When people think of interior design, the first things that come to mind are often fancy paint colour schemes, alternative light fittings and copper taps. Curtains, often overlooked, are incredibly important when it comes to both the functionality and the aesthetic of a room.
From temperature control to light management, curtains help to fulfil some of the most basic functions of any space - let's take a closer look at just why curtains are so important with input from the experts at Woodyatt Curtains. We look into privacy concerns, noise insulation and much more.
Photo by Hutomo Abrianto on Unsplash
Privacy
This is especially the case for those living in the centre of an urban area or on the ground floor of a building that people walk past; curtains can be absolutely essential when it comes to privacy. No one likes the idea of being watched in the comfort of their own home, but if you have windows that people regularly walk past, it's inevitable.
If you still want light in those rooms that face onto the street, but don't want to feel like you're being watched, a half-length mesh curtain can be very effective at fulfilling this specific function.
Thermal insulation
In any room, the windows are likely the least thermally efficient elements. This is especially the case with old, single pane glass windows, but it's still relevant with double and even triple-glazed windows. Luckily, there are a wide range of thick, insulating curtains that can massively help increase the thermal efficiency of a room.
These curtains can help keep the heat out in the midst of our increasingly hot summers, and keep the cold out in the midst of winter. It's also possible to use a combination of different solutions, such as thick drapes for insulation purposes and then roll down black-out blinds to help keep bedrooms dark at night.
Light management
This is perhaps the main purpose that comes to mind when people think of curtains, and it's definitely an important one. Especially important in cities and in bedrooms, the way that light is managed can have a massive effect on the feel of a room.
You can use thin curtains to soften direct sunlight, blackout blinds to make bedrooms totally dark, and all sorts of other solutions between those two extremes.
Shutters can also be incredibly effective at managing the light that enters a room, both by altering the angle of each shutter and by changing the height of the whole shutter.
Noise insulation
For those of us living in cities, next to noisy roads or in the general area of a popular pub, the noise insulation properties of curtains will be highly appreciated. Similarly to thermal insulation, thick curtains generally do a better job at insulating against noise than thinner curtains.
For bedrooms, it might be a good idea to get roll down black-out blinds to keep the light out and then thicker drapes to protect against noise and temperature.
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