"I bought the Sheerweave Solar roller shade in Alabaster color with 10% openess. It is in my home office where the window faces a wall, fountain and planter 5 feet away. The Sheerweave shade allows me to see the plants and flowers outside while significantly reducing the late afternoon sun and heat. If my desk was closer to the window or if I was worried about fading of fabrics or if I had direct sun in the hottest part of the day, then I would select a 3% or 5% openness to keep more of the sun out. However, even with 10%, I can see a computer screen and write comfortably right next to the window.
If I forget to retract the shade, I can walk into the office the next morning and see out -- I don't feel like I've walked into a closet.
The two colors of the Alabaster weave are not visibly distinct; the shade appears to be a solid light beige or off-white. With an inside mount, there is a 3/4" gap on either side of the shade to accommodate the roller hardware. The light that comes through the gap isn't significant but I can see glass on one side. It appears that the shade could be cut 1/4" to 1/2" larger without impacting the mechanics but I imagine they are conservative to allow for smooth opening and closing if your windows aren't plumb.
At the top of the shade there is also a small gap where light can be seen but it's not objectionable. When the shade is fully retracted and no sun is shining, the shade is not noticeable at the top of the window because it blends with the trim. The metal chain is also not noticeable.
The mounting brackets can be mounted to the sides of the window frame or the top. It's difficult to use a regular drill in a tight corner and I wish I'd had a small right-angle drill for the job. We got it installed in about 20 minutes but our standard drill scraped the paint a bit.
All in all, a great inexpensive solution to a sun problem when you want to see out."
