Sheer privacy vanes are the most visually distinctive treatments Hunter Douglas makes. Three product lines — Silhouette, Pirouette, and Luminette — share the same idea: a soft fabric vane suspended between or alongside translucent sheer panels. The vanes tilt to control light; the sheers diffuse it. The result is something no other category does: privacy and daylight at the same time, with no slat-and-louver hardness anywhere in the picture.
How sheer fabric vanes work
Instead of horizontal slats (like a blind) or solid fabric (like a roller), the vanes are made of soft, brushed fabric — woven or knitted — and float between two layers of translucent sheer. Tilting the vanes is mechanical, but the effect is visual: closed, you have a soft fabric face; open, you have a window full of light passing through filaments of fabric.
Silhouette — the original
Hunter Douglas Silhouette is the line that defined the category. Horizontal fabric vanes between two sheer panels, lifted on a roller-style headrail. Vanes available in 2″, 3″, and 4″ — the wider the vane, the more contemporary the look. Light filtering, room-darkening, and a partial-blackout fabric are all offered.
Best for: picture windows, formal living rooms, dining rooms, and any window where you want softness, diffusion, and the option to fully open the view (the vanes can collapse into the headrail when raised).
Pirouette — the contoured cousin
Hunter Douglas Pirouette is the more architectural sibling. Instead of flat vanes between two sheers, Pirouette uses a single layer of sheer with horizontal fabric vanes attached. When the vanes are closed, the front face is solid fabric; when tilted open, the fabric vanes rotate outward and the sheer behind shows through. Slightly thicker stack than Silhouette, more dimensional shadow play.
Best for: modern interiors, picture windows facing an inner courtyard, dining rooms where you want a more graphic vane line.
Luminette — for sliding doors and French doors
Hunter Douglas Luminette is the vertical version. Instead of horizontal vanes, you have vertical fabric vanes (about 4–6″ wide) hanging between two large sheer panels that span the full width of the opening. The vanes rotate together — closed for privacy, open for view, anywhere in between for diffused light. The whole assembly traverses left or right on a track for full access to the door.
Best for: sliding glass doors, French doors, atrium walls, and very wide picture windows. The only product in the Hunter Douglas catalogue that solves a 12-foot-wide sliding glass door elegantly.
Quick spec pick
Tall picture window? Silhouette.
Modern interior with high contrast? Pirouette.
Sliding glass door or French doors? Luminette.
These three answer roughly 95% of what the category covers.
Fabric options
- Light-filtering vanes — the default. Diffused, glowing.
- Room-darkening vanes — significantly less light transmission. Right for media rooms and offices.
- Blackout-lined vanes (Silhouette only) — for bedrooms that want the fabric look but need real darkness. Less common; we usually pair Silhouette with a separate blackout roller behind for full darkness.
Motorization
All three lines run on PowerView Gen 3. Silhouette and Pirouette tilt by motor; Luminette traverses (slides left/right) and rotates by motor — two independent commands. Excellent integration with Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit. The Luminette traverse-motor in particular is a near-perfect product: silent, fast, and removes the only awkward part of operating a 10-foot sheer panel manually.
What to know before you order
- Vanes don't hang plumb in a draft. A breeze from an HVAC register makes Silhouette vanes wiggle. Plan the register direction.
- The cassette is large. Silhouette and Pirouette headrails are roughly 3.5″ tall — make sure your casing can accept that.
- Luminette stack is wide. A 10-foot Luminette stacks roughly 18–24″ when fully open. Plan the wall space.
- Premium pricing. Sheer fabric vanes are at the top of the catalogue cost-wise. Worth it for the rooms that earn them.
Cost
- Silhouette, cordless, light-filtering: $420–$880 per window installed
- Silhouette, PowerView motorized: $680–$1,250 per window installed
- Pirouette, cordless: $480–$960 per window installed
- Luminette, manual traverse: $900–$2,400 per door
- Luminette, PowerView traverse + tilt: $1,400–$3,200 per door
Where sheer vanes belong
Living rooms with picture windows. Primary bedrooms (paired with a blackout roller behind). Dining rooms with formal lighting. Sliding glass doors that lead to a back patio. French doors flanking a fireplace. Any room where you want softness and the option to dissolve the boundary between inside and outside with the touch of a remote.
For an in-home consultation with full fabric samples — Silhouette, Pirouette, Luminette, all in your light — call or text 629-298-8241 or book a free visit.
