Room darkening curtains serve a good purpose in any room where window treatments need to block hot sun from entering the room either to save energy to prevent damage to fabrics and decorative accessories. Blackout curtains as well as blinds are an affordable way to help your air conditioner work more efficiently as well as to darken the bedroom on the rare days when you have the luxury of taking an afternoon nap.
Sun blocking techniques for windows have advanced in recent years partially due to the need to preserve our natural resources and the number of people working late shifts. Individuals who work at night have to create an artificial atmosphere that duplicates the darkness of nighttime in order to get their rest.
For many years, the only affordable,inexpensive option might be to cover the windowpanes with squares of aluminum foil. This was a very effective way to block the sun and reflect its rays. But not only was this method very unattractive; it became an unwanted signal to burglars that the occupant of the space was home during the day but most likely out during the evening hours. Plus, a window full of bright, shiny aluminum foil that is easily visible from the street gives the look of the home a black eye where street appeal is concerned.
Blackout curtains, blinds and shades in appealing styles were a much better way to turn daytime into night without announcing your sleeping schedule to the world. But heavy velvet window treatments didn’t fit with the decor in many homes and room darkening curtains especially needed to be bright and cheerful when not darkening the space for an afternoon nap.
The answer to keeping the nursery windows light and airy while having the option to darken the room when necessary would be the layering of various types of window treatments. Lined curtain panels alone will block the direct sunlight but the room will still be bright and the results will be less than optimal for getting baby to sleep. Unless the colors of the drapes and the lining are very dark, you will need to add some room darkening shades or blackout blinds to the arrangement.
The way that I like to decorate my baby’s nursery windows is with a blackout blind mounted inside the frame and a valance with my room darkening curtains. I use tie backs to hold the panels to the sides of the windows and raise and lower the shade according to how much sunlight I want to come into the bedroom at any given time.
Please make plans to visit us soon to see new baby nursery ideas and to pick up helpful tips from other moms on how to block unwanted light during naptime.
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