Application
Recessed shade pockets that hide the shade in the ceiling
A recessed shade pocket is a housing built into the ceiling that hides a motorized roller shade or blind, so the finished room shows a clean slot instead of a visible box, fascia, or roller.
The challenge
What makes this condition hard
Most shade installs announce themselves: a fascia on the wall, a visible roller, or a light gap at the edge that draws the eye. On high-end work the brief is simple. The hardware cannot show.
The catch is that concealment is decided at rough-in, not at finish. If the pocket is not dimensioned on the reflected ceiling plan, the framer builds it by eye and the enclosure no longer fits.
The approach
How concealment solves it
A Blindspace enclosure installs at rough-in, framed into the ceiling before the drywall and plaster go up. The shade drops into the pocket once the room is finished, plaster feathers over the flange, and all that is left is a hairline reveal.
A black anodized interior kills light leak inside the pocket, so the slot reads as a shadow line rather than a gap.
What to provide
- Call out the rough-in opening and depth on the reflected ceiling plan, sized to the shade roll-up diameter
- Detail the plaster reveal that feathers over the flange to a hairline
- Confirm the motor and roller so the pocket depth suits the fabric and tube
- Coordinate the pocket before the ceiling is framed, not after
Recommended systems
The system that fits this condition
Questions
Frequently asked
What is a recessed shade pocket?
It is a housing built into the ceiling that hides a roller shade or blind so the room shows a clean slot rather than a visible box or fascia. The shade still operates normally; only the hardware is concealed.
When is the pocket installed?
At rough-in, during framing, before the drywall and plaster. The shade itself drops in after the room is finished.
How big does the pocket need to be?
It depends on the shade roll-up diameter, which depends on the fabric and the drop. Send us the shade and motor and we will give you the rough-in dimension and depth.
Related conditions
Other concealment conditions
Floor-to-ceiling glass
Conceal shades on a wall of glass or sliding doors in one continuous ceiling line.
Read more →Control-system compatibility
Concealment sized to suit the shade, track, and motor you already deploy.
Read more →Skylight and sloped glazing
Conceal a shade on a skylight, gable, or angled glazing where a standard pocket cannot fit.
Read more →Working on this condition?
Send us the opening and the shade or track you are using, and we will tell you which system fits and what the rough-in needs.