We love the light. Modern homes are built with more glass than ever before meaning we can flood them with sunlight. But what if you crave – at certain times of the day – darkness. Total (or as near to total as realistically possible) comforting darkness? How can you make your home properly dark on the inside when it’s light outside? Blackout Blinds, Blackout Curtains or Blackout Shutters.

This article is for you if you’re one of the 3.2 million who work nights and sleep by day. Every chink of sunlight robs you of your slumber. It’s for you if you’re one of the 6.8 million people in the country with a home cinema room.  Your have invested in the perfect screen and sound system and now notice every stray shaft of light. If you love your weekend lie-ins. If you are a light sleeper, or, if your schedule does not sync with the seasons. Just because the sun’s up at 5.30am doesn’t mean that you want to be. Then this article is for you.

What does ‘blackout’ really mean?

Truth be told, the term ‘blackout’ when used in connection with window coverings/ways to keep the sun’s rays out, is usually a little bit of an overpromise. Truly Medical Grade Blinds are ugly and chunky. The headboxes are huge and the side channels and bottom channel very chunky and unattractive. (We have a domestic version that will acheive 99%+ efficiency – but much less obtrusive. The shape of your windows, the orientation of your home, the exposure of your glazing, will all conspire to prevent total darkness. We’re very good at what we do, but we’re also honest with every customer about the realistic limits of true blackout… though we can get very, very close.

Five ways to achieve near-blackout in your home

At Inspiring Your Home, we have spent our entire careers working on blackout solutions for our customers. There is no one-size-fits-all solution as each home is different, as are the needs of every customer. Here are our top five ways to present light pollution in your home when you really want to keep the sun out.

1. Make your curtains wider than your windows

Sunlight will exploit the gaps between your curtain and window edges to enter your room. So a simple tip is to measure past the ends of your windows. The result will be curtains that expose more of your window when open. This allows in far more sunlight when you want it, but to block it out when you don’t.

2. Fit pelmets to cover the top of your windows

Pelmets serve a similar light retarding purpose for the gap at the top of your curtains. Many curtains are fitted to tracks or poles just above the window or in its recess, leaving lots of room for sunlight to get through. A pelmet will box everything in, including the sunlight, making for a far more efficient blackout solution.

3. Coving concealed tracks

This option serves a similar purpose to the pelmet, though its use is limited to those who a) have a character home of the right style which is either being built or refurbished) and, b) love a hotel-room finish. Essentially, your curtain specialists and your builders will need to liaise as the curtain tracks are hung from your ceiling and the coving is placed in front of them to conceal them from view. Curtains and coving work together to prevent sunlight from entering your room.

4. Layer your way to blackout

Curtains with pelmet and blackout blinds or shutters with blackout blinds can offer you significantly more flexibility in the look and effectiveness of your window covering. It’s not just about the layers, it’s also about the fit and style of your blinds, curtains and shutters that make all the difference, though these are the sorts of things to discuss with our specialists when they’re measuring up in your home and can assess the unique challenges it affords.

5. Fully cassetted bloc blinds

The difference is in the fit – these are blinds fitted into channels that hug your window to ensure the highest light blockage. These blinds can be manual or electrically operated to sync with your phone, your smart tech or your home automation system so they can be set to go up or down on a timer.

If you need Blackout Blinds, Shutters or Curtains in London and would like a Bespoke Solution – that works – please talk to us by  Phone or Email for Your Free Quote, and let us Inspire Your Home
Each project is very individual and we would sometimes need to liaise with your electrician or builder at the planning stage to bring these plans to successful fruition.

With our showroom in Highgate and our extensive warehouse and factory in Waltham Abbey, Inspiring Your Home install Blackout Blinds, Curtains and Shutters in North London, West London, East London, Central London, Essex and Hertfordshire

You can get in touch by emailing us at info@inspiringyourhome.co.uk or feel free to give us a call on >0203 893 7777.

If you’d like a Free Quote, fill out our contact us form!

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