In many parts of the country, homeowners are living closer to their neighbors than ever before. This can lead to feelings of claustrophobia or people feeling as though they’ve totally lost their privacy. An article titled Living in a Goldfish Bowl gives some great background and solutions to this problem.
Lucia van Gerwen writes, “In the past, residents enjoyed an “openness” with their neighbors and were not generally concerned about the possibility of others having a view into the home. In recent years however, this trend has changed considerably. Lack of trust and a feeling of wanting a safe environment has prompted new demands for window coverings that address privacy issues. When push comes to shove, we all enjoy and demand our personal space, away from the hassles of everyday life. We don’t really like someone getting too close and it’s the same with where we live.
As land increases in cost and becomes less readily available, homes are being placed closer together, and as this century rolls along, people are becoming less engaging with their neighbors. So if you can almost lean from your window and touch your neighbor’s house, there must be a way to prevent reciprocal peeking? What about homes that seem to be made entirely of glass, or homes built at different levels, so that neighbors can literally stand at the fence and see right in? Twenty-first century problems can easily be resolved with traditional, and often simple, solutions.
Quite often we don’t want to compromise the beautiful lighting in our home in exchange for shutting out our neighbors. Sheer blinds and curtains are fabulous at providing daytime privacy without compromising a view or light. They have the added benefit of reducing glare and direct penetrating sunlight. However, their polarity reverses at night, when the world outside is darker than a lit home, so one needs to consider a second treatment in tandem, such as a blackout blind or heavier drapes.
Of course the ideal situation is a dual window treatment that not only addresses daytime and nighttime privacy, but issues such as light control, thermal activity and acoustics. A popular and cost effective window treatment is a blackout blind for night time, teamed with a flowing sheer curtain for daytime use.”
These are all great ideas and Half Price Drapes has just what you need to make them a reality in your home. Choose from a huge array of blackout curtains, shop for Roman blinds or cellular shades, and check out our wide range of accessories and hardware.