Five Ways to Gain Privacy with Window Coverings

We all want plenty of warmth and light in our home during the day and that means opening it up to the sun’s rays as much as possible. But these days it is more common to see our neighbour from our kitchen window than a sprawling garden, and no one wants to live their life in a fish bowl, so…what to do?

With the right window treatment it is easy to achieve privacy as well as the full benefit of the sun. Here are five options that could change your home for good.

Sunscreen Roller Blinds

Sunscreen rollers are window blinds made from a durable coated fabric that allows filtered light in while screening the view into the house. The occupants can see out but others cannot see in during the day.

Sunscreen roller blinds provide a minimalist look, rolling away to a narrow strip along the top of the window and unrolling to fit snugly against the window. They are a fashionable option for the contemporary style home.

Venetian Blinds

Venetian blinds have horizontal slats that can have their tilt adjusted to control the level of privacy and sunlight. Unlike sunscreen blinds, venetians do not offer complete daytime privacy. Instead, the horizontal slats provide a visual break that detracts observers from looking in.

Venetian blinds come in a range of materials including aluminium, wood and wood composites.

Aluminium venetian blinds’ practicality has made them a common choice in office buildings and this has given them an undeserved reputation as a drab option. They come in a huge range of fashion colours, far beyond the classic greys and creams that we are used to seeing, and look fantastic when layered with a coordinating set of drapes.

Wooden venetian blinds continue to gain favour as a stylish classic that suits most homes. The availability of new water resistant wood composite blinds has further increased their use, as they can reliably withstand wet areas such as kitchens and bathrooms.

Shutters

Shutters are the oldest and most solid window covering option. Like venetian blinds, the slats can be tilted to control the level of sunlight and privacy. But unlike venetians, the slats are fixed within a framed shutter door that opens on a hinge, bifold or slider.

Shutters offer true longevity, of style and quality, and will add value to your home but are priced accordingly. Because the shutters fully enclose the window when shut, they have the added advantage of being an effective thermal barrier in winter, making them an effective stand-alone year-round window covering solution.

Net, Voile or Sheer curtains

Nets, voiles and sheers are all highly cost effective options that filter light and provide daytime privacy in much the same way as a sunscreen roller blind.

The look is not for every home, tending to suit a more traditional or classic styling, but, if you only view net curtains as the flimsy things your grandmother once had, think again.

Net curtains come in everything from plain to scalloped and highly patterned florals. They can be bought as a tape top continuous net fabric to be cut and hemmed or a ready made pencil pleat net curtain ready to hang.

Voile and sheer curtains tend to offer a more contemporary look and come in a wider variety of colour options and patterns, including modern retro prints in bright and metallic colours.

Vertical Blinds

Like venetian blinds and shutters, vertical blinds can have the slat tilt adjusted to control the level of privacy and sunlight. They are made from a coated fabric and the slats run vertically, adding a sense of height to the room.

Vertical blinds offer a clean, minimalist look that suits ranch sliders or bifold doors particularly well as the vertical slats easily draw away from the door opening while still covering any sidelights or unopened doors.

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