I Need To Control Sunlight & Glare

Control Glare & Sunlight One of the most important functions of window treatments on the sunny North Carolina coast is light control. Window treatments can actually control glare and sunlight and keep our homes more comfortable in the hot summer months. Have a room that gets too sunny and warm in the afternoon? Or a nursery that needs to be shaded so that your child can sleep? For small children’s rooms, you’ll probably want a room-darkening shade of some type. Designer Screen Shades with Standard Clutch by Hunter Douglas are available as a dual shade- one filters light; one blacks out light, giving you unlimited options. There are several possibilities for your other rooms, including blinds and shutters, that will allow you to let light in during the morning hours, but provide shade in the heat of the day. All of the window treatments that are suitable for adding privacy can help shade your rooms from the sun too. With luxury fabric treatments, which can fade when exposed to too much direct light, a UV shade is a fantastic option for protecting your investment and keeping your room cooler and more comfortable. Depending upon your home’s location, certain rooms may get more light than others, requiring a greater emphasis on light controlling shades or lined window treatments. Whether you want to block light or let the sun shine in, the Strickland’s team can suggest options that will give you complete control.

In a Sun Room

We just added a large sun room onto the back of our home. The view is great, but we get sun all day long. It gets really warm in the afternoon and too bright at certain times of the day. I want to keep my view but need some protection from the sun…what do you recommend?

Solar shades are great for this type of situation. When lowered, a solar shade made of the right fabric can reduce the amount of radiant heat entering the room, while still allowing you to see outside. Light colored fabrics work best since they are more reflective. When raised, solar shades only take up three to four inches at the top of the window, leaving your view to the outside completely open.

Silhouette shadings are also a good choice. When lowered and tilted in the open position, they allow for a view to the outdoors, much like a conventional horizontal blind.  Just like solar shades, Silhouette shadings can be raised completely for a clean, open view.

Other options for sun rooms include vertical blinds, honeycomb shades, and aluminum horizontal blinds.

In a Media Room

I have a media room, and at certain times of the day, I need to control the amount of light in the room in order to reduce the glare on the TV and computer monitors.

2 ½” wood or faux wood blinds are a great choice for light control. The larger slats allow lots of light through the blind when tilted open, and can be adjusted throughout the day to reduce the light. Although they do not completely blackout a room, the blinds will close tightly enough to dim the light and eliminate eye strain. Plantation shutters would achieve a similar result.

Light filtering shades such as honeycomb, Vignettes, and roman shades also reduce the glare. Just remember, with shades you can only raise them up or let them down; there are no slats to adjust. Other great options for media rooms include woven woods, vertical blinds, and draperies.

In a Bedroom

My kids bedroom is very bright during the day. I need to darken the room so they can nap, what can I use?

Blackout roller shades are an inexpensive way to darken a room. There are many different blackout fabrics available, and some are even washable. Drapery panels on the sides of windows will seal off any light creeping in around the edges of the shades.

Blackout honeycomb shades are also a good choice. They are measured to fit within 1/8 of an inch to minimize light gaps on the sides.  They are even available with side channels which completely eliminate light gaps. Other options to create a darkened room for optimal sleep include draperies or roman shades with blackout lining.

To Protect My Rugs and Antiques

The sun shines in my living room windows all afternoon and I’m worried it will damage my furniture and floors, what can I use to protect from fading?

All window coverings offer significant protection from damaging sunlight.  Window treatments that address heat or glare will also address fading. If fading is your sole concern, then consider solar shades;  they block over 90% of UV rays with minimal loss of light and view. Silhouettes and sheer curtains also achieve similar results.