Shades & Blinds Editor

Owen Reyes

Owen is the voice behind our shades and blinds coverage. His articles cover cordless honeycomb mechanics, CPSC 2022 compliance, roller shade fabric grades, roman shade fold behavior, motor protocols (Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Matter) and the mount-depth specs that decide whether a pick will even fit your frame. If you want to understand the engineering before paying for the lift mechanism, Owen's articles are where to start.
150 articles 14 specialties

Rae Smart Motorized Bamboo Woven vs Alvin Motorized Linen Roller: Which Two Pages Smart Shade Wins for Your Window?

Scandinavian-modern interior at golden hour with window treatment, neutral palette, editorial home photography for Rae Smart Motorized Bamboo Woven vs

Verdict First If you want a natural fiber aesthetic, 20 colorways across jute, flax and bamboo, and a uniform 60% shading on every panel, Rae Smart Motorized Bamboo (Series P) wins at from $109.99/shade. If you want the lowest entry on a smart-motorized roller, a room darkening light filtering wrap, and a tall-drop reach up … Read more

Two Pages vs Smartwings Motorized Roller Shades: The Real Verdict (2026)

Scandinavian-modern interior at golden hour with window treatment, neutral palette, editorial home photography for Two Pages vs Smartwings Motorized Roller

On the product page, Two Pages Alvin Motorized Linen and Smartwings Motorized Roller Shades look like the same category wearing different jerseys: a roller tube, a smart motor, a configurator, a Matter-flavored smart home pitch. The configurator says otherwise. One ships native to Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa and SmartThings without any Thread border router … Read more

Two Pages vs Somfy Motorized Roller Shades: The Real Verdict (2026)

Scandinavian-modern living room at golden hour with a cream motorized roller shade halfway raised over a large window, light oak side table, brass control

If you want a finished motorized blackout roller shade that connects to Apple Home, Google Home, Alexa, and SmartThings out of the box for under $90 configured on a standard bedroom window, Two Pages Alvin Motorized Blackout Boutique is the answer. If you want a long-horizon motor with hub-mediated scene control, RF reliability behind thick … Read more