Blackout or sheer? Choosing fabric room by room
Orientation, how the room is used and the strength of the light decide the right fabric.
The question we are asked most is not about colour or price — it is about how much light the fabric lets through. The answer is not the same for every room in the same house, and that is where the mistakes begin.
Start with the orientation
A south- or west-facing room takes strong, low afternoon light that heats the space and fades fabrics and furniture. There you need a fabric with real control — blackout or a dense décor weight. A north-facing room, by contrast, has steady, soft light all day; a sheer is enough for privacy without darkening the room.
Match the fabric to the use
In a bedroom, blackout is not a luxury. Even a little light at dawn affects sleep, especially in the summer months when it gets light early. In a living room you usually want the opposite: light that comes in but does not hit the television or a screen. In a kitchen or bathroom the priority is a fabric that wipes clean and does not hold damp.
A combination solves most of it
The layered solution — a sheer in front, décor or blackout behind — exists precisely because the need changes through the day. In the morning you draw only the sheer and have light with privacy. At night you close the second layer. It costs more than a single curtain, but it solves a problem a single curtain never solves.
See the fabric in your own room
The same swatch looks completely different in a showroom and in your home. The lighting, the wall colour and the orientation shift the shade noticeably. That is why we bring samples to you before you order anything.
Would you like a proposal for your space?
We come with samples, measure, and give you an itemised quote — no charge, no commitment.
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