At a luncheon in 1935, Walkley B. Ewing and Dr. John J. Grebe, Director of physical research for Dow Chemical Company, discussed developments in solar shading devices. Dr Grebe mentioned plywood overhangs or "eyebrows" he had installed above his sunny windows to shade them. They discussed dividing the eyebrows, adding more and miniaturising them. This was the instant invention of KoolShade. The Ewing Development Company was formed, and years of experimenting resulted in a unique weaving machine to produce the screens. This was a small hand-operated model. Borg-Warner Corporation built a full sized machine; and the first KoolShade Solar screens were marketed in 1938. Following nearly a quarter of a century of association with Borg-Warner, the KoolShade Corporation was formed in 1962.

Following over forty years of success in the United States the KoolShade Corporation was bought by Smart Louvre LTD in the UK in 2004 and now continues producing KoolShade for installations worldwide. Amongst some of the most prestigious buildings with KoolShade installed include the Eiffel Tower in Paris, The Houses of Parliament in London and Heathrow Airport in London.