Does anyone have experience with upside-down window shades? Can I simply install conventional shades at the bottom of a window, add a cord with grommet and a small pulley at the top? Is it as simple as that, or will the spring mechanism not work properly when inverted?
Also, are there any drawbacks to this type of shade, that are eluding me?
They work fine that way. You just need more cord and a pulley. Another variation you may not have thought about is inside out. You know how most rollup shades curl inward, letting in light? If you take apart and reglue the shade so the other side of the fabric faces out, it will curl out, and make a better light seal against the frame.