What are the best blinds for privacy?

It’s a delicate balance, maintaining privacy while still filling your house with natural light. Luckily, we’re here to help you solve the problem and find privacy shades that let in light, with our tips on the best blinds for privacy. 

Which blinds are best for privacy?

Blackout blinds

As you can probably imagine, blackout blinds are the best window blinds for privacy because they are a complete barrier to the outside world. When closed, blackout blinds won’t let anyone catch a glimpse inside - even at night. They are most suitable for bedrooms and theatre rooms as their lack of light is useful for sleep-ins and immersive movie watching. The blackout fabric can be used on various blind styles, including Roman, roller, and cellular, so you can choose the design that suits your home. 

Roman blinds

The most effective way to get complete privacy is to use blinds which are one solid sheet of material, so there won’t be any gaps that people could see through. Roman blinds are a pleated sheet (which comes in endless fabric types) that falls flat against the glass when down and then folds in on itself when raised, forming a neat stack at the top of the window. Depending on the fabric, you can let in as much or as little light as you want - but remember that the thinner the fabric the more visible you will be.

Roller blinds

Similarly to Roman blinds, roller blinds are made from one solid panel of fabric, and when down they fit flat against the glass. However, the difference is that roller blinds are attached to a roller at the top of the window and the fabric wraps around this when raised. Roller blinds are operated with motorised controls, a chain mechanism, or a pull cord at the bottom of the blind. 

Shutters

Acting as small doors on your windows, shutters offer almost complete privacy when they are closed. But many shutters have fixed or hinged slats, which means that like Venetian blinds, they will have small gaps visible between the slats. However, they are made from more solid materials than some blinds and won’t reveal any vague outlines or shapes at night. Shutters can also come in PVC to be suitable for the bathroom.

Blinds that let light in but provide privacy

Although the primary purpose of blinds is privacy, you can’t just live in a house devoid of natural light to try and avoid people seeing in. So, there must be a nice in-between right? You should be able to get blinds for privacy but let light in still. 

Venetian blinds

Venetian blinds are the best privacy blinds that let light through, as they are made of horizontal slats that sit flush against each other and then can be rotated to let light in. When they are raised, Venetian blinds stack together at the top of the window. You can rotate the slats so that they are only slightly open and the inside of the room isn’t visible, but light will flood in. This flexibility makes it easy to control both privacy and light with Venetian blinds. 

Vertical blinds

Vertical blinds share the maneuverability of Venetian blinds as they are made from floor-length vertical slats which are clipped to a sliding track at the top of the window. These slats can be rotated to let the desired amount of light in or create the right amount of privacy. However, one difference from the Venetian style is that breezes and drafts can flutter vertical slats and then they can move and reveal more than you want. This makes the Venetian option the ideal privacy shades that let in light while keeping you safe from prying eyes. 

Layer your blinds

If you’re already sold on a less private type of blind - perhaps some elegant cellular ones - but still want the option of enjoying the sun with your morning cuppa and not worrying about the state of your hair, then layering might be the answer. You can choose several window coverings for privacy, that let light in as well. This means you could fit the cellular blinds right against the window, then install a blackout roller blind that hangs in front of it, which you would use when you need complete privacy or darkness. Another option is using curtains as the outer layer - this can create a classic, stylish look.

Choosing your privacy blinds

If you’ve decided which privacy window shades let light in enough for you and are ready to start reaping the benefits from your new blinds, then get in touch with our team for a free measure and quote!