Motorized Drapery Guide
What to specify, what to wire for, and how motorization should disappear into the home's existing control ecosystem.
Motorized drapery, specified correctly, is silent, invisible, and entirely forgotten by the homeowner. Specified poorly, it is the most common drapery complaint we are called to correct.
Specification begins at the wiring stage — not at the drapery stage. Hardwired DC motors require a low-voltage run to each opening, ideally pulled during framing. Retrofits are possible but the result depends on access. We assess each room individually before recommending a path.
Three motor families dominate residential work: Lutron Sivoia, Somfy Sonesse, and Crestron. The right choice is dictated by the home's existing keypad ecosystem, not by motor preference. A motorized drapery that requires its own remote has failed at the specification stage.
A properly specified hardwired DC motor reads at 32–38 dB at one meter — quieter than ambient room noise. Anything louder is a sign of a builder-grade motor or an undersized system for the weight of the panel.
Integration is the point. Done correctly, the drapery becomes part of the home's morning, afternoon, evening, and away scenes — and the homeowner forgets it is motorized at all.