When choosing coverings for your windows, there’s such a vast variety of different options that it can be confusing, to say the least. You might have seen a gorgeous, heavy velvet curtain at a friend’s house, or some light blue shutters in the South of France, but which option is actually the best?
While each has its own benefits, we think that curtains are often the most appropriate option. Let’s take a look at why we think that with Woodyatt Curtains, going through each option in turn.
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Shutters
Shutters can really look great. They’re a sturdy option that’s easy to clean – you can just wipe dust deposits off with a cloth – and they often offer a lot of light variation. You can also paint your shutters a different colour, if you get tired of them in the future.
Now, unfortunately, for the bad. While shutters can be great in Mediterranean countries, in places where we have long, cold winters, they’re not great at providing thermal insulation for a room.
The cold seeps straight through them, as does sound – not great if you live in a loud, urban environment.
As our summers continue to get hotter, they can also be ineffective at keeping rooms cool – great for light, not for much else.
Blinds
Blinds are one of the cheapest options that you can choose when it comes to covering your windows, although it depends on the option that you go with.
They can also do a very effective job at blocking light out of a room, especially blackout blinds. Some can be varied in angle to allow different amounts of light in as well, for those sunny, blinding days.
Blinds aren’t perfect, however. They’re often the most fragile option, especially ones with variable angle options – beware if you have children.
They’re also even worse than shutters at insulating sound and heat, making blinds a less than ideal option for our typically less than ideal climate.
Curtains
Finally, we’ve got curtains. Curtains are generally considered to be the cosiest option of the three on this list – they can be as big and soft as you like, and they also create a softer sound in a room by effectively deadening echoes.
They can block light completely or let some through, depending on the exact option you have, or you can place a net curtain behind some thicker ones to have two different options.
Curtains are also the best options for keeping in heat and blocking out the cold, especially if you go with a thick, insulated curtain. That same insulation will do a great job at blocking out noise as well, great if you live on a noisy road or if a lot of people walk past your property.
Obviously, there will be situations where a blind or shutter will be more suitable – window coverings are a nuanced affair. However, in most situations in the UK, we believe that curtains really are the best choice.
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