The purpose of a window is to A.) be able to look outside and B.) allow natural light to enter a room. It’s a beautiful thing! However, there are times when we need to black it out! Whether you are looking to optimize your sleep, a night shift worker trying to get some shut eye during the day, or you are attempting to create a theater-like media room, blacking out light in a room is sometimes necessary. And we are here to help! Here are our top 3 favorite ways to BLACKOUT a room.
ROLLER SHADES WITH SIDE TRACKS
This is our favorite option for those clients who are desiring a more contemporary, streamlined look. You can learn all about roller shades and why we love them, here. But why the side tracks? As you can see below, roller shades alone, though beautiful, have one characteristic that is definitely NOT ideal for blacking out a room…and that is light gaps.
Depending on the lifting mechanism used on the shade, light gaps can vary from ½” – 1” on both sides!
This is where side tracks come in!!
Side tracks are basically channels that are fixed inside the window frame in which the shade will fall between eliminating those pesky light gaps.
One limitation with this option would be lack of light CONTROL. Essentially, it’s either all the way up, or all the way down, no in between. We do have options to overcome this dilemma: the Dual Shade—a light-filtering shade on the back and a blackout shade on the front.
By layering a sheer shade and black out shade you can have the best of both worlds!
HONEYCOMB SHADES
Next up, we have Blackout Honeycomb shades, also known as cellular shades. You can learn more about this product and why we love them, here.
Compared to the Roller Shade, Honeycombs have minimal light gaps (about 3/16” on both sides). Side tracks would still be required to truly black out ALL light. However, most people find that the shades alone do just fine. Honeycomb shades can also be ordered with a function call top-down/bottom-up as seen below. This allows for much more light control than a standard roller shade.
These top-down/bottom-up cellular shades allow you to move light right where you want it!
With a light-filtering fabric on top and blackout fabric on the bottom–you have complete control over light and privacy!
BLACKOUT DRAPERIES
Our final favorite blackout option is….drumroll……DRAPERIES! With endless fabric options available, blackout draperies are incredible for not only blacking out light, but also adding drama, elegance, and dimension to a room. The best part about draperies is that you can layer them over any other window covering! Therefore, if you love sheer shades, shutters, blinds, etc (all of which can’t blackout light alone) you can layer a blackout drapery on top and voilà! So why not run to Target and purchase draperies there? Let me tell you. Box stores carry draperies could perhaps help block out some light. However, I would compare it to nailing a blanket over your window. Without custom measuring your area, it would be impossible to eliminate all light. Plus, in my opinion, box store draperies tend to look like highwaters…never long enough!
Here, blackout draperies have been paired with sheers for a stunning combination of beauty and function!
What’s your choice?
So there you have it—our top 3 favorite ways to blackout a room! Whether you like roller shades, honeycomb shades, or blackout draperies, we can help! Contact us today to schedule a free in-home consultation and let us show you how to BLACK IT OUT!
