About

City skylines form some of the most iconic venues in the world. The geometric concrete, glass, and steel structures can be cold and harsh, but there is a certain appeal nonetheless. This is even more the case at night when the whole scene is ablaze in choreographed neons and fluorescents. Like others, I am no exception and would emphatically enjoy the urban jungle view from the floor-to-ceiling window of my 32-floor apartment. However, right now I am assigned to the 3-floor French windows that overlook the neighbors across the alley.
Don’t get me wrong, I am on my own adventure at the present moment and am thoroughly satisfied with it. It's that I do know that I won't have the above mentioned apartment in the foreseeable future. What precludes most from ever obtaining this are the high rent rates that urban communities command. Well, what if you could have this amazing view in the suburbs or even the exurbs?

Martin Luik of Orlando, Florida, is the CEO of Swan Expo LLC. He lived in Estonia as a child and since moved to the United States. He is a self-proclaimed redefiner and enhancer of every-day products. Luik has launched a Kickstarter to bring urban cityscapes to your windows without the high rent rates. He is calling it Swan Skyline.

The Offer:
Swan Skyline is a perforated window shade. The perforations allow the natural light from outside to enter the living space and illuminate a city skyline. The size of the shade can be customized to fit your specific window(s).  Currently the campaign is offing the skylines of NYC (three-shade set), Chicago, Boston, and Atlanta. Swan Expo has announced that there will be more to come.

"Our goal is to capture the most amazing city skylines found across the US and around the world and create from them a functional and artistic city at night window shades product," explained Luik.

The shades are made of a custom fabric and the prints are laser cut into them. Once cut, the fabric is then laminated to protect from wear-and-tear, such as unravelling.

The Potential:
I love this idea. It would add the cool factor to so many apartments or houses. It would even be great in an apartment overlooking New York City’s Central Park by dialing it down when you need that R&R time. Depending on the customizability concerning specific city vistas, I feel that Swan Skylines has some solid potential.

Not only city views, but other iconic scenes or monuments could bring in an attractive audience of potential customers.  Most people have a certain city or place that resonates with them. Ordering unique and/or custom shades would only make it that much more meaningful. Again, I think the key here is customization.  If Swan could have a process in place for people to upload images and render a mock-up for approval, it would generate a lot of buzz.

Concerning customization Martin Luik commented, "Swan Skyline project goal is to expend our designer’s team around the globe and with our company specific requirements create digital artworks... If we can accomplish it, Swan Skyline can offer any of your favored city Skylines and bring them into your homes or work places. Swan Skyline product is fully customizable to any sizes or designs."
Swan Skyline Laser Cut Perforated Window Shades are not just an artistic masterpiece, but also a practical, functional and decorative product.
You can view Swan Skyline project in more detail at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/499112886/most-unique-city-at-night-perforated-windows-shade