Last year we made a big decision. It was time to change our branding.

This wasn’t necessarily an easy thing to do. People think brands are just a collection of fonts and colours, but our founder, Kerry Cummings, started Shades in Hawthorn over 30 years ago, and his sons, Andrew and Patrick, have been running A/P Shutters and Blinds for the last decade. Four years ago, they took over both brands. There’s a real legacy there.

Shades in Hawthorn has always been a family business, and it’s hard to say goodbye to your family. We didn’t want to sacrifice what made both companies special. But in the end, we decided it was time to bring the two businesses together under one name, and one brand: SHADES.

For this job, we reached out to the best designers we know. Collingwood agency, The Company You Keep.

These guys have, quite possibly, the most beautiful offices in Melbourne (they’re tucked away on Bedford Street, if you ever want to go and have a peek.) They’ve helped build brands like Broadsheet, RMIT Online, Pana Organic, and Paramount House Hotel. We really liked their clean, modern style. SHADES was going to be a lifestyle destination—not just a blind and shutter company. We needed designers who could take everything great about our heritage, and give it a tasteful refresh.

The Company You Keep worked closely with Andrew and Patrick to get the look and feel of SHADES just right. We didn’t want to lose the soul of the brand—just update it. During the second half of 2020, we worked through brand colours, the new website layout, copy, photography and our new logo.

By the start of 2021, we were ready to launch.

This has been an exciting journey for us. We were a little hesitant to say goodbye to Shades in Hawthorn and A/P Shutters & Blinds, but at the end of the day, all the important things are staying put. We’ve still got the same showroom on Auburn Road. We’ve still got the same amazing team of interior designers, support and installation staff. We’ve still got the same products and expertise. All that hasn’t changed. We just wanted a fresh start, and the 2020 seemed like the year for fresh starts.

We hope you like the new brand as much as we do. Here’s to the next chapter.