Mae Lutz 9/30/25 Mae Lutz 9/30/25

Our Living Room Smart Shades

When we started planning our window treatments, I knew I wanted something that wasn’t just pretty but also smart, practical, and easy to live with every day. Enter: Serena Smart Shades from Lutron.

We installed these shades ourselves (yes, even 18 feet in the air!) and honestly, they’re DIY-friendly. Would I recommend using scaffolding for fun? Definitely not. They’re much easier to install when you’re safe on the ground, but the point is, it can be done without hiring out if you’re comfortable with a drill.

Custom Look That Blends Right In

For the design, I went with two different fascia styles to blend seamlessly into the windows

White fabric-wrapped inside mount fascia for the windows.
Black architectural outside mount fascia for the doors.

Both styles house shades in the Vista < 3% Crystal fabric, which looks gorgeous while filtering light and maintaining privacy.

If you are unsure about measuring and ordering or have any questions at all about the options, I can confidently say that Lutron has some of, if not the best, customer service I have ever experienced. I called them a few times because I was nervous about making such a large purchase, and they helped me so much. They were kind, knowledgeable, and incredibly patient, which made the whole process feel stress-free.

Whisper-Quiet Operation

One of the things I love most is how quiet they are. You can barely hear them opening and closing, and it feels so luxe compared to clunky blinds.

Battery Power That Lasts

You can buy these shades hardwired, but our windows sit behind massive beams, so that was not an option. We chose the battery-powered version, and it has been great. They run on D batteries that last up to five years, and swapping them out takes less than a minute.

Why We Chose Lutron

We have been slowly building our smart home with Lutron products because they are reliable and high quality. The shades integrate perfectly into their ecosystem. Here is how we control them:

With the Lutron app on our phones
Using Google Home voice commands
With a remote
Or by setting schedules so they open and close automatically at certain times of day

This upgrade has made everyday life smoother. Mornings feel brighter, nights feel cozier, and everything in between feels a little more effortless.

Links At A Glance

Lutron Serena Smart Shades

Scaffolding

Drill

Mae Lutz 5/14/25 Mae Lutz 5/14/25

Turning Vintage Into Smart: The Easiest Lighting Upgrade Ever

You know I love a good vintage moment. Whether it's a curvy brass lamp I found secondhand or something that’s been passed down, there’s just something special about mixing old pieces with modern living. But as much as I love the look of vintage, I also love function, which is why I was so excited to find a way to bring our favorite plug-in lamp into the 21st century without changing a single thing about its charm.

Enter: The Lutron Caseta Lamp Dimmer
This little gadget has no business being this smart and this easy.

I walked into this thinking I’d need a smart bulb… but no. All I did was plug the dimmer into the outlet, plug the lamp into that, and suddenly my beloved old lamp was controllable by remote and even our Google Home. No rewiring. No frustration. No giving up on pretty lighting for something more tech-y looking.

Why I’m Obsessed

It gives vintage new life. I don’t have to replace my pretty lamp with something “smart.” I can just make what I love work smarter.
Fully dimmable and totally flexible. Whether I’m using the little remote or the app on my phone, I can adjust the brightness, turn the lamp on or off, or set a mood without leaving the couch. Everything the remote can do, the app can do too, plus you can group it with other lights and automate it into routines.
The remote acts like a light switch. The remote can be mounted to the wall, making it feel just like a traditional light switch.
It works with Alexa, Google, and Apple Home. Once it’s set up, you can fold it right into your routines. “Goodnight” can now mean dimming this light to 10% without getting up. Magical.

I even tested it with a couple different lamps just to see how flexible it was, and it passed with flying colors. If you’re like me and have a few vintage or plug-in pieces that you love but wish were just a little more modern? Start here.

This is the perfect solution for kids’ rooms, guest spaces, holiday lights, or literally anywhere you want smart lighting without committing to a full system. Bonus: it's totally renter-friendly too.