The prospect of blocking out sunlight in your home might sound preposterous at first.
After all, sunlight has many health benefits, and many people favour sunny spring days when it comes to lifting their spirits. Sunbeams can also be a wonder to behold, and it’s nearly always a joyous occasion when such bright warmth shines into your home.
However, there are many good reasons to block out the sunlight from your home, providing that it’s only a temporary measure. If you’re wondering what could inspire such drastic actions, keep reading for some insights and advice.
For sleep
The most obvious reason you may wish to block out the sunlight or daylight in your home is for sleep. Blackout curtains are a great way to keep the light out of your bedroom. It can help you sleep better, and also make your room more aesthetically pleasing.
Many people find that they have trouble sleeping because they are constantly exposed to light coming from the outside. This is especially true in urban areas where there are a lot of street lights or the sun is always shining through windows in neighbouring buildings. If you live in an area where it is hard to sleep because of all the light, blackout curtains can be a good solution for you.
Not so much of a problem for some adults, but if you have children or if you work the night shift, then you may wish to block out the sun in the morning and daytime. You can use shutters, blackout blinds or even these blackout curtains from Direct Fabrics. Even if you work in the daytime, you might not want to be woken by 5am summer sunrises, so these curtains are a great idea for all sorts of people.
Stopping sun damage
If the sun regularly shines on some of your indoor furniture unchecked, it can eventually lead to sun damage. The colours on these items can subsequently fade, and the effects here can be permanent in nature.
Not only this but if any of the belongings in question are wooden, then significant damage can be caused here too. Depending on the value of these items, the associated costs with repairs and replacements can obviously tally high.
You can resolve this issue by draping these items with blankets or anything else that will keep the sun off of them. Many of these arrangements can be somewhat peculiar and unsightly, so having more stylish sunblocking measures in place is probably for the best. If curtains and blinds are out of the question, an aesthetically pleasing blanket may need to suffice. Of course, you might be able to rearrange your furniture, but it’s not always possible.
It may also be a good idea to inform anybody you’re living with about sun damage if they’re unaware of it. After all, you don’t want to be draping blankets across chairs or closing blinds to protect your goods, only for others to open them again obliviously. Once everyone is on the same page, you stand a much better chance at protecting your belongings from the sunlight.
Keeping cool
Of course, the sun can damage more than just your belongings. It can be a threat to your well-being, too, especially during the warmer months.
However, keeping curtains and blinds closed during this period can help keep your home cool, so try not to pin all your hopes on air conditioning and fans. Often, combatting intense heat can come down to a series of measures, and stopping the sun from entering your home at all is one of the most important among them.
You might think little of this point today, considering that winter has nearly arrived. Still, it’s worth keeping these measures in mind as the year progresses. Remember that you can always swap out your blind and curtain arrangements (metal varieties will absorb heat more) as time goes on, so store what you’re not using and be prepared for anything.
Setting the scene
Sometimes, it’s necessary to temporarily block out the light in your home if you’re trying to create a certain ambience. Romantic dinners, lively parties, and making somebody jump are worthy events requiring natural light to be restricted.
Areas of your home can be elevated by your measures too. For example, you may wish to use plain vertical blinds for a conservatory, as they can effectively block out the light when needed. If you want to procure some, visit lifestyleblinds.com. Using their range of products, you can affordably style your rooms to perfection, and their selection features a range of colours and styles for you to consider.
Blinds and curtains can frame windows beautifully. Each can come with a myriad of different designs and patterns and really help to instil your home with a unique sense of character. When drawn or folded to a close, the sunlight can be suppressed. After that, these excellent new additions to your home can shine in all their glory instead.
Remember, you don’t need to create a pitch-black atmosphere only. Blinds offer a finer degree of light control, so keep an open mind here. Get creative with ambience.
Creating a home cinema
Of course, you may wish to create a home cinema so that other individuals can set a stellar scene for you. That approach is valid too!
It’s fair to say that interest in creating home cinemas has perhaps risen in recent times, especially after numerous pandemic lockdowns. Some blinds and curtains can block out daylight entirely, and it can be a requirement when watching films and television shows.
Think about the most tense, dramatic, and engrossing scenes in your favourite media. Now imagine a glaring sunbeam striking your screen and piercing your eyes. At best, it’s mildly distracting, and at worse, it can sour the whole experience entirely.
Keep friends and family in mind, too – would they be impressed if their viewing pleasures were constantly interrupted in your home? If you hope to be a good host, then blocking out any daylight outside is essential. Tensions could even arise out of poor arrangements here, depending on the occasion and how important the programming is, so make sure everything unfolds perfectly by blocking out the sun at that time.
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