When you move into a new place the windows are just empty spaces waiting for fabric. A lot of people rush out and buy cheap plastic vertical blinds from the local hardware shop because they just want something fast. Those usually end up snapping off one by one until your living room looks a bit sad and untidy. Its not the case for every single house of course but many people struggle with window treatments because they focus entirely on matching a sofa cushion rather than thinking about practical things like blocking out streetlights.
Roller blinds
Roller blinds are simple, but there’s a lot to be said for sheer functional simplicity when you just want to sleep past five in the morning during the summer months. Blackout roller blinds work brilliantly if you mount them outside the window recess (nobody ever measures the inside recess perfectly anyway so you often end up with a gap on the sides where the morning light leaks in and wakes you up). It isnt the most luxurious look but you’ll be very glad of it when the room stays dark.
Curtains
Thick velvet curtains pooling on the floor look great in stately homes. In a normal house those long drapes often become a magnet for dog hair and dust that you have to vacuum around every single weekend. You also have to think about the weight, you need masonry drills and heavy duty wall plugs to keep the pole secure. It doesnt matter how nice your chosen fabric is if the whole thing falls down when you try to close them at night. Keep them just off the floor to make cleaning easier. You can get great curtains that drape nicely and still block the light out if you go with blackout curtains without being too heavy.
Venetian Blinds
Lots of people buy aluminium or wooden Venetian blinds because they let you tilt the slats to manage the daylight. Theyre great for home offices where you need to stop the sun glaring on your computer screen during the afternoon. The main issue is that every single horizontal slat is a tiny shelf for dust to gather on. If you dont enjoy spending your weekends wiping down fifty individual pieces of wood with a damp cloth you might want to look at other options. They offer fantastic control over privacy but require a lot of regular maintenance.
Wooden Shutters Block The Light
Plantation shutters look very smart from the street and they are quite an investment. You wait weeks for custom fitters to install them and then you realise you cant easily open your windows wide without swinging large wooden panels into your room. They also block a fair bit of natural daylight even when the slats are wide open. If you live right on a busy pavement and people constantly look into your house while you eat your breakfast then they absolutely solve the privacy problem!
Image- https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-curtains-on-a-window-4946930/
