POINT-OF-VIEW: New & Noteworthy

COULISSE CELEBRATES 30 YEARS IN BUSINESS

To celebrate 30 years of innovation and growth, family-run business Coulisse revealed its future vision to build a brand-new Coulisse Campus in the Netherlands. A hub for inspiration, pioneering, collaborating and staying ahead of the game for employees and partners alike, creative minds, smart technology, digitization and robotics will interconnect seamlessly to deliver the most forward-thinking solutions for the window covering industry worldwide.

The dream of a new Coulisse Campus of 70,000 square meters was unveiled at the new location—the Elsmoat business park in Enter—at an official press event on October 27. The new billboard, revealed by founders Christiaan and Maurice Roetgering, showed an artistic impression of the new complex. Phase one will be the construction of the first building: a 15,000-square-meter warehouse 13 meters high, of which 2,000 square meters will be automated, which is planned for completion in 2023. Phase two will be building fully automated high-bay warehouse of 7,000 square meters, where radio frequency identification will be in use. Plans are also in place to produce hydrogen with solar energy at this new location to reduce the company’s ecological footprint.

Coulisse is celebrating success across the world. Earlier this year, the company opened its new 50,000-square-foot office, showroom and warehouse in Miami after 10 years of growing success on American soil, followed by the opening of its brand-new Sydney office and showroom a few months later.

ROLL-A-SHADE LAUNCHES REY: NEW HOME-INTEGRATION PRODUCT LINE

Roll-A-Shade, manufacturer of window treatments for commercial applications, launched Rey—a home-integration product line. The Rey product line includes exterior and motorized drapery options that makes home automation and integration easier than ever, the company said. Rey shade systems are engineered to be durable and simple to install, with features that include minimal light gaps, increased privacy and zero wire visibility. “Automation of window coverings has been a welcome evolution in the space over the last decade or so, but it came at the price of clean, minimalistic design due to the bulkiness of the motorheads and the wires attached,” President Steve Williams said. “The Rey product line eliminates and accentuates the open roll design with total motor concealment, wire management and an easy, stable bracket installation. It ticks all the boxes.”

Rey’s concealed wiring and components enable a hassle-free and secure installation. Its sleek and modern design elevates your home and enhances your personal experience. Rey brackets are available in large or small and three exclusive bracket colors with custom options. Rey is available in a wide range of thoughtfully curated fabric collections. The fabric selection has options for heat gain minimization, glare reduction and room darkening for privacy. The company offers free online tools to help with the fabric selection process.

VAKO UNVEILS NEW DECORATIVE TRACK RANGE

VAKO introduced a decorative curtain range in nine colors, including champagne and gold with matching gliders, eyelets and motorization pulleys (for every major motor brand in America) to create a customizable look for every interior. With an eye for detail, the finials and endcaps are designed to flush seamlessly over the round and square tracks to prevent any cutting marks from showing, the company said. The brackets have wall, hidden ceiling and wall-to-wall applications for an effortless install every time. With the matching accessories for both snap and pocket wave tapes, silent gliders and master carriers, every type of curtain can be produced.

THE SHADE STORE INTRODUCES NEW LINE FROM SHEILA BRIDGES

New York-based designer Sheila Bridges’ new line for The Shade Store features five new fabric patterns inspired by “the tastemaker’s childhood memories of traveling, gardening and outdoor play,” according to the company. All are available for use on roman shades, drapes, cornices and custom pillows. They are available in 12 different types of material and 45 different colors.

The patterns elegantly bring any space’s story to life, including Bridges’ acclaimed Harlem Toile de Jouy design. This collection blends her signature storytelling style with soft, neutral fabrics that frame views beautifully without weighing down the window. With a luxurious yet light weight and hand—and a playful variety of mixed-scale patterns—these intricate materials offer a modern aesthetic with endless versatility, designed to effortlessly introduce pattern into the home, according to the company.

Flat Roman Shades: Orgami, Parchment

Pinch Pleat Drapery: Harlem Toile De Jouy, Multi-White Tailored Pleat Drapery: Blossom, White Flat Roman Shades: Archer, Cornsilk Stripe

WINDOW COVERING MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION FILES LAWSUIT CHALLENGING NEW CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION RULE

In late November, the Window Covering Manufacturers Association (WCMA) filed a lawsuit challenging the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) rule, A Safety Standard for Operating Cords on Custom Windows. The final rule requires operating cords on custom window coverings to meet the same requirements as operating cords on stock window coverings. For decades, the CPSC worked with the WCMA on the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/WCMA voluntary safety standard, a standard that the CPSC previously acknowledged has been effective in reducing the risk of injury to children. That is what the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) requires: that the CPSC and the industry work together to develop effective voluntary industry standards. The CPSA requires the CPSC to rely on a voluntary standard that adequately reduces the risk of injury rather than promulgate its own rule. The WCMA first adopted a voluntary standard in 1996 in strict accordance with the internationally respected ANSI. The WCMA has worked with the CPSC, consumer advocacy groups and industry representatives to update the full voluntary standard six times as a result of ongoing industry innovation, technological advances and new product development. The WCMA is finalizing the seventh update to the ANSI/WCMA voluntary safety standard. That update specifically addresses the custom product category and has the same goal as the proposed rule: to eliminate all free-hanging cords from custom products. The updated voluntary standard is based on an analysis of incident data and the technical expertise of the industry, the WCMA said. The industry’s voluntary standard has been a success and has significantly decreased incidents and improved product safety. Industry members have always considered compliance with the standard to be mandatory and the CPSC acknowledges that there is substantial compliance with the standard, according to the WCMA.

The CPSC rule has many problems. Due to the six-month effective date, it does not substantively advance child safety because the rule will eliminate the availability of product before the industry can develop new products and would delay consumer transition to available safer products. The CPSC staff briefing acknowledged the industry will need at least two years to develop completely new products. “The new rule ignores the fact that safety incidents have steadily declined since the voluntary standard has been in effect,” the WCMA said. “CPSC also completely fails to account for the significant cost increase to consumers and the enormous harm that the rule will cause to the billion-dollar commercial market for custom window coverings, despite that there is no data to suggest those products pose a risk.