Window Treatments & Motorization
PowerView, Lutron or Somfy? Choosing a Shade Motor for Your Florida Home
All three make excellent motors. The right one depends on what else is in your house, what kind of treatment you're motorizing and how you want to control it.
When clients ask which shade motor is best, the honest answer is that Hunter Douglas PowerView, Lutron and Somfy are all excellent. We install all three every week. The better question is which one fits your home, because the right choice depends far more on the rest of the house than on the motor itself.
This comparison comes from what we see on real installs across Broward and Palm Beach: which systems clients find easiest to live with, where each one shines, and the combinations that cause headaches later.
Hunter Douglas PowerView
PowerView is the motorization system built into Hunter Douglas products: Duette, Pirouette, Silhouette, Luminette, Designer Roller and screen shades, along with PowerView drapery hardware. Because Hunter Douglas designs the shade and the motor together, the fit and finish are excellent and the motor is hidden in the headrail.
Power: battery wand, rechargeable battery, or hardwired.
Control: the PowerView app, handheld and wall-mounted remotes, schedules and scenes. The PowerView Gateway connects the shades to popular voice assistants and has integrations for major home control systems.
Where it shines: homes that want great-looking Hunter Douglas shades with a polished app and voice control, without investing in a whole-home lighting system. It's also a strong choice for condos, where battery power avoids running wire through concrete.
What to consider: PowerView only runs Hunter Douglas products. If you plan Lutron lighting keypads throughout the house, ask how the shades will appear on those keypads before you order.
Lutron shading
Lutron is best known for lighting control, and its shades are designed to live on the same system. That's the big advantage: one engraved keypad by the door can set the lights and the shades together, and every scene and schedule lives in one app. We install several Lutron lines depending on the project:
- Serena, battery-powered or wired roller, honeycomb and wood blind shades that fit existing homes and work with Lutron's wireless systems.
- Triathlon, very quiet battery or wired shades for larger systems.
- Sivoia QS, wired shades and drapery tracks for new construction and major renovations.
- Palladiom shading, a premium wired option with minimal, architectural hardware.
Control: Lutron keypads, the Lutron app, schedules tied to sunrise and sunset, and voice control through Josh.ai and other assistants. Scenes run on the system inside the home, so keypads keep working without internet.
Where it shines: any home with Lutron lighting control, or planning it. It's the platform we recommend most for whole-home automation, and it pairs naturally with Josh.ai voice control.
What to consider: the best Lutron shading experience comes as part of a Lutron system. For a single motorized shade in a guest room, it can be more than you need.
Somfy
Somfy makes motors rather than finished shades, and its motors power products from many fabricators around the world. That flexibility is its strength. We use Somfy for custom Roman shades, motorized drapery, exterior screens and awnings, and projects where several shade styles from different makers need one control.
Power: hardwired, battery and rechargeable motors, with quiet interior lines and heavy-duty exterior motors.
Control: remotes, wall switches, a hub for app and voice control, and interfaces for professional control systems. Exterior motors pair with wind sensors that retract shades and awnings automatically.
Where it shines: outdoor shading, custom fabrications and mixed-brand houses. For a lanai with motorized screens, Somfy is the default.
What to consider: because Somfy powers so many products, the experience depends on the shade it's built into and how it's set up. That's why we program and test every motor ourselves.
Hear the difference before you choose
Our showroom has PowerView, Lutron and Somfy motors running side by side. Motor noise and speed are easy to compare in person.
Book a showroom visitSide-by-side comparison
| PowerView | Lutron | Somfy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built into | Hunter Douglas shades and drapery hardware | Lutron shades and drapery tracks | Shades, drapery and awnings from many makers |
| Power options | Battery, rechargeable, hardwired | Battery or wired, depending on line | Hardwired, battery, rechargeable |
| Best control | PowerView app, remotes, voice assistants | Lutron keypads and app, shared with lighting | Remotes, switches, hub and control system interfaces |
| Strongest fit | Hunter Douglas homes and condos | Whole-home automation | Outdoor shades and custom treatments |
| Watch out for | Hunter Douglas products only | More system than a single room needs | Quality varies with the shade it's built into |
Battery or hardwired?
This choice matters as much as the brand. Hardwired motors need power run to each window head, which is easy during new construction or a gut renovation and impractical once walls are finished. In exchange, there's nothing to maintain. Battery and rechargeable motors install anywhere, which makes them ideal for existing homes and for high-rise condos with concrete ceilings. All three platforms offer both, so the decision comes down to the construction stage. Our renovation planning guide explains when to pre-wire.
Mixing platforms
Using two platforms is common and perfectly sensible: Lutron inside with Somfy on the patio, or PowerView in bedrooms with Lutron in the main living areas. What causes trouble is choosing shades room by room without a plan, then discovering three apps and no single "goodnight." If you think you'll want whole-home control someday, choose today's shades with that system in mind.
Get a recommendation for your home
We'll look at your windows, the control system you have or plan, and how you want to use each room, then recommend the platform that fits, sometimes a mix of two, and quote it room by room. See our motorized window treatments page for more, or book a free consultation.
