IKEA HOPPVALS Room Darkening Cellular Shades Review
Finding reasonably priced window treatments is hard. Luckily, IKEA had just what we were looking for.
Offices benefit greatly from windows that allow natural light to flow in, and the ability to look out makes your space feel larger. Because my office is a multipurpose room that serves as a TV room and office, I was on the lookout for room darkening shades.
The TV side of my room has a home theater screen with a projector. Anyone who has ever owned a projector knows the importance of light control to prevent washout on the screen when viewing. If you have ever shopped for window treatments, your jaw will drop when you see the prices.
High-priced window treatments led me down to my local IKEA store to source room darkening cellular shades. I did not want motorized shades as it could be something to fail down the road. I was looking for a reasonably priced option with a manual pull down design.
Enter the IKEA HOPPVALS Room Darkening Cellular Blinds in the gray color.
Sizes Available
- 23” x 64”
- 27” x 64”
- 30” x 64”
- 32” x 64”
- 34” x 64”
- 36” x 64”
- 38” x 64”
- 48” x 64”
The standard sizes offered by IKEA worked out great for our windows, which is good because they do not offer any options to cut down these shades. The sizes they offer are what you have to work with. You can choose to mount them inside the window frame or on the wall if the standard size won’t fit.
What’s In The Box?
The IKEA HOPPVALS cellular blinds come with everything you need to install them except screws. The packaging is simple and there is not much to the product. Anyone needing window treatments can do the installation themselves.
Installing IKEA HOPPVALS Cellular Shades
The included brackets can be easily installed with a couple of screws, and screws are not included. You can mount the brackets inside the window like pictured above, or you can decide to mount them on the wall if the shades are wider than the window opening.
The final installation is quick and clean. The top frame snaps in with a clip and the cellular shades are operated manually. Pictured above is what they look like once fully installed.
The finger pull clips into the center of the bottom rail, allowing you an easy way to pull the shades down. To raise them back up, you just lift the bottom bar and they will retract.
We have three square windows stacked in our room as a nice architectural feature. IKEA did not offer cellular shades small enough to fit inside the window openings, so we mounted them on the outside. The top shade will pull down and cover the top and middle windows, while the bottom window has a second shade installed.
Room Darkening Shades for Home Theater
IKEA HOPPVALS Cellular Shades are a great option for anyone with a home theater because they not only offer them in white, but the dark gray color as well. Most home theater walls are painted a dark color, and the gray they offer will go with most decors.
Can You See Through IKEA HOPPVALS Cellular Shades at Night?
No. The photo above was taken at night from outside my office to demonstrate how much privacy they provide. As you can see, the IKEA cellular shades do an impressive job at not allowing anyone to see into your space.
Are IKEA HOPPVALS Blackout Shades?
No, IKEA HOPPVALS cellular shades are not blackout shades, but they do an outstanding job at darkening the room in the daytime. Especially for the cost. The shades averaged a little over $40 per shade, which is drastically cheaper than other options available at your local home store.
Are IKEA HOPPVALS Cellular Shades High Quality?
I would not rank the IKEA cellular shades as the highest quality on the market, but I have been using them daily for the better half of a year, and they have functioned perfectly. You could easily spend 5–10 times as much on window treatments if you're looking for the highest quality product.
I raise these shades daily without any issues and all the cords are hidden, so they offer a clean look. The cord system is inside the top frame and includes a pulley system that allows them to be raised easily as you lift the bottom bar. So far, we have been happy with the operation of the shades and have not had any quality issues.
Conclusion
With the rise of man caves, home theaters, and personal spaces, window treatments are the last thing on your list when transforming a space. If you’re not interested in taking a loan out to darken your room, then look no further than IKEA. You can easily find these cellular shades on their website by doing a quick search for the term “HOPPVALS”. Your pocketbook will thank you!
