I purchased this shade for a *south* facing sliding glass door. The door opens to a large brick patio with a pergola that has been built to cover this entire section of the patio. Because the cover/roof—or lack thereof—of the pergola is open and splotchy at best for providing shelter from the broiling desert sun I needed an added layer over the glass. This isn't always necessary but as temperatures begin to hang in the 100° marks well past sunset, just a little extra layer over the glass can add comfort to the interior temperatures and allow me to keep my sunglasses in my purse and my curtains open during the day.I'm speaking mostly to people who live in the dry, desert SW looking to use natural shades for a purpose: you like daylight coming in so in the morning you're likely to crack the blinds or open curtains while on your way to the kitchen to start the coffee. But you have that *one* window or *one* door that, come 4:00, you have to close the curtain because the deathrays of the sun are either baking the glass and the inside of that corner of you're space or you also have pavement right out there under the glass, which now makes you the cupcake in your own little Easy Bake Oven. A shade made from reed, bamboo or other natural type materials will help *absorb* the heat from that glass and restore comfort in the room. Metal blinds or some plastics will only attract and retain the heat in the same way that a cookie sheet does in the oven and only contribute to discomfort in a hot, south or west facing space. In addition to serving a purpose you get the added bonus of something that looks nice unlike your neighbors tinfoil or cut-to-fit insulation sheets they plastered all over their trouble window. Oy.There are people who have bought this shade and were then surprised and disappointed at the lack of privacy. For those who are looking for privacy you want *blinds*; If you want a diffused view out your glass for the purpose of temperature control and a bit of privacy during peak, sunny hours throughout the daytime then you want a *shade*. Think of it in terms of standing near a big oak tree - if you are standing underneath the tree in the *shade* then I can see you; if you're standing behind the trunk of that oak tree then the trunk is going to conceal you or *blind* my view of you.The matchstick shade I had in this window for years was a very lovely, dark fruit wood color but now I am going lighter on the tones in my house. My old shade would roll up with the the cords and that's all there was on the market for ages. It was also equally inexpensive as this one. Now, it seems, you're paying 3X for a roller shade with cords. Given that I never once rolled my old shade up I'm happy to have a roller shade with -zero- cords and plastic weird clip things I threw away immediately after digging out the hooks from the packaging.This was super easy to hang on my own with my girly drill. As a tip, if you find your blind seems a little lopsided once you hang it then hold the top frame and gently stretch it down. You'll want to do that a few times over the coming days because this is woven, natural materials and not manufactured to rigid behavior right out of the box. Work with it, gently; it will even out and settle in.Meanwhile, I am very happy with my purchase as it was just what I needed and expected.