Which Blinds Provide Privacy at Night?

When considering window treatments for your home or office, factors such as style, functionality, and privacy are very important. Not all window treatments provide the same level of privacy. If one of your needs is keeping prying eyes out of your home life, choosing the right window treatment is essential.

Keep in mind that some shades have higher or lower opacities than others, which affects how much light is blocked. For rooms like bathrooms and bedrooms that require more privacy, choosing a blind with a thicker, more opaque fabric is key.
When shopping for window treatments, many people struggle with this daunting task: finding the perfect balance of all. To make things easier, we have broken it all down for you.

Types of blinds for privacy

There are three types of blinds that will provide different level of privacy: light filtering shades, blackout blinds, and a combination of blackout and light filtering. Each type of blind has its own set of pros and cons which you should consider.

Do Light filtering shades provide privacy?

If you’ve ever worked from home or ran an office out of your house, then you know that it can be hard to find the perfect balance between letting enough light into the room, reducing the glare, and maintaining some privacy. Light filtering shades, with its different opacities and openness are a simple and versatile way to enjoy the view outside while still maintaining privacy. They help reduce glare inside your home, which is especially helpful in rooms with less natural lighting like kitchens or bathrooms.

During the night, light filtering shades aren’t the best solution to protect your privacy. Some shades have better opacities than others and, depending on that, when the light at home is on, and also depending on the external light conditions, people could be able to see silhouettes of people and objects from outside.

100% Privacy with Blackout Blinds and Shades

If your main concern is privacy, blackout blinds are the best solution. Blackout roller blinds are ideal for rooms that need complete privacy from the outside. These types of treatments literally block out light from inside and outside. They have a layer of fabric on them that is impenetrable by either light or objects.

As such, blackout shades are perfect for not only improving the quality of your sleep, but also help to ensure privacy from nosy neighbors for those street facing windows in your home. These window treatments make your view in or out of your windows totally concealed.

The perfect mix of privacy and light filtering

Not all window coverings provide the same level of privacy at night. As we’ve discussed, depending on the fabric and opacity, some allow you to see through them at night when the light is on, others are just able to make out silhouettes or totally block the view from in and out. Most homeowners need a combination of privacy and light filtering for the majority of their rooms. A window treatment that blocks out all light is mostly needed in places such as bedrooms, nurseries, or media rooms.

For a mix of both privacy and light filtering features learn more about these privacy blinds solutions:

• Zebra Shades

Sheer shades and zebra shades – also called dual shades  –  are one of the most ideal choices for privacy in any room.  This combination of a privacy protector and light filter will allow you to enjoy your surroundings when it’s light, but will also block the outside view . That is because the patterns on these shades prevents outside-prying eyes from peering inside.

• Venetian Blinds

Venetian Blind, wood blinds, and faux wood blinds allow to regulate the light and so the privacy. During the day the slack can be opened to let the light in, conserving some sort of privacy. During the night, when you turn your light on, you can close the slack and leave lights and the rest of the world out.

• Solar Shades paired with blackout blinds

If you don’t want to give up any of the above mentioned window treatment benefits, we suggest combining solar shades with blackout shades in the same window. Commonly referred to as Double Shades, this combination gives you the advantages of a view and filtered light when you want it and room darkening and privacy when you need it. By upgrading to a motorized option, you can even
program when your shades will open and close throughout the day.

Availability of Blinds for Privacy at Night

When privacy is your main concern in choosing the right window treatments for your home, opt for privacy blinds that will help block out the outside world. We recommend a blackout shade or curtain.
Either one can be combined with sheer curtains if light filtering and transparency is desired during the day. For an elegant and unique option, a zebra blackout shade can also do the trick! Zebra blinds are an affordable alternative to traditional blinds or shutters with the same horizontal slat appearance.

What’s your main window treatment need? No fear, ShadeMonster is here to help!

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