side of winter.
What's a good first step this December?
Pick one cold room. Stand at the window on a clear morning after a snowfall, then again at dusk. You'll learn what that room needs from both ends of the day.
When you're ready, we can bring single and double cell samples to your home. You'll see them in your own snow light. While we're there, we measure each window and walk you through a clear quote. Our home page has more on cellular shades in La Crosse and how a visit works. Book your free consultation.
Kevin Sill is CFO and co-owner of the family-owned Budget Blinds franchises serving La Crosse, Winona and the Coulee Region.