Another way to add privacy to your windows without curtains is to choose a privacy or blackout liner to add to your shades. This will increase your level of privacy. A privacy liner will not allow others to see very much from the outside and a blackout will completely block any views from the inside or outside.
Daytime Privacy and Reflective Window Film.
It's a privacy window film where you see out but not in (only during the daytime). A benefit of a reflective window film is that you can still see out of your windows and enjoy your beautiful views without darkening your rooms. What About Nighttime Privacy?
Blinds are a common option for window privacy. With so many styles, colors, and sizes to choose from, blinds can enhance any space. Some of the most common styles of blinds are Venetian blinds, mini blinds, and vertical blinds.
The best retrofit method is to install a dark, dual reflective film on the glass. A dual reflective film can be as much as 40% more reflective on one side compared to the other. Being dark it also allows less light transmission from one side to the other.
There are two main ways in which applying film to your glass can deliver privacy. Two-way privacy, which can be delivered by Frostbrite frosted film or solid coloured types of vinyl, or one-way reflective window films which are suitable for delivering daytime privacy, while still allowing a view from the inside out.
Contra Vision Mirror View window film can give you both day and night privacy as it reflects the landscape back to outside viewers. At night, mirrored privacy film will block out 95% of the light to give you a high level of privacy.
The covering you choose depends on your room and how much light you need to let in. Privacy films and frosted spray paint are inexpensive ways to cover a window without blocking light. Curtains and blinds are a better option when you want more control over your windows.
Slatted wooden shutters with narrow louvres provide plenty of privacy while still allowing light into your room. These half height 'cafe style' shutters are ideal if you intend to leave them closed most of the time. The best window shutters are made to measure, therefore requiring a significant financial outlay.
Another way to add privacy to your windows without curtains is to choose a privacy or blackout liner to add to your shades. This will increase your level of privacy. A privacy liner will not allow others to see very much from the outside and a blackout will completely block any views from the inside or outside.
Roman Shades
With bold patterns and colors trending for 2023, this window treatment style is a great way to give your home an updated look. Typically made from a flat piece of fabric, folded in a graceful accordion style, roman shades create an elegant design statement.
Plain polyester roller blinds will usually come out as the cheapest type of blind overall for standard sized or not overly large windows. However, for tall or generally large windows, they are sometimes superseded by vertical blinds in the race for the lowest price.
"If curtains aren't serving a purpose like filtering light or providing privacy I think it's nice to keep windows uncovered—so long as they are well made and a good scale," says Jenny Brown.
It depends. If you find you sleep better in a lighter room, it may be okay to go bare. However, as the experts suggest, there are some curtain alternatives that will allow you to control temperature and light levels, so you can curate the best sleep environment to suit your personal preferences and needs.
“It is important to maintain as dark of a room as possible while you're sleeping,” says Dr. Phyllis Zee, a neurologist at Northwestern University, founder of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine, and co-author of both studies mentioned above.
Smaller windows tend to need curtains, if only because the curtains can help visually extend your windows' size. However, if you have vaulted ceilings with larger windows and low square footage, then going without curtains might be the smarter choice. You can always dress a window without curtains, though!
Do you need curtains if you have wooden blinds on their own? No, you don't need curtains with blinds for any functional or aesthetic reasons; certainly not in the same way that most of us would say that you'd need curtains or blinds as well as a voile or net at the window.
Blackout curtains and shades will block all light, while blinds, curtains, and sheers can allow various amounts of sunlight through depending on their material. If your window treatments will be moved often (lifted up and down or pulled shut), it's also best to choose durable options.
During her Nashville Antiques & Garden Show lecture, Martha Stewart revealed she doesn't use curtains. Shop alternatives, including blinds, shades, and verticals.
Thankfully, Stewart was quick to ease our curtain concerns. She says, “They're beautiful, I don't have anything against them, I just don't live with them… I like to look outside. Every window [in my home] looks out to something nice, and it's just all open to the view.”
Maximize Natural Light
Or, if you really want to let the light shine in, opt for bare windows! Whether you choose sheer curtains, cafe curtains or nothing at all, maximizing natural light is a trend that's here to stay.